Chief Executive Officer- KEXP

Position Summary
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will develop a vision for KEXP and create a plan to move the organization forward. They will oversee the evolution of the best independent music platform in the world, fostering the discovery of music and building a diverse audience of music lovers everywhere. The CEO will explore new media and envision digital opportunities that may be available for KEXP to expand its regional, national, and global values-driven audience, while supporting the organization’s technological growth in a complex and competitive technological environment. While focusing on the business and operational aspects of KEXP, the CEO will identify, empower, and trust talented colleagues. They will strive to be in tune with KEXP’s current, future, local, and global audiences and strategically make decisions with the diversity of its audiences in mind. An experienced relationship manager, the CEO will work alongside the team, building meaningful external engagement with an emphasis on audience and stakeholder engagement.
Roles and Responsibilities
Operational Leadership and Administrative Oversight

Provide vision and leadership in developing and executing KEXP’s programmatic, organizational, team, financial, and diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies.
Build and adhere to a comprehensive and accurate budget that supports authentic organizational growth and incorporates a financial strategy for staff development and compensation through an equity lens.
Promote and support the implementation of strategies that deepen KEXP’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access throughout its programs, activities, staff, volunteers, and all aspects of the organization.
Expand, diversify, and collaborate with the board of directors by ensuring board members are active and engaged, utilizing their skills and interests to support organizational needs.
Demonstrate a thorough understanding of KEXP’s organizational policies and encourage adherence by leading through example.
Establish clear, achievable, and measurable goals for team and individual performance, provide regular constructive feedback, and support a culture of individual, team, and organizational accountability.

Community Relationship Management and Team Development

Represent KEXP nationally and throughout the Seattle community and serve as a knowledgeable expert advocate for issues impacting KEXP and the entire music, arts, and culture sector.
Establish and expand meaningful and sophisticated strategic partnerships with stakeholders, including local and global artists, funders, collaborating organizations, government officials, business leaders, community organizers, and others who support both KEXP and larger community goals in greater Seattle and beyond.
Maintain a working knowledge of and build experience in racial and gender equity principles and anti-racist practices.
Recruit, retain, develop, and celebrate a diverse and highly qualified and skilled staff, fostering an inclusive organizational culture centered on team cohesiveness, professional and personal growth, and collaboration and ensuring effective systems to track progress and leadership performance are in place.
Unify the KEXP team around a strategic vision, inspiring investment through consensus-building and a commitment to inclusion.

Vision, Strategy, and Advancement

Envision and activate intentional opportunities in the digital space to expand audiences, enhance content, build community, and support artists.
Expand the role of marketing and technology related to KEXP operations, including how to build greater trust in KEXP’s brand, creating more opportunities to increase reach, deepen enrichment, diversify audiences, and maintain strong financial sustainability.
Collaborate with internal and community stakeholders to develop a strategic plan to guide the future of innovation, programming, facilities, and organizational infrastructure.
Partner across teams and departments to steward donors on behalf of KEXP and actively seek opportunities to integrate philanthropy into their role within KEXP operations, programs, and projects.
Identify, cultivate, and solicit major donor prospects for operational and campaign support in partnership with the board of directors and Chief Advancement Officer.

Traits and Characteristics
The CEO will be a future-thinking, influential, and decisive strategic leader. A highly accountable individual, the CEO will be an avid steward of KEXP’s cultural values and a resilient, flexible colleague who is dedicated to a goal-oriented, innovative, and creative team environment. The CEO will be an innovative, entrepreneurial servant leader, devoted to independent music and artists. This person will have a deeply personal relationship with music and understands the critical space that music and the arts play in community-building and artist development. The CEO will be emotionally intelligent and empathetic, understanding and believing in KEXP’s mission to connect people with music and culture of philanthropy. The CEO’s curiosity about people and ability to thrive in a team environment will be a key indicator of success in this role. As part of their leadership skill set, the CEO will be an active listener with the ability to synthesize information and make strategic decisions.
Other key competencies include:

Diplomacy and Personal Accountability – The skill to successfully navigate difficult or sensitive issues while accepting responsibility for personal actions and behaviors.
Leadership and Decision Making – The acumen to influence and inspire others by instilling a sense of purpose and direction while analyzing and integrating multiple perspectives of a situation in order to make sound, timely decisions.
Interpersonal Skills and Appreciating and Understanding Others – The aptitude to effectively communicate and build rapport while identifying, celebrating, and caring for the unique contributions of others.

Qualifications
While advanced educational degrees are not required for this role, the CEO must demonstrate significant business acumen and possess demonstrable management experience earned in a complex professional environment comparable to KEXP. This person will have a successful track record of influential and visionary leadership in the arts and culture sector, including experience in digital engagement and technical entrepreneurship. Strong candidates will have experience in building strategic partnerships, developing successful strategies for earned and contributed revenue, and strategic planning. They must also possess demonstrable experience building relationships with historically marginalized communities and leading organizational culture transformation toward diversity, equity, access, and inclusion. Exceptional communication skills across multiple platforms are expected for this role. Candidates need not have worked in the music or broadcast industries but must have a passion for the power of music and leadership experience in complex, mission-driven organizations.
Compensation and Benefits
KEXP offers an annual salary of between $200,00 and $250,000 as well as a significant benefits package, including a generous allocation of vacation, sick leave, and holidays; 90 to 100 percent employer-paid medical/dental/vision coverage; a 403(b) plan with exceptional employer match; and much more.