About Boulder Opera Company

Boulder Opera Company is a nonprofit performing arts organization dedicated to making opera accessible, engaging, and relevant. Entering our 15th season, we present professional productions, family programming, bilingual school outreach, educational residencies, concerts, and community events.

Position Summary

Boulder Opera Company seeks a highly organized, proactive, and collaborative Assistant Executive Director to support the organization’s operations and long-term growth.

The successful candidate will work closely with and initially shadow the Founder and Executive & Artistic Director. They will gradually assume responsibility for selected operational, administrative, fundraising, event, and board-support functions.

This position is designed for an emerging leader who loves nonprofit arts organizations and wants hands-on experience in all areas of managing a small performing arts organization. If the relationship is a strong fit and the candidate demonstrates the ability to lead the organization, the position may develop into a larger role and eventually a full-time Executive Director position as Boulder Opera’s funding and organizational capacity allow.

Expected Responsibilities

• Coordinate organizational priorities, assignments, deadlines, and staff deliverables.
• Maintain a central calendar of production, fundraising, grant, marketing, board, and administrative deadlines.
• Prepare meeting agendas, take notes, distribute action items, and ensure follow-through.
• Help the Founder prioritize responsibilities and determine which matters require her direct attention.
• Draft routine correspondence, reports, meeting materials, and internal documents.
• Develop procedures, checklists, templates, and organized systems for recurring activities.
• Monitor fundraising, sponsorship, advertising, grant, donor, and in-kind solicitation activities.
• Support donor cultivation events, silent auctions, corporate partnerships, and community fundraising campaigns.
• Assist with board meeting scheduling, agendas, materials, minutes, and follow-up.
• Coordinate administrative communication among artists, venues, vendors, staff, and community partners.
• Monitor production and event milestones and identify potential gaps before they become urgent.
• Document institutional knowledge and help create greater organizational continuity.
• Gradually assume leadership of selected meetings, projects, partnerships, and operational functions.
• Prepare a concise weekly update covering progress, priorities, challenges, and decisions needed.

Specific Skills We Are Seeking

• Strong organization, prioritization, and project-management skills.
• Excellent follow-through and ability to keep multiple projects moving.
• Ability to create systems and bring clarity to many competing priorities.
• Professional written and verbal communication.
• Initiative and ability to work independently without waiting for detailed instructions.
• Confidence following up respectfully with staff, contractors, and the Founder.
• Sound judgment about what can be handled independently and what requires executive attention.
• Ability to build relationships with artists, donors, board members, community partners, and vendors.
• Professional discretion when handling financial, personnel, donor, and organizational information.
• Comfort working in a small, founder-led nonprofit where strategic thinking and practical execution are both required.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace and willingness to learn Salesforce, Trello, Mailchimp, Canva, and other organizational platforms.

Minimum Requirements

• At least three years of relevant professional, internship, leadership, or substantial volunteer experience in nonprofit administration, arts management, operations, project management, fundraising, event coordination, business administration, or a related area.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating people, deadlines, or multiple concurrent projects.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Reliable weekly availability for approximately 10 hours.
• Ability to attend regular in-person meetings and events in Boulder and surrounding communities.
• Occasional evening and weekend availability with advance notice.
• Genuine interest in nonprofit arts organizations and Boulder Opera Company’s mission.
• Interest in learning from the Founder and developing toward greater executive leadership.

Current graduate students, recent graduates, alumni, and early-career professionals are encouraged to apply if they meet the skills and experience requirements. A specific degree is not required.