Wicahpi Olowan (WO) Studio + Music Engineer (Oglala Lakota Artspace)

Wičahpi Olowaŋ Engineer

First Peoples Fund honors, supports, and elevates the Collective Spirit of Native artists, culture bearers, and their communities. First Peoples Fund envisions a world of thriving, culturally-centered, and connected Indigenous communities.

The Oglala Lakota Artspace (OLA) is the first dedicated art space in the Pine Ridge Reservation. The facility includes artist studio spaces, the Wičahpi Olowaŋ Studio Recording Studio, workshop and classroom spaces, a performance space, and offices for partner organizations. This position is integral to providing a safe and welcoming space for the community to engage in cultural, creative, and educational activities based in Collective Spirit®.

Pay: $25 per hour, non-exempt (hourly) & part-time (up to 10 hours per week)

Location/Travel Requirements: This position is on-site at the Oglala Lakota Artspace building located at 7904 Lakota Prairie Dr, Kyle, SD.

Pre-Screen: Upon offer, employees will be required to complete and pass a background check. Applications will be accepted until end of business on Friday, June 19, 2026.

About The Role

The Wičahpi Olowaŋ (WO) Engineers will assist with fulfilling booking inquiries made by artists and aspiring artists at the Oglala Lakota Artspace. Each engineer will be responsible for maintaining the studio, scheduling with artists (once notified of bookings via email), and completing these tracking sessions with musicians. WO Engineers will also create a professional, Lakota Values-centric space for all who wish to record or use the studio, including storytelling, family history, and weekly office hours, for the general community.

The engineers may also assist with production and mixing/mastering services upon request, but only what they are comfortable with and able to do, with each song having appropriate splits and rights maintained for the artist and all involved parties. The engineers will receive some training and mentorship from WO Program Manager and WO programming in engineering and production, so while experience and incoming knowledge are helpful, having expertise is not required. This position learns and shares skills with the community while adhering to the program and organization's values and goals, while displaying professionalism and maintaining a safe and welcoming environment. With this, WO Engineers will also be responsible for reporting to the WO Program Manager about individual artists' progress and unique needs that can be addressed via FPF/OLA/WO/Playing for Change (PFCF) programming/resources.

Who You Are

• You're passionate about music, community, and culture
• You're friendly, dependable, and confident working with artists, elders, and community members.
• You're interested in learning/teaching more about audio recording, creative spaces, or arts-based education.
• You bring respect, curiosity, and humility to your work, and you're guided by values like compassion and integrity.
• You're open to feedback, collaboration, and ongoing learning - whether from colleagues or community members.
• You have reliable transportation.

Key Responsibilities

• Meet weekly with WO Program Manager to report sessions, provide data collected, review songs/projects worked on, and plan/discuss projects/programming around the studio
• Help manage/maintain the Wičahpi Olowaŋ Studio, including equipment and software, cleanliness, and general upkeep of the studio space. Adhere to the guidelines posted in the studio (i.e. "No eating/drinking in studio rooms")
• Accept incoming studio bookings via a reservation system for professional recording uses
• Maintain a safe, welcoming space for all to have creative experiences
• Assist with sound-tech during OLA Solstice/Equinox events onsite.
• Manages relationships with artists and aspiring artists, including recruiting new artists to utilize the space.
• Responsible for tracking appropriate impact measures related to FPF's community-based products, services, systems, and relationships (i.e. filling out studio log, post-eval survey), while also documenting/keeping track of artists and artists' works via Google Docs.
• Assist with recording artists in the Artist in Residency program
• Will report song and album releases and assist with song/album release to the WO Manager, who will then work with the Communications Team on announcing and documenting these releases.
• Responsible for helping identify artists who could use intermediate artist development assistance and benefit from other FPF/OLA/WO programming (NAPD, Performing Arts Fellowship, CC & ABL Fellowships, AiR program, VAP program) and report to WO Manager
• Must be able to provide welcoming support to multiple genres/styles of music, respecting artist agency and creative authority at every stage, from creation to distribution and release
• Must maintain professionalism, including being on time for all event set-up, developing and maintaining a code of conduct followed at FPF & OLA, being mindful of Lakota values in all work, and adhering to Lakota Kinship Laws - treating everyone as a relative (Integrity, Respect, Wisdom, Bravery, Fortitude, Humility, Compassion).

Qualifications

• Must hold (at least) a high school diploma or GED
• Fields of study such as music, audio production, education, or community coordination are helpful, but this is not an all-inclusive list.
• Equivalent work experience (minimum of 1 year) in areas such as studio support, community engagement, youth programming, or work with Native communities may be considered in place of formal education, especially in the Pine Ridge Reservation.
• Other forms of lived experience, cultural knowledge, and informal or community-based education will also be considered valuable and relevant.
• Exceptional skills in building and maintaining partnerships through collaboration.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills;
• Computer skills - experience, expertise, or even familiarity in audio recording software such as Pro Tools, Logic, FL Studio, Garageband, etc., and Google Drive and/or Dropbox. Training is available.
• Ability to identify individual artists' needs
• Possess critical thinking skills
• Must have an introductory-intermediate level of knowledge of media outreach and promotional methods for music, as they will be providing mentorship to newer artists
• Must be open to receiving training and able to take in new information about engineering, production, and other music creation processes

Other Important Information: Studio Session Guidelines

Engineers are each reserved and responsible for being at the studio for 8 hours during one day of the week (including lunch break), at the Oglala Lakota Artspace. Each engineer is assigned a specific day, which will remain the same each week.

• Engineers are welcome to book sessions anytime during regular hours on your scheduled workday (10am-5pm), and will be able to begin booking evening sessions after a 3-month probationary period.
• Engineers are allowed to exchange their scheduled time from their days with other Engineers, noting that this must be agreed upon by both parties, and that neither engineer is required nor should be pressured to give up hours from their assigned day of the week.
• Engineers are allowed to book sessions for themselves or with others outside of Engineer-Studio Days, but need to book with WOMP PM first. If deciding to book sessions for themselves, this is not considered work hours.

Services

Services engineers are offering:

• Tracking/recording: recording someone's vocals or instrument
• "Light" mixing: adding rough (but not polished) fx to tracks

Services engineers can provide, at their discretion (but are not required):

• Production assistance (adding atmospheric sounds or even beats)
• Mixing/mastering services
• If an artist is interested in more extensive engineering/production services, engineers will connect said artist with the WO Program Manager.

Benefits

Due to the part-time, temporary status of this position, it is not eligible for benefits.

First Peoples Fund celebrates the diversity, strength, and resilience of Indigenous communities and all peoples. We are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace where everyone, regardless of background, age, identity, or lived experience, has the opportunity to thrive.

First Peoples Fund is committed to providing equal employment opportunities