Executive Director

Company Overview

ArtSpring acknowledges the unceded territory and the ancestors of Salt Spring Island, the Coast Salish First Nations peoples of Salt Spring and surrounding areas, who continue to use and steward these lands. We at ArtSpring wish to pay respect to the Elders of this land, past and present.

ArtSpring is a community performing and visual arts centre on Salt Spring Island, B.C. – one of the Southern Gulf Islands off Canada’s west coast. Over its 25 + years of operation, ArtSpring has earned a reputation as a centre for the island’s professional and amateur artists, presenters and students, and as a premier arts venue attracting regional, national and international artists.

ArtSpring is a lively community gathering place, hosting approximately 300 events each year that bring people together through the arts. Alongside ArtSpring Presents, our curated season of professional touring artists, ArtSpring prioritizes community access through an active rentals program and a wide range of public programming. Our theatre, gallery, and public spaces are regularly filled by local and regional performers, community groups, and emerging artists, as well as visual art exhibitions, workshops, film screenings, and youth engagement activities. Programs such as the Makana Youth Choir reflect ArtSpring’s commitment to nurturing creativity, learning, and participation across generations, ensuring the arts remain accessible, welcoming, and rooted in community life.

The building is an 11,800 square-foot, two-level, heavy timber structure, boasting a 6,600-square- foot, 259-seat theatre, and a 5,200-square-foot exhibition/multi-purpose area. After significant community-based planning and fundraising, the building opened in April 1999 and has been in continuous operation since then.

Job Description

ArtSpring is adjusting its leadership structure, which has led to this exciting opportunity. With the new Executive Director focused on operations and financial matters, the current Executive Director will transition into a part-time Artistic Programmer role responsible for delivering a unique program of performing and visual arts. With this new leadership structure, ArtSpring will be well-positioned to continue its innovative and impactful operations 

ArtSpring is seeking a creative, dynamic, and collaborative individual to serve as its Executive Director. This is an exciting and unique opportunity for a professional arts executive to bring their vision, experience, and passion for the arts sector to Salt Spring Island. Reporting to the Board of Directors and collaborating with the Artistic Programmer, the Executive Director will be responsible for managing ArtSpring's operations, leading a team of six part-time staff and two full-time team members. The ideal candidate will have a combination of education and experience to build public and private sector support to deliver on strategic priorities and embrace collaboration with the ArtSpring team to maximize earned and contributed revenue while achieving organizational success.

As the management and operational leader of ArtSpring, the Executive Director will serve as a leader in planning for the organization’s overall advancement, working with the Board of Directors and the Artistic Programmer. Supporting and partnering with artists, staff, board, and volunteers, the Executive Director will operationalize, renew, manage and develop the strategic plan while building a thriving, creative, and diverse culture that serves artists, audiences, stakeholders, and the Salt Spring Island community. The Executive Director will advance ArtSpring’s objectives while leading and motivating a highly effective team to devise and implement successful strategies.

The Executive Director must have an interest in the performing and visual arts and building community, will want to commit themselves in the success and growth of ArtSpring, and will find personal fulfillment in being part of the future of ArtSpring and the Salt Spring Community. 

The Salt Spring Island Community

Often described as “the coolest island in Canada,” Salt Spring Island offers a rare blend of creative energy, natural beauty, and deeply connected community life. Home to just over 12,500 year-round residents, the island balances a lively cultural scene with the restorative calm of rural island living.

At its heart is Ganges Village, a bustling harbour town filled with independent shops, galleries, cafés, and restaurants. Each Saturday, the village comes alive with the island’s iconic market — a true expression of local pride, where everything is made, baked, or grown on Salt Spring Island. Beyond Ganges, pastoral landscapes, forested trails, and sweeping ocean views define daily life, offering space to breathe, reflect, and recharge.

Outdoor experiences are woven into the rhythm of the island: hike the cliffside trails of Mount Maxwell, picnic at Beddis Beach, cycle quiet country roads, or enjoy waterfront dining in Fulford Harbour. Salt Spring is equally known as a place of renewal, with spas, yoga studios, and wellness centres that have earned it a reputation as a “healing island.”

Visitors and residents alike can explore the island’s creative spirit through year-round North End and South End studio tours, while accommodations range from welcoming B&Bs and resorts to oceanside camping near Ruckle Heritage Farm, British Columbia’s oldest working farm. Now celebrated as a destination for food, craft, and boutique shopping, Salt Spring is easily accessible via three ferry terminals, floatplanes, or by boat, with over 300 marina slips.

A Vibrant Arts & Cultural Community

Salt Spring Island has an extraordinarily rich arts and cultural ecosystem for a community of its size. The island is home to hundreds of practicing artists, musicians, writers, performers, and makers, supported by an engaged, arts-literate audience and a strong tradition of volunteerism. 

