Description

Organization

The Flynn is where the unexpected meets the familiar—where strangers become neighbors through shared wonder. We light up stages and communities alike with performances that inspire and moments that transform. Here, bold art feels personal—and belonging takes center stage.

The Flynn welcomes international, national, and regional artists to its stages, presenting a diverse range of performances designed to create transformative experiences for audiences. Its programming includes world-class music, Broadway, theater, dance, family performances, intimate events in Flynn Space, the annual Burlington Discover Jazz Festival around the city, and statewide art in public space presentations throughout the year. 

The Flynn’s facilities include a 1,439-seat Main Stage theater, Flynn Space (a smaller black-box performance venue), education and dance studios, and a visual art gallery. These spaces support a wide range of performances, educational activities, and community events. In addition to presenting its own season and programs, the Flynn provides a performance venue for organizations such as the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Vermont Youth Orchestra, Lyric Theatre, UVM Lane Series, and other local and touring groups. 

Education and community engagement are central to the Flynn’s work. The Flynn serves participants through programs such as the Student Matinee Series, which connects schools with live performances, as well as classes, camps, and workshops for children, teens, and adults. Outreach efforts extend beyond the building, bringing performances into schools, public spaces, and communities across Vermont. Initiatives such as artist residencies, public-space performances, and student ticket programs help remove barriers to access and ensure broad participation, including partnerships with social service agencies and opportunities for emerging and local artists. Welcoming more than 165,000 attendees each year through more than 100 performances and programs, the Flynn continues to be a cultural anchor for Vermont, presenting bold, diverse, and high-quality artistic experiences that celebrate global perspectives, elevate local voices, and invite the entire community to take part in the transformative power of live performance. 

The Flynn has a 22member board of directors led by Board Chair Chiuho Sampson. The CGIO has four direct reports, including the Director of Advancement, Director of Marketing, Director of Strategic Communications, and the Director of Corporate Relations & Major Gifts, and reports to the Executive Director. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, the Flynn reported $10.3 million in total revenue, including 53% from program services, 29% from contributions and grants, and 18% from investment income.    

Sources: edited from flynnvt.org; propublica.org 

Community

Burlington, Vermont, is a welcoming, highly livable lakeside city, combining neighborhood character, civic engagement, cultural activity, and abundant outdoor amenities on the shores of Lake Champlain. With a 2024 estimated population of 44,432, Burlington is a highly educated community, where 60.5% of residents age 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. The City’s comprehensive planning work, known as planBTV, serves as Burlington’s principal guide for land use policy, long-range decision-making, and future public and private investment. Through planBTV 2050, Burlington is advancing a unified citywide vision that brings together planning, transportation, parks and recreation, and community and economic development to reflect how Burlingtonians live, work, and move through the city. 

Burlington’s community life is shaped by its waterfront, parks, downtown, and arts infrastructure. The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Waterfront oversees more than 35 parks, more than 550 acres of open space, four public beaches, street trees and greenways, community gardens, Miller Recreation Center, Leddy Ice Arena, North Beach Campground, the Community Boathouse Marina, and a wide range of recreation programs. Residents enjoy yearround access to biking and walking paths, sailing and paddling on the lake, and easy proximity to Vermont’s renowned skiing and outdoor recreation areas.

Local food culture, farmers' markets, independent shops, and a strong sense of neighborhood identity contribute to Burlington’s appeal as a place where residents can enjoy both smallcity accessibility and a rich, creative community life. In this setting, Burlington offers the scale and accessibility of a close-knit Vermont city with the quality of life, natural beauty, and cultural energy of a community actively shaping an inclusive and sustainable future.

Sources: edited from burlingtonvt.gov; census.gov 

Position Summary

The Chief Growth & Impact Officer (CGIO) will be a visionary senior executive charged with elevating the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts’ (the Flynn) reach, relevance, and long-term sustainability. As the Flynn's senior leader for organizational growth, the CGIO will shape and drive an integrated strategy to expand audiences, strengthen revenue, heighten visibility, and amplify the Flynn’s public impact. They will align Marketing, Development, and Strategic Communications around shared goals, disciplined execution, and measurable results. With a bold, community-centered approach to growth, the CGIO will ensure that every strategy advances the Flynn’s commitments to representation, dialogue, and belonging while deepening engagement, broadening participation, and inspiring greater support from the full diversity of the communities the Flynn serves.

Roles and Responsibilities 

Organizational Growth Strategy 

       Develop and manage an integrated strategy to grow revenues and audiences by maximizing existing communication channels, technologies, and relationships, while identifying and activating new opportunities for expansion and engagement.  

       Partner with the Executive Director to set and steward growth priorities aligned with the strategic plan.   

       Translate long-term goals into integrated, multi-year growth strategies across income, audience reach, visibility, and impact.  

       Establish shared growth frameworks, planning rhythms, and performance benchmarks across departments, including alignment across systems, revenue channels, and related operational processes.  

       Ensure growth strategies support the full patron journey from awareness through conversion, engagement, and long-term support.  

       Connect the Executive Director’s vision for the Flynn’s artistic mission and organizational aspirations to practical, operational plans that can be implemented across teams.

       Embrace other organizational growth strategy responsibilities as needed.

Revenue Leadership & Accountability 

       Own and be accountable for combined earned and contributed revenue performance.  

       Oversee development on philanthropic strategy, pipeline health, and campaign execution.  

