Mississippi Theatre Association

Executive Director Position

Organization: Mississippi Theatre Association (MTA)

Location: Remote work; must reside in Mississippi

Employment Type: Part-time contract work with 10-15 days of required attendance; light travel required

Time Commitment: 5-20 hours per week depending on proximity to board meetings and festival

Compensation: $12,000 annually

Contract Term: July 1 - June 30 annually; partial term to begin upon completion of the hiring process

Application Deadline: MTA anticipates the application review will begin March 15, 2026; applications will be accepted until the position is filled

Organizational Profile

The Mississippi Theatre Association is a dynamic, diverse organization that exists to foster appreciation and participation in theatre. Founded in the mid-1950s as the Mississippi Little Theatre Association, the Mississippi Theatre Association was restructured in the early 1970s. In the past, MTA served primarily as a sanctioning organization for the Mississippi theatre festivals and festivals under the aegis of the Southeastern Theatre Conference, the American Association of Community Theatres, and the American College Theatre Festival. Today, MTA offers workshops, auditions, and scholarship programs for high school students; workshops for community theatre members; and much more.

Position Summary 

The MTA Executive Director is responsible for overseeing the operations, finances, and programs of the Mississippi Theatre Association. The ideal candidate would provide guidance and strategic direction to achieve the organization’s mission and goals. The position requires the organization and attendance of two yearly board meetings (May and July), virtual Executive Committee meetings, and the annual festival (January).

Essential Functions 

The duties of the Executive Director of the Mississippi Theatre Association include:

• Handle correspondence and business associated with the Mississippi Theatre Association
• In conjunction with the Board of Directors, answer inquiries for information about the organization
• Organize and maintain all business files of the association
  • Festival reports
  • Budgeting
  • Banking reconciliation
  • Financial reports
• Oversee maintenance of MTA's guiding documents
  • Handbook
  • Operations manuals for each division
  • Long-range strategic plan
• Maintain mailing lists and data of MTA members and association contacts
• Seek funding to support the activities and operation of MTA
  • Letters to legislators and commissioners
  • Grant writing 
    • Budgeting
    • Final reports
    • Other grant-required reporting
  • Organizational fundraising efforts
• Manage the MTA Board of Directors
  • Oversee board position appointments
  • Organize and attend two board meetings a year
  • Conduct virtual Executive Committee meetings as needed
• Oversee and coordinate with the Communications Manager regarding
  
  • Maintenance of the MTA website
  • Social media
  • Press releases
  • Arts advocacy
• Collaborate with state and national arts organizations
  • Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE)
  • Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC)
  • Poetry Out Loud (POL)
  • Mississippi Whole Schools
  • Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC)
  • American Association of Comunity Theatres (AACT)
• Coordinate all special events and meetings including the MTA annual festival
  • Assist the Board of Directors with the collection and organization of festival registration materials
  • Assist the Vice President of MTA with hotel room reservations and travel arrangements for festival adjudicators and special guests
    
  • Assist the MTA festival host with running the annual festival
    • Organize, print, and distribute all festival documents
    • Purchase all necessary trophies and awards
    • Serve as the point of contact for festival lodging and travel
    • Work with local businesses and vendors to support the festival
• Work with a diverse variety of stakeholders including teachers, students, university faculty, community members, etc.

Required Criteria

The ideal candidate would demonstrate the following criteria:

• Proficiency in computer usage
  • Google Suite
  • Quickbooks
• Proficiency in grant writing and grant management
• Time management, communication, and collaboration skill
• Passion for nonprofit work

Preferred Criteria

The ideal candidate would demonstrate the following criteria:

• Proven track record in nonprofit development 
• Background in business management and/or accounting
• Background in or appreciation of theatre
• Advocacy experience
• Experience working with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) programming
• Proficiency in Adobe Suite

Organizational Online Presence

Website: mississippitheatre.org

Social: Facebook: @MississippiTheatre; Instagram: @MississippiTheatre

The following information we are soliciting is strictly voluntary. This form will be kept separate and confidential from the application.

Information provided on this form will not be considered in any employment decision but is for statistical purposes only.