Director of Marketing

Palm Beach Opera seeks a Director of Marketing to begin full-time work in September/October 2024. This position serves as the organization’s chief marketing officer, and is responsible for creating and implementing strategies that drive audience growth and earned revenue through compelling advertising campaigns and collateral materials. 

The Director of Marketing will manage the company’s branding, communications, public relations, and audience development strategies to increase the profile of Palm Beach Opera within the community and generate over $1.5 million annually in sales. This position is a key member of the senior management team, works in close collaboration with all other departments, and is supported by a Marketing & Communications Manager and a Box Office Manager.

This position has been vacant at PBO since January 2024, and finding the right candidate is the priority of a new administration which began in June 2024 with the recent promotion of the company’s longtime Director of Artistic Administration to the role of General Director.The company is currently positioned for major growth, located in one of the wealthiest and most philanthropic communities in the world, with a rapidly increasing population and widespread enthusiasm for the artistic quality of recent seasons and the company’s civic impact.PBO is part of a vibrant cultural fabric in the region which contributes to an unparalleled quality of life alongside beautiful weather, pristine beaches, abundant outdoor activities, and world-class dining. In this idyllic setting, the current job opening is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious and experienced marketing professional who is driven to achieve new heights. The ideal candidate will be a persuasive storyteller with an authentic passion for the performing arts, demonstrated success in audience development, and a mindset that is both creative and analytical.

Primary Responsibilities

Communications

• Plan and execute comprehensive multi-channel advertising campaigns (including print, radio, TV, mail and email direct marketing, digital, and social media) to achieve the company’s earned revenue, attendance, and brand awareness goals.

• Oversee the creation and distribution of all marketing collateral; develop design concepts, choose or commission artwork, and write copy as needed.

• Direct and manage the company’s website design and ongoing content updates.

• Manage the development of each season’s Program Book, creating the design and layout, overseeing ad sales, and collaborating with all departments for timely submission of content.

• Develop and maintain the company’s branding strategy and style guide, ensuring company-wide observation of graphic and editorial standards across all materials and channels.

• Oversee the design and production of company materials as requested, including documents, presentations, letterhead, business cards, and concert programs.

• Partner with the Development, Community Engagement, and Artistic departments on external communications, event promotion, support for grant applications, and creation of the annual Impact Report.

Public Relations

• Cultivate close relationships with media outlets and journalists, and serve as a key spokesperson for the organization as needed.

• Create and distribute press releases and media pitches, leveraging connections to generate news coverage for the company’s events and public interest stories.

Audience Development

• Conduct market research to identify targeted audience segments and effective engagement methods.

• Establish ticket sales goals, pricing strategies, and revenue projections based on market analysis and company/industry data.

• Design and coordinate sales strategies to maximize subscription renewals, single ticket purchases, and group sales.

• Track sales and produce reports that give vital insights on forecasting and strategy.

• Design and implement audience-building initiatives, including development of a vibrant young friends’ program.

Patron Experience

• Lead an exemplary customer service program to guarantee the highest-level patron experience in all interactions.

• Ensure excellence in front-of-house procedures at performances, partnering with venue staff to deliver company standards.

• Create and distribute clear and comprehensive pre-show communications to all ticketholders, and conduct post-show surveys to collect and analyze data that informs retention efforts.

• Partner with other local hospitality providers to enhance the patron experience.

Department Management

• Create and manage the department budget, allocating resources based on strategic priorities.

• Motivate and lead a 2-person department, helping team members to develop skills, increase effectiveness, and achieve targets.

• Engage and manage graphic designers, printers, photographers, videographers, and other vendors to support department operations.

• Represent Palm Beach Opera at community events and performances.

• Prepare and present reports for the Board of Directors.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in marketing for the performing arts.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate PBO’s mission, programs, and impact to diverse audiences.

• An eye for graphic design. Experience with Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and web design platforms is an advantage.

• Ability to establish priorities and multitask, with strong organizational, analytical, and creative problem-solving skills, a determination to succeed, and meticulous attention to detail.

• A commitment to exceptional customer service.

• Effective leadership qualities and experience managing a team.

• Enthusiasm for the performing arts and a genuine interest in developing a deep knowledge of opera. An existing background in opera is an advantage.

• Proficiency in CRM systems for ticketing, reporting, and analysis, as well as email marketing applications, and website/social media analytics. Familiarity with PatronManager is an advantage.

• Knowledge of computerized information systems and their application, including Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office.

• Must have the ability to work flexible hours, including extended hours, evenings, and weekends for events and performances.

This job description is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, requirements, or working conditions associated with the job. While this listing is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, the company reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed or assigned.

Please forward your cover letter and résumé in pdf format to:  pboHR@pbopera.org. Please address communications to James Barbato, General Director.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Palm Beach Opera is one of the nation's most highly regarded opera companies, noted for its more than 60-year legacy of excellence in mainstage productions featuring internationally-renowned singers, a robust education program which has a history of deep impact throughout Southeast Florida, and one of the premier resident artist training programs in the industry.

The recently completed 2024 season was a triumph in each area of the company's mission. The three mainstage productions at the 2,220-seat Kravis Center for the Performing Arts were a showcase of superstars, from the sensational US debut of Anastasia Bartoli in Tosca alongside legendary bass-baritone Greer Grimsley, to the return of Kathryn Lewek in the tour-de-force role of the Four Heroines in The Tales of Hoffmann, to Angela Meade's generation-defining interpretation of Norma. The 2025 season builds on these successes with classic productions of Roméo et Juliette, La traviata, and The Marriage of Figaro.

The company's community engagement programs continue to be a vital force for arts education in the region, reaching thousands of children and adults each year, from frequent classroom concerts, to panels with visiting scholars, and many more activities designed to inspire a lifelong love of the performing arts, including an exciting partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs in which the children create and perform their own operas.

PBO has also become one of the leading training centers for emerging artists in the opera industry. Since the company’s first iteration of a formalized resident artist program in 2004, which included then-rising-star Nadine Sierra among its participants, PBO has built an impressive track-record of success in identifying and training the next generation of singers, and this season marked the milestone of PBO's third National Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera's Laffont Competition in just the past four years.  With the current three-tiered structure, PBO provides mentorship for artists at several key stages of their development – from high school voice students preparing for college as part of PBO Studio, to recent conservatory graduates building professional experience in the Apprentice Artist Program, to singers on the verge of launching careers as principal artists through the Young Artist Program.