Director of Marketing & Sales

About the Opportunity

Texas Performing Arts (TPA) is the professional arts presenting and producing program of The University of Texas at Austin. One of the largest and most active university-based performing arts centers in the U.S., TPA is an anchor institution in Austin’s arts, cultural, and entertainment landscape. With a population of nearly 1 million people, Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. UT Austin is the state’s flagship university and is ranked #7 among public universities in the country.

TPA hosts performances across multiple venues at the university and throughout the city. Opened in 1981, Bass Concert Hall is the flagship theater of TPA and also the largest in Austin, with seating for 3,000. Presenting programs include Broadway in Austin, the Texas Welcomes series of national touring artists, and a curated Performing Arts Season of international theatre, music, dance, and more. TPA is also a home for the development of new performances, offering creative opportunities to both local artists and national productions. TPA is part of UT’s College of Fine Arts and fulfills the university’s public service, research, and educational missions. More than twenty thousand students throughout Central Texas and across the university experience the arts through TPA’s extensive educational programs.

The Director of Marketing & Sales leads TPA’s marketing, ticketing, and communications functions. As a senior member of the organization’s leadership team, the director plays a key role in advancing TPA’s mission to connect people through live performance and fulfill its goal to be the country’s highest impact university-affiliated arts organization. The position’s key areas of responsibility are meeting TPA’s ticket sales goals, creating a best-in-class purchasing experience for patrons, gaining insights and developing effective strategies from the organization’s data, maintaining TPA’s brand identity, and communicating TPA’s stories in compelling ways to a variety of audiences and stakeholders.

Reporting to the Executive & Artistic Director, the director is both a cross-organizational strategic leader and an active, hands-on contributor. They lead teams that provide comprehensive ticketing, marketing, and communications support for all aspects of TPA’s work. Acting as an in-house agency, the director and their teams serve a portfolio that includes more than 250 events per year across all genres of live performance; a development operation with extensive annual, programmatic, and capital campaigns; and the furthest reaching arts education and engagement program in Central Texas.

About Texas Performing Arts

Our Purpose: Texas Performing Arts transforms lives by creating, presenting, and connecting people through live performance.

Our Values:
●Equality: We value all types of live performance, offer a wide range of arts experiences, and welcome all.
●Excellence: We continually seek to improve in our work to create and share experiences that are inspiring, impactful, innovative, and relevant.
●Learning & Discovery: We enrich our world and expand the possibilities of the live arts through creative research and development, sharing knowledge, and creating dialogue.
●Connection: We believe in the irreplaceable quality of shared experiences, the joy of live performance, and the power of collaboration.

Our Vision: We aspire to be the highest impact university-based arts organization in the country.

TPA is regularly among the busiest performing arts centers of its size in the country and worldwide. TPA welcomed nearly 400,000 people in 2023/24, a 40% increase from the previous high attendance record in 2018/19. The organization is distinguished by its wide variety of professional productions, from a robust Broadway series to experimental performance; its extensive educational programs for students of all ages; and its partnerships with local and national arts and cultural organizations.

About Austin:

Texas Performing Arts is located in Austin, the capital of Texas. Known as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” Austin is known for its incredible arts and music scene, with over 250 live music venues throughout the city. Along with the bustling entertainment, Austin is also home to a vibrant food scene, including Michelin-starred Tex-Mex and barbecue. Dedicated sports fans cheer on the Texas Longhorns championship teams, enjoy F1 racing at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, or attend Austin FC’s Major League Soccer matches. The world comes to Austin for annual events such as South by Southwest and the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

More information about Austin:

Home

Job Description

The new Director of Marketing & Sales will join TPA in an exciting and prosperous moment for the organization. They will need to be ready and equipped to learn and lead in a fast-paced environment and familiar with the varied nature of TPA’s programming, which spans from Broadway to concerts and comedy to cutting edge performing arts. With a firm appreciation for TPA’s contributions to the university and Austin, this leader will be called upon to communicate the organization’s impact through a variety of formats. Most importantly, they will build support systems and structures for a large team and communicate effectively with the Executive & Artistic Director, outside partners and vendors, and with fellow leaders across departments. The Director of Marketing & Sales will be a trusted supervisor, collaborative thought partner, and detailed strategist.

Duties & Responsibilities

Leadership and Strategy:
●With leadership colleagues in Programming, Development, and Education & Engagement, create and implement institutional and event marketing, communications, and sales strategies that align with TPA’s vision, values, and objectives.
●Oversee TPA’s e-commerce, CRM, and related systems, including interfaces with other TPA and university Development, and lead business intelligence and analytics.
●Maintain and enhance TPA’s brand identity in the local and national marketplaces.
●Lead and support approximately twelve full-time team members in marketing, communications, and ticketing.
●Build and sustain strong relationships with counterparts in the College of Fine Arts, throughout UT, and with external partners.
●Act as a trusted and respected leader within the organization and industry.
●Serve as a spokesperson for TPA when required.
●Participate in organizational reporting to and planning with TPA’s Leadership Board.

