Program Associate 2 - Office of the Arts (Hybrid

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• Professional growth and development opportunities
• A healthy work/life balance to all employees

The State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is seeking to hire a Program Associate 2 - Office of the Arts within the Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA).

COA is Connecticut’s State Arts Agency (SAA) and is a partner to the National Endowment for the Arts. The Arts Education Program Associate II works to ensure that Connecticut students have the opportunity to learn in, about, and through the arts. The position is responsible for developing, managing, and coordinating all aspects of COA arts education programs, including administration of its education-related grants and services, partnership management and growth with key organizations, and coordinating arts education policy efforts.

Keeping current with issues facing the field and finding creative ways to address them are vital to the effectiveness of this position.

• Identify issues and trends affecting arts education:
• Analyze how these issues impact student access to arts education statewide.
• Work with key partners to develop statewide arts education strategies within the context of COA's strategic plan and goals.
• Review and analyze grantee reports to ascertain constituent needs; use the grants database for reporting, evaluation, and general information; and make site visits to grantees and potential applicants and partners to provide assistance and consultation, and to keep current with their activities and the issues they are facing.

• Develop, manage, and coordinate arts education grant program activities with input from COA program staff. Assure proper implementation of grant policies and procedures and compliance with federal, state, and private funding requirements.
• Develop grant programs to meet challenges in arts education and communities within the context of COA's strategic plan. Manage and evaluate these programs.
• Prepare grant program criteria and guidelines; assist applicants and grantees with understanding program guidelines and requirements. Provide applicants with feedback from panel review as appropriate. Process grant applications and grant contracts and review grant reports to verify funded activities are accomplished.
• Select and support grant application reviewers/panelists as needed and arrange and facilitate electronic and on-site panel meetings. Serve as a voting member of staff panels as needed.
• Manage current Arts Education grant programs, including Every Child Art Experience and current strategic partnership grants.

• Manage CT’s high school Poetry Out Loud/Poetry Ourselves program, including working collaboratively with management partners, setting yearly goals for participation in and growth of the program. Assure compliance with National Endowment for the Arts requirements for the program, including submitting an annual plan and final report, and other requirements as needed.
• Serve as liaison and initiator for arts education planning and development in coordination with local, state, and regional partners, schools, and other partners.
• Identify, manage, and collaborate with arts education strategic partnership awardees. Determine areas of strategic growth for partnerships and work collaboratively with staff to fulfill educational partnerships goals.
• Manage and develop programs to identify and otherwise support teaching artists and their professional development.
• Provide arts education support and information to school administrators, teachers, teaching artists, and community members. Facilitate collaboration between and among the growing network of arts, education, and community groups. Participate in COA's social media platforms as appropriate. Coordinate and conduct workshops and other services for arts educators, teaching artists, communities, and arts service organizations.

• Collaborate with COA staff on program design, development, and direction, including analysis of issues, program and project goals, evaluation, and…