The Waterfront Playhouse is Hiring!
The Waterfront Playhouse, Florida’s oldest professional theatre, is seeking an energetic, relationship-driven professional to join our leadership team as Director of Community Engagement & Development.
This newly created position is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about the arts and enjoys building meaningful relationships throughout the community. The Director of Community Engagement & Development is responsible for developing and implementing strategies that increase contributed income while strengthening the theatre’s connections with donors, businesses, foundations, government agencies, and the community at large.
Working closely with the Artistic Director and Board of Directors, this individual will help ensure the long-term financial health and artistic success of the Waterfront Playhouse through fundraising, donor stewardship, strategic planning, community outreach, and special events.
Additional responsibilities may be assigned by the Board of Directors or Artistic Director as the position evolves.
Primary Responsibilities
• Develop and execute annual fundraising strategies.
• Cultivate and steward relationships with individual donors, sponsors, foundations, and government agencies.
• Identify, prepare, and manage grant applications and reports.
• Plan and oversee fundraising events and annual giving campaigns.
• Collaborate with marketing to promote fundraising initiatives and strengthen community engagement.
• Serve as a liaison to donors, volunteers, community organizations, and business partners.
• Assist with long-range strategic planning and organizational growth.
• Monitor fundraising performance, maintain donor records, and provide regular reports to leadership.
• Represent the Waterfront Playhouse throughout the community as an enthusiastic ambassador for the organization.
• Support the Artistic Director and Board of Directors in advancing the theatre’s mission and vision.
The Ideal Candidate
We’re looking for someone who is:
• An exceptional relationship builder who genuinely enjoys meeting people.
• A strong written and verbal communicator.
• Experienced in fundraising, grant writing, or nonprofit development.
• Organized, self-motivated, and capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strategic, creative, and goal-oriented.
• Comfortable with budgets, fundraising metrics, and donor databases.
• Familiar with technology and common office software.
• Local and familiar with the Key West community.
• Positive, collaborative, energetic, and enthusiastic about the arts.
Most importantly, we’re looking for someone who can become one of the Waterfront Playhouse’s biggest champions—someone who believes in our mission and enjoys sharing that enthusiasm with others.
Compensation
The position offers a base salary of $55,000, along with a generous performance incentive program that provides the opportunity to earn $50,000 or more annually through the achievement of established fundraising goals.
Performance incentives are based on new contributed revenue secured during the fiscal year, including individual gifts, corporate sponsorships, foundation and government grants, planned gifts, and net proceeds from fundraising events, subject to Board verification.
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to:
[email protected]
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.