Executive Director, Flagship Playhouse – Hoffman Estates
Founded in 2003, GiGi's Playhouse Inc.'s purpose is to change the way the world views Down syndrome and to send a global message of acceptance for all. We profoundly change lives through national campaigns, educational programs, and by empowering individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and the community. All programs are free and are therapeutic or educational in nature. Each one of our programs is designed to work on specific skill development, including speech and language, literacy, socialization, and fine and gross motor skills. GiGi's Playhouse has opened over 60 locations across North America and is growing by several locations annually. The Hoffman Estates Playhouse is the network's flagship location – one of the largest and busiest Playhouses in the GiGi's network – and serves as a model site for new programs, partnerships, and initiatives that are piloted for potential rollout network-wide.
Job Description
The Executive Director, Flagship Playhouse is a business-minded leader who ensures the long-term sustainability, prominence, and operational excellence of GiGi's Playhouse Hoffman Estates – the network's flagship location. This includes helping to ensure the operation has the right team, is fully funded, and that the community is aware of the scope and impact of programs offered. Given the scale and visibility of the flagship location, this role also serves as a key strategic partner to the National Office: co-leading select national events and development campaigns, and piloting new programs and initiatives on behalf of the network. The Executive Director will be fundraising activities, driving community members to the Playhouse, and building a strong community presence and local donations through donor outreach, developing media contacts, grant writing, budget development and control, overseeing financial operations, and other related activities. This role also oversees the GiGiWorks Cafe and Gift Shop operating out of the Hoffman Estates location. This position reports directly to the Chief Operations and collaborates with the National Office, which advises on network-wide strategy and initiatives. The role is estimated to be roughly 70% development, outreach, and National Office partnership; 30% playhouse and retail (GiGiWorks Cafe and Gift Shop) management.
Primary goals for this role include:
Essential Job Functions:
Strategic Leadership and National Office Partnership
Fundraising, Financial Management, and Development Partnership
Staff Leadership and Operations
Marketing & Community Engagement
Program Implementation and Piloting New Initiatives
Connection with GiGi's National Office and Peers Across the Network
Reporting Structure:
This role does not report to a local board of directors, as the Hoffman Estates flagship Playhouse does not maintain a local board. The Executive Director reports directly to the Chief Operations and Program Officer on the National Headquarters team, and partners closely with the Executive Leadership Team, which is primarily engaged with the National Office on network-wide strategy and initiatives.
Competencies:
Visionary Leadership: displays passion and optimism; inspires respect and trust; mobilizes others to fulfill the vision; provides vision and inspiration to peers and subordinates.
Achievement Oriented: Focuses on results and desired outcomes and how to best achieve them. Sets high goals and works doggedly to achieve them. Pushes self and others to achieve milestones and measurable metrics. Goes the “extra mile” to ensure goal is met.
Communication: A 'people person' with a friendly demeanor and the ability to build relationships amongst staff, donors, families, volunteers, community members, and National Office partners. Exceptionally strong written and oral communication skills with ability to express ideas and thoughts verbally; writes clearly and inspirationally; edits work for spelling and grammar; varies writing style to meet needs; keeps others adequately informed; selects and uses appropriate communication methods.
Relationship-Based Approach: Naturally demonstrates gratitude and stewardship within relationships, continually finding ways to connect with individuals, express thanks, and share the impact of a donor's investment in the organization. Strong social skills with the ability to and affinity toward networking and building connections with people of all personal and professional backgrounds.
People Management: Includes staff in planning, decision-making, facilitating and process improvement; takes responsibility for subordinates' activities; makes self-available to staff; provides regular performance feedback; develops subordinates' skills and encourages growth; solicits and applies customer feedback (internal and external); fosters quality focus in others; Improves processes, products and services; continually works to improve supervisory skills.
Business & Retail Operations Acumen: Comfortable overseeing both mission-driven programs and revenue-generating retail operations (GiGiWorks Cafe and Gift Shop); balances budget, staffing, and customer experience considerations across a multi-function site.
Collaboration & Teamwork: Team player with a strong work ethic, positive attitude, and collaborative spirit; ability to work collaboratively and professionally with staff, National Office partners, committee members, volunteers, families, and donors. Exhibits good listening and comprehension; ability to gain buy-in and to get along with diverse personalities, at all times displaying tact, maturity, and flexibility.
Problem Solving and Judgment: Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; resourceful; exhibits sound and accurate judgment; includes appropriate people in decision-making process and develops alternative solutions; open minded and flexible; works well in group problem solving situations.
Planning/Organizing: Prioritizes and plans work activities; Uses time efficiently; Sets goals and objectives; Organizes or schedules other people and their tasks; Develops realistic action plans.
Adaptability and Calm Under Pressure: Adapts to changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; demonstrates flexibility and poise under changing priorities. Thrives and maintains stable performance in fast-paced settings with shifting demands.
Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Work Environment: This role requires extensive engagement with the Playhouse team, families, and volunteers, as well as regular collaboration with the National Office. In addition, roughly 60% of the time is expected to be in the community building relationships with donors, community organizations, etc. As such, this is an in-person role, not a remote role.
GiGi's Playhouse Core Values
GiGi's challenges all staff and volunteers to embody the following core values:
Enthusiastic: Bringing positive, high energy to your work.
Best of All: We are always looking to improve every day, with all that we do. Challenge yourself every day to embrace a Generation G life.
Get It Done: Making things happen and blasting through barriers when needed. Figure it out together.
Believe: Believe in ourselves, believe in our mission, believe in each other, and believe in the history that brought us here.
Locally Concerned, Enterprise Minded: We collaborate, share best practices, and leverage the collective learnings from across the GiGi's network.
Job details are sourced from the employer's original posting.
Open job postingAbout the company
GiGi’s Playhouse Inc.’s was founded in 2003 and our mission is to change the way the world views Down syndrome through national campaigns, educational programs, and by empowering individuals with Down syndrome, their families and the community. All Programs are free and are therapeutic in nature. Each program is designed to work on specific skill development, including speech and language, socialization and fine and gross motor skills. GiGi’s Playhouse has 36 locations across North America and growing.