Employment

From time to time, The Ark needs to add to its talented, hard-working staff.  Ark job postings will be found here when available. The Ark is currently hiring for two open positions listed below.

Digital & Social Media Specialist

Since 1965, The Ark has been Michigan’s nonprofit home for folk and roots music. Considered one of the top music clubs in the world, The Ark is renowned for the quality and breadth of its programming, ranging from emerging artists to classic figures of folk and roots music. Annual programming includes 300 live performances at our intimate 400-seat venue in downtown Ann Arbor, the annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival in Hill Auditorium, and several shows at larger venues in the region.

The Ark is seeking a creative Digital & Social Media Specialist to develop and implement digital marketing strategies that enhance our brand awareness, engage with our various communities, expand our audience, and increase ticket sales. This is a new position for The Ark that has the opportunity for significant impact on the organization’s growth and evolution.

The primary areas of focus for this position include:
1) Develop digital marketing strategies;
2) Create digital content that engages current followers and increases the number of followers while supporting our focus on encouraging and welcoming diversity;
3) Measuring the performance of strategies against established goals.

Key components for successful candidates include:
1) Excited by creating diverse digital strategies to contribute to our organizational goals;
2) Develop innovative content and methods to reach our target audiences and communities;
3) Data driven and curious about why strategies are working, or not, and pivoting when needed.

The Digital & Social Media Specialist reports to the Marketing Director and works closely with other staff. This is a full-time role working primarily Monday-Friday with some evenings and weekends required. A part-time, benefits-eligible role at 75% FTE could be considered. The team member in this role will spend time working in both the main office and performance venue with some remote work flexibility.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBLITIES

  • Develop and implement visionary digital media strategy that considers both content production and audience-building efforts
  • Plan and execute all social media advertising campaigns
  • Design, build, maintain and expand on social media presence for all existing platforms, serving as primary content creator and moderator
  • Maintain social media calendar for regular and consistent content posting across all platforms
  • Develop and expand The Ark’s social media network through interaction with artist and industry social media properties and their content
  • Build community and engage online audiences both proactively and reactively, encouraging them to talk about Ark programming and the Ark brand
  • Create, maintain, and promote Facebook events for all Ark programming
  • Brainstorm and execute creative promotional digital initiatives such as contests and giveaways
  • Coordinate volunteer digital “street team” activities and other volunteer support as needed
  • Attend events to serve as social media voice for the organization – shoots, edits and posts event photography and videography for live shows and other relevant content (oversees staff/volunteer content contribution as needed)
  • Monitor messages through social media channels and respond in a timely manner, reaching out to internal stakeholders for additional information as needed
  • Monitor livestreams on social media platforms, share to all channels for visibility, and respond in real time to patron comments
  • Measure and report on performance of all digital/social marketing campaigns to assess against goals
  • Monitor and maintain online business listings and respond to online reviews (Yelp; Google, etc.)
  • Identify trends and insights and optimize spend and performance based on those insights
  • Evaluate emerging technologies and provide thoughtful leadership and perspective for adoption where appropriate
  • Act as a steward of the Ark brand inside the organization and throughout the community
  • Develop strategy for and explore/implement Google AdWords account; develop and recommend additional SEO strategy
  • Support the Marketing Director and marketing team with other initiatives as needed

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing or related field preferred, but not required with relevant work experience.
  • Expertise with developing and implementing diversified digital marketing campaigns.
  • Demonstrates creativity and documented immersion in social media with links to profiles as examples.
  • Displays in-depth knowledge and understanding of social media platforms including, but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc., and how each platform can be optimized based on unique goals and needs.
  • Demonstrates excitement for staying in tune with digital marketing trends and implementing best practices.
  • Shifts easily between the creative side to the analytical side of marketing with the ability to present why your ideas are analytically sound; demonstrated ability to analyze and utilize data to measure results.
  • Excellent oral, written, and language skills to read, write and respond in clear, effective and error free correspondence.
  • Commitment to The Ark’s organization-wide focus on encouraging and welcoming diversity
  • Familiarity with and appreciation of the types of music The Ark presents is a plus
  • Must have reliable transportation

Salary and Benefits Information

  • This is a full-time (OR, possibly 75% part-time, benefits eligible), exempt position
  • Full-time annual equivalent salary range is $48,000 – $58,000 with starting pay based on prior qualifications and prior experience
  • Benefits options include: generous paid time off, health insurance (Priority Health HMO with premium currently 100% employer-paid), retirement (SIMPLE IRA with up to 3% employer match)

Application Information

Please note that a cover letter is required for consideration and should address how your experience, values and interests align with The Ark and its mission.

Candidates from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. Frequently cited statistics display that communities of color, women, and other marginalized groups apply to positions only if they completely meet qualifications. The Ark encourages you to upend those statistics and apply to this position. We excitedly anticipate your application.

The Ark is an Equal Opportunity Employer, offering equal opportunity for employment or advancement to all qualified applicants or employees without regard to age, religion, color, race, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, familial status, veteran status, height, weight, or non-job-related medical condition or disability, or any unlawful criterion or circumstance.

Position will remain open until filled.  Preference will be given to qualified candidates who apply by January 26, 2024.  Targeted search timeline:

January 8 onward:   Phone screenings for applicants of interest will occur on a rolling basis

Week of February 5, 2024:   First Round Interviews (by Zoom)

Week of February 12, 2024:   Second Round Interviews (on-site)

March, 2024:   Anticipated start date

This search is being managed by The Andrews Group.  Please submit your cover letter and resume by clicking here.