At the centre of this ecosystem is ArtSpring Community Arts Centre, a multidisciplinary presenting and community arts hub that anchors the island’s cultural life. The island also hosts festivals, galleries, choirs, theatre companies, studios, and community-based arts initiatives that foster creativity across generations. Artistic practice here is not peripheral — it is woven into daily life, local identity, and community wellbeing.

For cultural leaders and artists alike, Salt Spring offers a rare opportunity: to work at a high artistic level within a deeply connected, values-driven community that believes in the power of the arts to bring people together.

Executive Director Role and Responsibilities

The Executive Director is the organization’s chief executive officer, responsible for the overall leadership, strategy, financial health, operations, fundraising, and culture of ArtSpring. The Executive Director will work in close collaboration with the Artistic Programmer to ensure artistic excellence aligns with organizational capacity, strategy, and community impact. The Executive Director will be responsible for:

Organizational Leadership & Strategy

• Serving as the primary organizational leader and public representative of ArtSpring.

• Fostering a healthy, inclusive, and accountable organizational culture.

• Translating the artistic vision of ArtSpring into sustainable operational and financial plans.

• Leading the implementation of the Board-approved Strategic Plan.

Governance & Board Relations

• Working with and reporting directly to the Board of Directors and supporting effective

governance.

• Advising the Board on risk management, policy, and long-term planning.

Financial Management

• Developing and managing annual operating and capital budgets.

• Overseeing financial controls, reporting, and audit processes.

• Ensuring financial sustainability and responsible stewardship of resources.

Fundraising & External Relations

• Leading all fundraising strategies, including major gifts, grants, sponsorships, and partnerships.

• Acting as the primary relationship manager for major donors and funders.

• Collaborating with the Artistic Programmer on donor cultivation linked to artistic impact.

• Representing ArtSpring to government, funders, community partners, and stakeholders.

Operations & Human Resources

• Overseeing all operational functions, including facilities, staffing, policies, and systems.

• Directly managing staff and ensuring effective performance management.

• Ensuring compliance with employment, safety, and regulatory requirements.

Artistic Alignment

• Working collaboratively with the Artistic Programmer to ensure programming is aligned with strategic, financial, and community priorities.

• Responsible for programming budgets and contracts.

• Participating in high-level artistic planning with the Artistic Programmer

Decision-Making Authority

The Executive Director will have authority over creating and executing the organizational strategy, approving budgets, staffing, fundraising, and external representation. The Executive Director, collaborating with the Artistic Programmer, will finalize Artistic Resourcing and Scheduling.

Key Characteristics

The successful candidate will have outstanding leadership experience in the arts, culture, or non- profit organizations, with strong financial, fundraising, and people-management skills. The successful candidates should have experience working with non-profit Boards of Directors and with complex stakeholder environments. A demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, diversity, and community engagement, with a passion for education, will be required.

A natural collaborator with excellent interpersonal skills, the Executive Director will be a future thinker with a visionary approach and an ability to build trust by demonstrating responsible leadership. The successful candidate will understand how to maximize initiatives and places a high value on communication. They will have the capacity to cultivate effective relationships with multiple stakeholders, lead a high-performing team, and produce results within the programmatic, financial, strategic, and operational realities of ArtSpring.

A personable self-starter adept at multitasking and problem-solving, the Executive Director will have a high degree of emotional intelligence and value teamwork and collaboration. The Executive Director will understand the importance of external stakeholder engagement and will be a motivated ambassador and advocate for the organization in a vibrant, increasingly diverse community. The ideal candidate will be comfortable engaging in conversations that generate revenues, build effective partnerships, deepen engagement, and advance innovative approaches to programs, presentations, and community opportunities.

A natural decision-maker who is creative and resilient, the Executive Director will embrace a healthy organizational culture based on strategic, artistic, and operational partnerships. With insight and experience in leveraging financial, human, and technological resources, the Executive Director will also be adept at planning and organizing.

Experience

The ideal candidate for the Executive Director position at ArtSpring should possess a high level of understanding and willingness for progressive leadership. While a minimum of a degree is preferred, it is not mandatory.

The Executive Director must demonstrate strong skills in project direction and management, ensuring that organizational goals are met efficiently and effectively. Their leadership should include the ability to supervise colleagues effectively, fostering a collaborative and collegial environment.

Building and maintaining a cohesive team is essential for the success of ArtSpring, and the candidate should exhibit a management style that promotes teamwork, open communication, and mutual respect.

Experience in a leadership role within an arts organization or a not-for-profit sector is considered an asset, indicating familiarity with the unique challenges and opportunities in these fields.

ArtSpring values its staff and is committed to supporting their professional growth. The organization also encourages individuals interested in transitioning into a leadership role in the arts sector to apply. There is an opportunity to develop and enhance your skills through ongoing development conversations, comprehensive training programs, and mentorship opportunities. ArtSpring aims to create an environment where colleagues can thrive both professionally and personally.

The Executive Director will be expected to live on Salt Spring Island, and will have the legal eligibility to work in Canada.