Initial Posting Date: 08/08/2025
Application Deadline: 08/29/2025
Agency: Oregon Business Development Department
Salary Range: $7,353 - $11,373
Position Type: Employee
Position Title: Arts & Culture Director (Business Operations Manager 2)
Job Description: Business Oregon, the state's economic development agency, is currently hiring an
Arts and Culture Director (Business Operations Manager 2). This position will administer the Arts and Culture programs within Business Oregon and is responsible for the planning, implementing, coordination and overall management of staff and operations. The Arts and Culture Director reports directly to Director of Business Oregon and works with Oregon Arts Commission members and Oregon Cultural Trust Board members appointed by the Governor, develops a shared vision for the arts and culture division and develops goals and strategies to promote the arts and culture sectors.
This position is responsible for shaping the overall development of arts and cultural programs and initiatives in consultation with the members of the Oregon Arts Commission and the board of the Cultural Trust.
Note: We are committed to fostering a supportive work environment that promotes work-life balance and flexibility. This role offers hybrid work options, with the expectation of in-office presence as needed in our Portland or Salem, Oregon locations to support business operations.
What you will do : - In consultation with the Arts Commission and the Board of the Cultural Trust, develop short- and long-term plans to address strategic objectives to advance, support, and sustain arts and cultural assets and programs across Oregon. Bring community, state, and federal developments and trends to the attention of the Commission.
- Implement state and national policies and practices. Contribute to the formulation of Commission and Trust policies and procedures within the framework of state and national policy. Bring community, state, and federal changes, developments, and trends to the attention of the Arts Commission and Trust. Advance understanding of specialized fields of art, remain alert to current trends which affect the arts, and the needs of arts organizations and artists in the state. Develop plans and guidelines for Commission programs including education and technical assistance. Initiate policy discussions to more broadly connect the arts with other issues facing Oregon community development, education, and cultural development. Provide staff support to cultural development efforts initiated by the Governor's Office.
- Manage the overall work of a professional staff. Has authority to hire, plan work, approve work assignments, assign/reassign work, recommend salary adjustments, conduct performance evaluations, respond to grievances and initiate disciplinary actions. Review team and individual professional training plans and expenditure requests that are appropriate and effective in accomplishing goals.
- Participate as a member of Business Oregon Leadership and Management team, seeking opportunities for collaboration and integration of arts and economic development activities.
- Recognize the value of individual and cultural differences, structure activity in their unit to promote and foster a diverse workforce; and actively engage in working toward achieving the agency's affirmative action objectives and goals.
- Outreach and Engage with arts/cultural sector leaders and government partners to raise awareness of Arts Commission and Cultural Trust purpose and programs; act as a resource to organizations, artists, and communities throughout the state.
- Responsible for the financial planning and budgeting process for Arts Commission and Cultural Trust for presentation to the agency, the Governor and Legislature; supervise management of state, federal, lottery, and other funds. Supervise business operations of Commission and Trust; oversee grants disbursements and grants program evaluation.
- Represent Oregon Arts Commission and Oregon Cultural Trust to other state, regional, and federal agencies. Liaise with National Endowment for the Arts and regional service organizations. Promote work of Oregon artists and organizations at national level.
The ideal candidate will possess a combination of some or all the following skills: - Sector Knowledge: Experience advocating for the arts and culture sectors at a state and national-level, with a strong understanding of the state, regional, and national arts and culture communities.
- Leadership: Experience creating and communicating a compelling vision; engages others to implement vision; builds enthusiasm; builds participation and positive morale; takes charge of groups and situations; sets a strong leadership role; promotes an exciting and productive work environment.
- Relationships: Experience building partnerships, engaging stakeholders, and maintaining successful relationships with localities, government agencies, foundations, advocacy organizations, etc.
- Conflict Resolution: Experience managing conflict and disagreement through collaborative discussion to reach positive conclusions; finds constructive solutions while maintaining positive working relationships; seeks win-win situations; diplomatically explores common and opposing options to reach mutually acceptable positive solutions.
- Legislative Knowledge: Experience with the legislative process, state/federal/local governance, political/community constraints.
- Budget/Fundraising: Strong budget/financial management experience including the ability to cultivate sponsorships, financial and in-kind partnerships, and other funding sources within the bounds of statutory and policy limits.
- Communication: Exceptional communication skills including preparing and presenting speeches, presentations, written reports, and social media. Skilled listener with the ability to express thoughts in a clear and concise manner.
Please note: if you are interested in applying for this position, you must attach your current
cover letter and
resume to your application. Failure to submit the required resume and cover letter will remove your application from consideration.
What you need to qualify: Six years of supervision, management, or progressively related experience.