Marketing:
●Guide paid, earned, and owned media campaigns that meet TPA’s objectives.
●Participate in revenue goal setting, and develop pricing, packaging, and other sales strategies based on those goals.
●Determine required budgets with departmental leaders and outside partners.
●Ensure campaigns are insights-driven and use current and emerging tools to optimize results.
●Meet or exceed ticket sales goals for events. Maximize revenue for the organization through incremental and ancillary sales.
●Engage with co-promoters, event clients, artists, and other partners to coordinate marketing and sales strategies.
●Lead robust, timely and accurate reporting so internal and external stakeholders have a full view of campaign and revenue progress.
●Ensure cohesive branding across all institutional and programmatic marketing.
●Align with university brand standards where appropriate.

Sales:
●Maintain a best-in-class ticketing platform and serve as a point of contact from leadership to the ticketing system provider and other ticketing-related vendors and partners.
●Ensure that patrons have a friction-free purchase experience that incorporates the best available technology.
●Develop and implement strategies for primary and secondary ticketing marketplaces.
●Lead the ticketing team to provide high quality customer service.
●Oversee special ticketing programs such as groups, community outreach, and patron services/concierge.
●Ensure compliance with all relevant university policies and procedures as well as current State and Federal laws.

Institutional Communications:
●Create and maintain a high level of visibility for TPA’s institutional activities with messaging that enhances the organization’s local and national awareness and reputation.
●Support the design, production, and communications needs of all TPA’s areas and programs.
●Ensure that a consistent, cohesive tone and quality is reflected across all TPA’s marketing and communications output, with editorial and design standards observed consistently throughout the organization.
●Develop and distribute original institutional content that tells the unique story of TPA’s impact.
●Create key organizational performance indicators that can be tracked, reported, and analyzed over time.
●Engage and manage external design, marketing, and public relations resources when required.
●Maintain consistency with university communications guidelines and messaging.

Required Qualifications
●At least ten years of increasing responsibilities in marketing and communications, or sales experience in the arts or entertainment industries.
●Demonstrated ability to develop and meet revenue goals.
●Experience with common event ticketing, fundraising, and CRM platforms such as Paciolan, Ticketmaster, Tessitura, Salesforce, or similar.
●Demonstrated success working in a complex organization and a collaborative approach to work.
●Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively to a broad range of audiences regarding a wide variety of projects and programs.
●Demonstrated experience maintaining productive relationships across an organization’s internal departments to ensure that an organization’s goals are achieved.
●Demonstrated experience in recruiting, developing, managing, and retaining high-performing team members.
●Strong interpersonal skills, and high emotional intelligence, in order to lead a large department and build strong trusting working relationships across departments.
●Exceptional communication and presentation skills, both written and spoken, with an ability to inform, influence, and persuade.

Preferred Qualifications
●Experience successfully achieving 8-figure annual earned revenue goals.
●Experience in a senior leadership role providing strategic oversight for a department or team.
●Experience with a range of performance genres TPA presents, including Broadway performing arts, concerts, comedy, educational & family programming, and immersive productions.
●Experience supporting marketing, communications, and ticketing aspects of a contributed revenue operation.
●Experience in a public or highly complex organization such as an institution of higher education or municipally owned venue.
●Familiarity with and passion for TPA’s purpose, values, vision and programs.
●Relevant professional education or credentials.

Working Conditions
●This position is based in Austin, Texas and requires residence in the greater Austin area. The work location is 100% on-site at Texas Performing Arts.
●Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation
●Prolonged screen time
●Use of manual dexterity

Work Shift
●Evening, weekend, and holiday work, including “on-call” times, are required in connection with performances and events. Working shifts may include extended daily hours in connection with performances and events. Work will exceed 40 hours per week at peak times. A compensatory time program is provided.
●Occasional weekend or overnight travel may be required.

Compensation

Salary: $125,000 + depending on qualifications

UT Austin provides an outstanding benefits package, including but not limited to:
●Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%)
●Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options
●Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays
●Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, with employer matching funds
●Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred
●Compensation program 457(b)
●Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses
●Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional conference opportunities
●For more details, please see: https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits and https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/my-tota

Application Instructions

The search for the Director of Marketing & Sales at Texas Performing Arts is being supported by Tom O’Connor Consulting Group, a New York-based executive search and consulting firm specializing in the arts and culture industries. Search Consultant Brenna Thomas is leading the search process, in consultation with and support from the TOCG search team.

If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with a range of workplace experiences and backgrounds in the performing arts or non-profit space. So, whether you’re returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.
Applications are to be submitted via the University of Texas at this link.
Please include:
●A letter of interest; please use this letter to tell us about what you hope to bring to this role, and how your background and experience responds to the desired skills and qualities.
●A current Resume/CV
●3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor. References will not be contacted without prior consultation with the candidate.
●Work samples may be requested if the applicant advances to the interview stage.
For best consideration, please apply by May 3, 2025. While we will still accept and consider applications received after this date, we encourage you to apply as early as possible for the best chance of being considered for the position. Please note that meeting the priority deadline does not guarantee an interview. No phone calls, please.

From the University

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:
●E-Verify Poster (English)
●E-Verify Poster (Spanish)
●Right To Work Poster (English)
●Right To Work Poster (Spanish)

Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.