Alliance Française seeks new Executive Director

[Tom Ansart]

Executive Director
Alliance Française de Seattle
Position Announcement
Posted: January 1, 2010
Closes: January 31, 2010
Start Date: March 1, 2010

Contact:

Alliance Française de Seattle
attention: Search Committee
4649 Sunnyside Avenue N. Suite #205
Seattle, WA 98103

hr@afseattle.org
(206) 632-5433

The Alliance Française de Seattle, founded in 1987, evolved out of the Seattle Cercle Français, which was then over fifty years old. We are one of America's 135 chapters of the Alliance Française, the largest network of French language and cultural centers in the world. Our Alliance is an independently supported American organization governed by our Franco-American Board of Directors, which reports to our members.

Our Mission
The Alliance Française de Seattle is an educational and cultural nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that serves the Puget Sound area. Our mission is to promote the French language, increase awareness of French and francophone cultures, and foster friendly relations between them.

The Executive Director
The Executive Director is a leadership position responsible for the coordination and delivery of all member and educational programs. This is a hybrid organization with over 600 paying members and about 200 enrolled students. Increasing student and membership populations creates an opportunity to expand our cultural offerings (art, music, theatre, dance, film, literature) both to our members and the general public. We seek a visionary leader with a strong background in education, cultural events, and fund development.
The Executive Director reports directly to the Alliance Française Board of Directors and serves as the chief communicator internally between the Board, employees, volunteers, members and students, and externally to our Franco-American constituencies and partners.

Minimum Qualifications
• Leadership experience in a non-profit organization;
• Experience in teaching and/or school administration;
• Administrative skills including planning, budgeting, grant-writing, and contract management;
• Interest and experience in producing, planning, and managing cultural events;
• Strong command of French and English languages in writing and public speaking;
• Experience staffing and/or working under the direction of a non-profit board of directors;
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule, with some evening and weekend duties.

Desirable Qualifications
• Knowledge of basic accounting principles, financial and tax reporting, payroll;
• Background in strategic planning and organizational development;
• Experience coordinating volunteers;
• A successful fund-raising track record.

Application Procedure and Process

Interested applicants are to contact the search committee by January 31, 2010, through a resume and two written cover letters, in hard copy or electronically, one in English and one in French language, describing how they might marshal their background and experiences to lead the organization to accomplish its strategic goal: to better integrate the school and cultural programs to meet the stated mission of the Alliance Française de Seattle.
The search committee, after reviewing and screening of applicant letters, will contact individuals of interest for further credentials and references. Selected applicants will be scheduled for interviews with the search committee and board with an anticipated start date of March 1, 2010.

Salary and Compensation
There is currently $45,000 budgeted for this position in calendar year 2010. The salary and benefit package offered will be based on education, experience and a collective negotiation.
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Seeking contact with francophone actors, directors.