OR
three years of related experience and a bachelor's degree in a related field.
Business Oregon strives to create an inclusive environment that welcomes and values the diversity of the people we serve. We foster fairness, equity, and inclusion to create a workplace environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every one of the qualifications listed. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet every one of our qualifications listed. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualifications of this position, feel free to contact us to discuss your application.
What Business Oregon does: Business Oregon is the economic development agency for the state of Oregon. We have about 200 people on our team, and we work with communities and businesses. We use our programs and expertise to help businesses grow, so they can in turn add jobs, diversify the economy, and increase Oregon prosperity. We work with communities to enhance and expand infrastructure and community safety with projects such as water/wastewater systems, seismic rehabilitation for schools, or rural broadband development. This also sets the stage for future business development. Our mission is to invest in Oregon's businesses, communities, and people to promote a globally competitive, diverse, and inclusive economy, all carried out with an agency strategic plan.
The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of the Oregon Business Development Department (Business Oregon) in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission's expertise in grantmaking, arts, and cultural information and community cultural development.
The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust.
The Oregon Cultural Trust is a unique statewide funding initiative to build a permanent endowment to preserve and strengthen culture for all Oregonians. The Oregon Cultural Trust works to: protect and stabilize Oregon's Cultural resources, expand public access to use to and use of Oregon's cultural resources and enhance the quality of those resources; and ensure Oregon's cultural resources are strong and dynamic contributors to Oregon's communities and quality of life.
How to Apply Please Note: Applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM PDT/PST on
August 29, 2025 .
- If you are a current State of Oregon employee, you must apply through your employee Workday account through Jobs Hub.
- Click the "Apply" button above to complete your online application.
- Attach your current cover letter and resume. Failure to submit the required resume and cover letter may remove your application from consideration. Clearly demonstrate in your cover letter how you meet all the minimum qualifications and requested skills listed above.
- You may attach your cover letter and resume at the beginning of process or at the end of process of completing your workday application.
- Complete the questionnaire. Warning - Workday will timeout due to inactivity and will not save your application progress unless you use the "save for later" function. If you need to take a break, please be sure to click the save for later button to save your progress.
- Be sure to check Workday and your email for additional tasks and updates . After hitting submit there may be additional required tasks for you to complete prior to the announcement closing.
- The candidates whose work experience most closely matches the qualifications and skills of this position will be invited to interview.
What's in it for you: - Family Friendly Work Life Balance : Monthly accrual of paid time off, 11 holidays, and 3 additional personal leave days.
- Take Care of Yourself and Your Family : Comprehensive employee benefits, choice of medical plans, vision plan, life insurance, employee assistance program.
- Invest in Your Future: Pension plan, deferred comp, short- and long-term disability plan, flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care.
- Inclusion: At Business Oregon, we value community and foster a sense of belonging for our employees.
Additional Information: - Per the Pay Equity Law passed in 2017, a pay equity analysis will be conducted to determine what pay step the successful candidate will be offered. The analysis will be based on the relevant experience, education, training, and certifications documented in the application materials.
- It is our policy to provide reasonable accommodations to all applicants who may need them. Should you need assistance, or an accommodation please contact Lies Wattimena at to discuss how we can best meet your needs.
- Veterans' Preference - Eligible veterans who meet the qualifications will be given veterans' preference. If you checked that you are a veteran, we will ask you for your documents later in the process. Click on the Veterans' Preference link for additional information.
- Criminal Records Check - Hiring of the successful candidate will be contingent upon the results of a Criminal Background Check. Adverse background data may be grounds for immediate disqualification.
- Work Authorization - Business Oregon does not offer visa sponsorship. Within three days of hire, all applicants will be required to complete the US Department of Homeland Security's Form I-9, confirming authorization to work in the United States.
- This recruitment will be used to establish a list of qualified candidates to fill the current position and may be used to fill future vacancies as they occur.
- This position is an executive service, full-time position, exempt and is not represented by a union.
- PERS - This is a PERS qualifying position. After a six-month waiting period eligible Management Service, Executive Service, and Unrepresented employees will have their base pay increased by 6.95% and the 6% PERS contribution deducted from their base pay rather than a direct 6% contribution by the State of Oregon to the employees PERS account. This will mirror the bargained SEIU and AFSCME PERS process.
- Are you looking to live in and experience Oregon? Learn more about life in Pendleton, Salem, and Portland.
Need help? We invite you to contact the recruiter for application questions or job-specific questions.
- The recruiter for this position is Janeen Hilbrink, HR Analyst. If you contact the recruiter, please include the job requisition (REQ) number at the top of this job post.
- Email:
- Phone (call or text): 971-707-0252
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Business Oregon is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer.
