Administrative Assistant: Sounds Good! Choir

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

• Chicago area
• Full Time, Exempt

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND

Who We Are: Sounds Good! Choir is the Chicago area’s largest choral-music organization for older adults. Founded in 2016, Sounds Good is a vibrant singing community where people age 55+ find a high-quality musical and social experience.

Mission: Sounds Good Choir is a fun, welcoming community where older adults enhance their well-being through the joy of singing.

Programs: Our choirs hold 15-week spring and fall sessions and an 8-week summer “Rocks” session. Choirs are tuition-based, non-auditioned ensembles with free public performances at the end of each session.

• the Sounds Good! Choir, a daytime mixed choir with several weekly rehearsal times (4 online rehearsals per week during the pandemic)
• the Good Memories Choir for people with early-stage memory loss and their care partners, joined by singing volunteers (1 rehearsal weekly during the pandemic)
• Enrichment classes in musicianship and vocal technique (several per week);
• During the pandemic: free sing-alongs (1 hour per week, online registration required) – one session for the general older-adult population and one for people with memory loss and their care partners.

Values:

• Fun – as our tagline says: “Sing your best, share the joy, repeat.”
• Encouragement – we meet people where they are and nurture their abilities from there: singers, volunteers, staff, board members, and so on.
• Welcoming – our programs have no audition and are open to lifelong choral enthusiasts, newcomers to the choral adventure, and anyone in between.
• Compassionate — we are a community of generous hearts, loving volunteers, and servant leaders
• Fostering Excellence – collectively, we strive to do our best work. Our staff musicians are veteran choral directors and experts in the aging voice.

Culture: We work hard and have a good time. We support one another, celebrate each other’s successes, provide sounding boards for each other’s struggles, and encourage professional and personal growth for everyone on the team. We are forthright with one another when we have disagreements and have a culture of trust where differences are resolved respectfully.

Aim in Hiring: While we need to have the person in this position take on the specific roles described here, we also aim to hire “the whole person” who is a true fit with our culture and our mission. As a young, nimble organization, we expect that the details of each staff position will evolve over time; this has been the case already in our 5-year history and especially so during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sounds Good! Choir is an equal opportunity employer. BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals are strongly encouraged to apply.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

1. General Office Management

• Provide first-level response to general customer inquiries (e-mails and calls).
• Handle mail, supply orders, printing/copying/scanning, and basic office duties.
• Process and acknowledge program registrations, purchases, and donation transactions in CRM system (Little Green Light):
• Process all purchases (including daily deposit/log/archive workflow)
• Create daily revenue “splits” from website sales for bookkeeper
• Orchestrate and run reports from system to analyze/review data
• Assist with Level 1 tech troubleshooting for office printers and modem.
• Maintain general office files, including online purchase receipts.

2. Artistic Program Support

• Manage, write, and send (currently 5) weekly e-blasts, coordinating message and tone with the artistic director and program director.
• Handle procurement and online distribution of practice tracks from outside vendor (e.g., in-house cloud storage, posting to YouTube playlists).
• Coordinate supplies for and assembly of choir boxes for all in-person choirs.

3. Venue Coordination (for rehearsals & performances)

• Primary contact with staffers at outside venues, re. dates/needs.
• Coordinate with operations director regarding master schedule forecasting.
• Maintain files for rental agreements and certificates of insurance.
• Provide in-person logistical support for select concert performances.

4. Concert Production

• Liaison between house writing staff and program-book vendor.
• Manage and coordinate delivery of program books to all concert locations.
• Coordinate non-performance activity (e.g., concert recordings).
• Assist in concert/program promotion through ad/listings placements and press release distribution.

5. Other Duties as Assigned

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Personal Qualities:

• Superior written and oral communication skills
• Curiosity, flexibility, and poise
• “Self-starter” personality, highly internally motivated
• Highest personal integrity and ethics
• Strong attention to detail; ability to self-regulate and monitor one’s own work

Experience:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 and Windows 10; Slack (Teams or similar); a CRM system (like Little Green Light); web-based applications such as Wufoo and/or SurveyMonkey; basic phone camera/video skills; basic video editing skills (such as GarageBand, Camtasia, etc.) and image editing skills (Paint, etc.)
• Desired: familiarity and some proficiency with MailChimp or Constant Contact; Facebook advertising; Adobe Acrobat Pro

POSITION DETAILS

• Reports to: Operations Director
• Type of Employment: Full-Time, Salary based upon experience; range $42K – $44K/year
• Start Date: May 2021
• Application Deadline: April 15, 2021
• Interviews Begin: As soon as possible
• Location: Currently working remotely; in-person onboarding in keeping with CDC guidelines (office location in Hinsdale, IL)
• Work Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday, occasional evening and weekend work time may be required throughout the year due to concert/event production.
• Benefits: Paid vacation; health insurance (75% of premium covered for BCBS PPO group plan); SIMPLE IRA company match of up to 3% of salary, if desired

PREFERRED CREDENTIALS

• Associate’s degree (or equivalent credentials); Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 2-3 years of work experience in administration and/or operations; non-profit and/or arts experience preferred.
• Preferred experience in music, choir, or musical theatre ⎯ ability to read sheet music is a plus.

HOW TO APPLY

• Please send cover letter and résumé (3 pages max.) to general@soundsgoodchoir.org and direct any questions to the same e-mail address. No phone calls please. Website: www.soundsgoodchoir.org.