Community Music Center of Boston Chief Executive Officer Job Opportunity

Community Music Center of Boston Chief Executive Officer Job Opportunity

Community Music Center of Boston (CMCB) is an arts education nonprofit founded in 1910 with a mission to transform lives by providing equitable access to excellent music education and arts experiences. Originally established to serve a wave of new American immigrants, CMCB has spent 116 years connecting music education to social impact, including providing music classes in newly integrated schools during Boston's 1970s school desegregation crisis and pioneering early work in using music for social-emotional development that later contributed to the development of the board-certified profession of music therapy. Today CMCB operates a large community music school and is one of the largest external providers of arts education to Boston Public Schools, supporting more than 2,500 students of all ages each week across virtually every Boston neighborhood — approximately 80% of whom are youth of color and 70% of whom are economically disadvantaged. Its programs include the Community Music School, Community Engagement Programs, Music Therapy, and the nationally recognized Youth Employment Program. CMCB is governed by a 20-member board of directors led by President Dr. George Blount, supported by an 83-member CMCB Corporation, and is expanding to a new 13,000-square-foot headquarters in Boston's Nubian Square, opening in 2027.

Title & Description

Chief Executive Officer — Community Music Center of Boston

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will be a visionary leader responsible for CMCB's strategic direction, public visibility, and managerial operations. Joining CMCB following a successful building acquisition and capital campaign, the CEO will lead the organization at a time of expansion and broadened impact, serving as CMCB's primary spokesperson while co-developing and executing a new strategic plan. The role calls for nurturing a mix of multi-generational relationships with the board, faculty, staff, parents, students, strategic partners, and donors who comprise CMCB's community and culture. The CEO is expected to guide the organization's transition from one to two campuses, oversee board members in their roles as fundraisers, policymakers, and community ambassadors, and lead staff and operations while growing earned and contributed revenue.

The Role Overview

• Position Type: Full-time, executive leadership role
• Reports To: Board of Directors (President Dr. George Blount)
• Department / Programme: Executive leadership; five direct reports — Chief Financial & Operating Officer, Chief Programming Officer, Chief Advancement Officer, Executive Assistant, and Human Resources Manager
• Institutional Context: CMCB is transitioning to a multi-campus footprint, with a new headquarters opening in 2027 in Boston's Nubian Square, alongside its current location and more than 30 partner sites across Greater Boston

Position & Tasks

• Program Development, Diversity, and Inclusion
  • Champion equitable access to arts education and foster an inclusive culture for students, families, faculty, staff, and community partners
  • Identify and promote innovative programming enabling the transition from one to two campuses
  • Foster and leverage CMCB's reputation as a community music school to sustain and grow programming
  • Create and sustain relationships with leadership at Boston Public Schools and similar institutions
  • Develop new partnership agreements with schools and community organizations
  • Ensure programs, services, and facilities are accessible, welcoming, and responsive to community needs
  • Collaborate with staff and faculty to grow earned revenue
  • Continue developing programming areas including student-centered music education, Youth Employment, Music Therapy, ensemble programming, contemporary genres, and the impacts of AI on music education
  • Expand and build CMCB's national presence and reputation as an innovator
• Provide organizational leadership across fundraising and development, establishing relationships with key funders and donors
• Maintain relationships with community partners to diversify the individual, foundation, corporate, and government donor base
• Broaden CMCB's public image and increase brand awareness
• Define contributed revenue opportunities with the board and development staff in annual and long-term fundraising plans
• Cultivate existing donors while seeking new prospects
• Stakeholder Cultivation and Community Engagement
  • Work with the board and stakeholders to develop a new strategic vision and plan for the Roxbury integration and multi-campus transition
  • Listen to and anticipate concerns of parents, students, faculty, staff, board members, partners, and the public
  • Foster an inclusive workplace that attracts, develops, and retains talented faculty and staff
  • Guide board prospect identification, cultivation, and recruitment
  • Mobilize the board's talents, connections, and resources
• Financial Acumen and Organizational Management
  • Lead financial management and business operations, including budgeting, forecasting, performance monitoring, risk management, and resource allocation
  • Ensure long‑term financial sustainability while balancing mission impact and revenue goals
  • Translate strategic priorities into operational and financial plans using data and performance metrics
  • Oversee, develop, and manage staff and faculty
  • Supervise and integrate faculty, administrative staff, facilities, and technology
  • Guide marketing, branding, and public relations programs
  • Lead day‑to‑day operations
  • Empower and build camaraderie among senior management

Categories

• Arts Administration
• Music Education
• Arts Education
• Community Engagement
• Organizational Strategy
• Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred
• Minimum five to seven years of related senior management experience
• Expertise in planning, organizational development, relationship building, and team building in a collegial environment
• Executive-level competencies, political savvy, strategic vision, and ability to lead change
• Creativity and technical credibility to advance strategic priorities
• Successful track record in best practices within the nonprofit, education, or music field
• High level of leadership and fundraising experience
• Passion for music and music education, with enthusiasm for CMCB's dual mission of excellence and access
• Skilled at building partnerships, developing success metrics, and valuing neighborhood relationships
• Open to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, genetic information, military service, or other protected characteristics
• BIPOC individuals, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and members of other historically disenfranchised and marginalized populations are strongly encouraged to apply
• Medical insurance (group health, dental, vision)
• Paid time off: vacation, personal, sick
• Employer-contributory 403(b) plan
• Voluntary supplemental insurance, including short‑and‑long‑term disability
• CMCB's budgeted revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, is $4.6 million: 64% from contributions, 26% from earned revenue, and 10% from other sources
• CMCB's new Nubian Square facility will feature private‑lesson space, a recital hall, a recording studio, administrative offices, and gathering spaces
• The organization's 'Student Pathways' model (Musical Explorers, Community Musicians, Citizen Musicians, Performing Musicians) reflects a flexible, non-fixed-track approach to student development
• The Youth Employment Program serves young people ages 14 and up, with over 70 participants annually, supported by partnerships including the Boston Bloomberg Arts Internship, Franklin Cummings Tech, and The Clubhouse Network
• CMCB is an equal opportunity employer as detailed in the Eligibility section above