Colorado Nonprofit Association

Concert Director

About Swallow Hill:

Founded in 1979, Swallow Hill Music (SHM, Swallow Hill) is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) organization that strives to positively impact the quality of people’s lives through music. SHM operates a music school and three performance venues at its Broadway & Yale location, and produces outreach activities and community events throughout the Denver metro region as an SCFD-funded Tier II organization with a $6 Million annual budget (2019).

In addition to music therapy sessions, Swallow Hill’s flagship early education program “Little Swallows” is provided for students across the city. The organization is the producing partner for concerts at Denver Botanic Gardens, Four Mile Historic Park, the Butterfly Pavilion, the Clyfford Still Museum, and various music venues. Swallow Hill is a nationally-revered hub for concerts, classes, and community, and is a recipient of both the Mayor’s and the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, and an inductee of the Colorado Music Hall of Fame and Folk Alliance International’s Business Lifetime Achievement awards.

Job Summary:

The Concert Director, an executive leader, reports to the CEO and is responsible for all aspects of the Concert Department including creating, booking and executing a comprehensive concert program, strategic visioning and tactical execution in the achievement of programmatic and revenue goals and objectives, administration, staff management, budgeting and inter-departmental communication. A successful Director will collaborate across departments and develop and maintain partnerships to maximize programming opportunities.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Recruits, interviews, hires, and trains new Concert staff.
• Oversees the daily workflow of the department.
• Provides constructive and timely performance evaluations.
• Handles discipline and termination of employees in accordance with company policy.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Develop and manage the Concert Department budget, meeting revenue and expense goals.
• Develop, in collaboration with the CEO short- and long- term Department goals, strategies, and recommendations for changes to, or the creation of, new concert programs and partnerships.
• Ensure successful booking of talent (headliners and support acts) for all concerts, including but not limited to, weekly shows and special events/festivals at our Flagship Yale Ave. location (Daniels Hall, Tuft Theater), Denver Botanic Gardens Summer Concert Series, Shady Grove Concert Series at Four Mile Historic Park, and various off-site partner locations;
• Send and monitor offers; execute contracts; and ensure contractual/deposit timelines are met;
• Collect and analyze data to evaluate concert value relative to mission and profitability;
• Ensure appropriate staffing, coach and provide professional development opportunities for staff;
• Ensuring effective coordination and execution of all activities;
• Support a patron-centric culture;
• Supervise Concert staff and other vendors as needed;
• Work with Development, School and Community Outreach Departments to leverage connections with artists to create value add propositions for the organization as a whole;
• Collaborate with the Marketing Department to maximize impact of materials and messaging;
• Provide reports to the Board of Directors regarding Concert Department strategies, tactics and the achievement of goals;
• Attend all outdoor shows and ensure talent settlement payments;
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Values diversity and contributes to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, sales and customer service skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent supervisory and leadership skills.
• High level of leadership and fiscal management skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate them when appropriate.
• Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times stressful environment.
• Ability to navigate complex relationships, anticipating where challenges may arise and addressing them proactively
• Proficient with booking tools such as Celebrity Access and Pollstar
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite and/or related software.
• Comfortable utilizing remote meeting & video conferencing technology such as Zoom.

Education and Experience:

• Minimum of five years of experience as a talent buyer and/or concert director (2,300 seat venue capacity) and three years related senior management experience.
• Successful track record in booking and executing concerts.

Physical Requirements:

• This position requires walking, bending, reaching, and standing for long periods of time.
• Must be able to lift and carry items weighing up to 50 pounds.
• This position also requires hearing to accurately understand information at normal spoken word levels in a potentially loud environment and visual observation for reviewing, checking, preparing, and maintaining written and computer files.
• Manual dexterity to operate standard office, data entry, and other related facility and production equipment is required.

We will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities or whose service requirements interfere with a religious belief, unless doing so would result in undue hardship or a direct threat to SHM. Please contact human resources at 303.777.1003 to request accommodation, or for questions/concerns regarding this policy.

EEO Statement

Swallow Hill provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Swallow Hill complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.