General Manager - Job Description

This position is now closed

The Association of Irish Choirs (AOIC) is the national resource and support organisation for choral music in Ireland, providing a range of artistic and education programmes, activities and supports for choirs, singers, teachers and conductors. In addition, AOIC runs the Irish Youth Choir.

Earlier this year, AOIC became an Artistic Partner of the University Concert Hall (UCH) in the University of Limerick and is in the process of moving to its new home on the vibrant UL campus.

AOIC seeks a General Manager to be based in AOIC’s offices in the Concert Hall building. This is a new full-time position, and offers an exciting opportunity for the right candidate to be involved in the continued development of AOIC at this time of change.

Reporting to the CEO, the General Manager will have responsibility for the smooth and efficient day to day running of the organisation with a focus on operations, administration, financial management, and projects management. The postholder will be the central manager and liaison point for a small, remote, distributed team.

This position would be ideally suited to someone with a background in arts management and who has a knowledge of music, in particular choral music.

Skills/competencies required:

Candidates should:

• Have strong organisational skills and relevant management experience;
• Have proven budgeting and accounts management skills;
• Have a clear understanding and experience of the challenges of working with a distributed team;
• Have excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills;
• Be self-motivated and demonstrate an ability to work on one’s own initiative
• Have a high level of computer literacy and knowledge of computerised accounting systems.
• Be a team player with a proven ability to plan, prioritise and meet deadlines.

The role encompasses the following core areas:

Administration and Staff:

• Oversee the day to day management of the company;
• Manage the efficient running of the office’s IT, administrative and communication procedures;
• Manage human resources, including assisting in the recruitment of part time artistic and occasional administrative staff
• Ensure that staffing levels are sufficient to undertake projects and to ensure smooth running of the organisation, particularly at busy periods.

Financial Management and Budgeting:

• Work with CEO to set and monitor budgets for the organisation, and oversee the day-to-day financial management of the company;
• Generate and maintain quarterly management accounts, cashflow projections and assist in the preparation of accounts for annual audit;
• Collaborate with CEO on funding submissions
• Manage payroll and pension contributions as required.

AOIC programmes and services:

• Support the CEO and projects staff on the development and timely delivery of the organisation’s core programme of activities;
• Work with the CEO and projects staff to raise awareness of the work of the Association and to expand and develop its profile and reach, both nationally and internationally;
• Supervise and regularly review the management and delivery of AOIC programmes;
• Design and implement communications strategy; manage regular communications with the membership (e-shots, mailshots, press statements and regular web updates etc.);
• Promote AOIC projects and activities and represent AOIC as and when requested.

Library Management
AOIC holds a unique choral library of over 8,500 pieces of sheet music and scores. As part of this role, the General Manager will be expected to:

• Manage, maintain and promote library facilities in line with current best practice;
• Monitor capital requirements and generate budgets and funding applications as required.

Terms & Salary:
The position is a three-year fixed term contract with a nine-month probation period. Salary will be commensurate with experience and industry norms and will be in the region of €30,000 - €40,000 per annum. Statutory holiday entitlements apply. This position is contingent on continued funding from the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.

Closing date:
Letters of application accompanied by an up to date curriculum vitae must be received either by email to ceo.aoic@gmail.com or by post (to CEO, Association of Irish Choirs, Foundation Building, University of Limerick) by 5pm on Tuesday 1st December. Interviews will take place in the week beginning 7th December 2009.