       Supervise the Director of Marketing on audience growth, ticket revenue, membership acquisition, and the performance of marketing campaigns that drive conversion and attendance.  

       Guide the Director of Corporate Relations & Major Gifts in expanding corporate sponsorship and partnership strategy and ensuring the development and stewardship of major gifts are aligned with organizational priorities and growth goals.  

       Ensure forecasting, goal-setting, and reporting are aligned, realistic, and data-informed.  

       Align earned, contributed, and other revenue channels to support coordinated planning, accountability, and growth.

       Embrace other revenue leadership and accountability responsibilities as needed.

Strategic Communications & Visibility 

       Oversee organizational visibility and reputation strategy in collaboration with the Director of Strategic Communications.  

       Ensure consistent narrative alignment across fundraising, marketing, public relations, and institutional storytelling.  

       Confirm alignment between organic and paid channel strategies, supporting coordinated planning, messaging, and performance across Marketing and Strategic Communications.  

       Support the Executive Director and senior leaders as visible, credible external voices.  

       Embrace other strategic communications and visibility responsibilities as needed.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Alignment 

       Lead and support Directors within the Growth & Impact system, with clear boundaries between strategy ownership and execution.  

       Foster collaboration, shared planning, and integrated campaigns, eliminating siloing.  

       Build a culture of accountability, learning, and continuous improvement.  

       Support leadership transition by providing clarity, continuity, and coordination across affected teams.

       Acknowledge and attend to the staff experience during periods of change, particularly for employees whose work or reporting relationships are directly impacted.

       Embrace other leadership and cross-functional alignment responsibilities as needed.

Measurement & Impact 

       Define and track KPIs that connect growth activity to organizational outcomes.  

       Use data and insight to adapt strategy, test new approaches, and inform decision-making.  

       Ensure systems, tools, and platforms evolve to support changing audience behaviors, technologies, and growth opportunities.  

       Communicate progress clearly to the Executive Director, senior team, and Board as appropriate.  

       Use performance data and shared reporting to support alignment across revenue channels, audience development, communications, and organizational priorities.

       Embrace other measurement and impact responsibilities as needed. 

Traits and Characteristics 

The Chief Growth & Impact Officer will be an engaging and peopleoriented leader who values communication, collaboration, and relationshipbuilding across the organization. This individual will bring versatility and adaptability, navigating shifting priorities, structural change, and crossdepartmental needs with confidence and ease. Grounded in intuition, practical judgment, and a clear sense of purpose, the CGIO will demonstrate a balanced and motivating leadership style that fosters trust, alignment, and stability during a period of organizational evolution. They will be resourceful and receptive, combining datainformed thinking with openness to new ideas, methods, and opportunities that strengthen the Flynn’s revenue systems, audience growth, and community impact. The CGIO will also be innovative and strategic, drawing on broad experience across marketing and development to advance integrated communications, support team cohesion, and champion approaches that enhance the Flynn’s longterm success.

Other key competencies include: 

       Time and Priority Management and Teamwork – The aptitude to ascertain competing priorities, resolve difficulties, overcome obstacles, and maximize the use of time and resources to attain the desired outcomes, while cooperating with others to meet those objectives

       Conceptual Thinking and Problem Solving – The ability to define, analyze, and diagnose key components of a problem to formulate a solution, while analyzing hypothetical courses of action to ensure that work is completed effectively.

       Flexibility and Personal Accountability – The acumen to be answerable for personal actions, readily modifying, responding, and adapting to change with minimal resistance.   

       Futuristic Thinking – The foresight to envision expanded possibilities, championing cutting-edge ideas and concepts, and crafting an environment where creative thinking is the norm, not the exception.

       Diplomacy – The aptitude to handle situations gracefully and with sensitivity, and communicate effectively by listening, observing, and appreciating cultural and personal perspectives. 

Qualifications 

A minimum of 10 years of senior-level leadership experience in growth, revenue, advancement, marketing, and/or communications is desired, along with demonstrated success leading integrated revenue strategies that include both earned and contributed income. Senior leadership experience as an Executive Director, Development Director, or comparable advancement, marketing, or revenue leader is strongly preferred, with demonstrated ability to translate strategy into effective tactics and execution. Experience leading or partnering closely across development, marketing, and communications functions is essential. Capital campaign experience is strongly preferred. Proven ability to align multiple functional teams around shared goals, metrics, and performance outcomes is essential. Strong strategic thinking, comfort with data, forecasting, digital tools, audience engagement, and performance management, and exceptional communication, judgment, and relationship-building skills are required. Experience helping an organization strengthen or transform its revenue, advancement, marketing, or growth strategy is highly desirable. Experience in arts, culture, nonprofit, or other mission-driven organizations is preferred as is experience in New England and/or Vermont or comparable regional fundraising markets. A bachelor’s degree is highly desirable, and an advanced degree is preferred.

Compensation and Benefits 

The Flynn offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package, including an annual salary range of $140,000 to $150,000, and a benefits package that includes health, dental, and vision insurance coverage, Safe Harbor 401(k) contributions, and paid time off.

Applications and Inquiries 

To submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred), please visit https://artsconsulting.com/opensearches/flynn-center-for-the-performing-arts-seeks-chief-growth-impact-officer/

The Flynn is committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We strive to be diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective. Our goal is to build and maintain an organization where everyone can do their best work. We believe that people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women, and LGBTQ people must be centered in the work we do, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.