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     POSITION TITLE: PROGRAM ASSISTANT

At the Harmony Program, music changes lives every day. Through collective music-making, children from under-served communities explore new avenues and realize their full potential.  

For the past decade, the Harmony Program has distinguished itself by serving children in need, reaching them within their own communities, providing them with instruments and intensive, high quality musical training, and helping to develop in them the life skills that support their healthy development -- musically, academically, and socially.  The Harmony Program also recruits and trains accomplished musicians as its teachers and provides them with formal professional development training, observation and evaluation, access to a network of their peers, and competitive compensation for their services, with the goal of instilling in them a long-term commitment to community outreach and education.

The Harmony Program is inspired by Venezuela's national youth orchestra system, "El Sistema." Committed to improving society through music, El Sistema has gained international acclaim for the breadth of its reach, the quality of its musicians, and the power of its positive influence on the young lives it touches. In the spirit of El Sistema, the Harmony Program emphasizes the influence of music-making on social development, encourages learning through ensemble playing, fosters a supportive community for program participants and families, and requires of all involved a high degree of commitment to daily music study.

Jobs, Duties, Responsibilities

The full-time Program Assistant will report to the Program Director and assist other staff as needed.  S/he will be an integral member of a close team of administrative staff, including five full-time colleagues, and will interface with the organization’s more than 40 part-time music teachers, as well as Harmony Program students and families.  The Program Assistant’s primary objective will be to support the organization’s operations and logistics and to raise its institutional profile through marketing and social media efforts. Daily priorities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Programmatic & Administrative Duties

• Managing correspondence with Harmony Program families via email, mail, and phone;
• Creating and managing annual program calendar of events, including  guest performances and other cultural events both on-site and at venues across the city;
• Managing calendar of teaching schedules at multiple Harmony Program sites, and assisting the Director of Education in securing substitute teachers where/when necessary;
• Assisting Harmony staff with the planning and execution of events such as teacher training, recitals, galas, and other events with cultural partners such as the New York Philharmonic, New York Youth Symphony, and West Point Band;
• Overseeing instrument repairs, supply orders, and inventory;

• Ensuring the timely collection and entry of all program data, including attendance, parent feedback, teacher evaluations, and students assessments;
• Maintaining database of program participants, alumni and organizational partners;
• Performing general office duties, including phone calls, mailings, photocopies, and filing.

Social Media and Marketing

• Developing content across social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram;
• Managing social media metrics and increasing subscriber base;
• Assisting in website management and development;
• Drafting monthly newsletter for community of supporters;
• Designing printed programs and fliers for recitals and special events;
• Managing Harmony Program media archive, including photos and video.

Because the Harmony Program is a growing nonprofit, this position represents an excellent opportunity, for the right candidate, to engage in many other substantive areas of the organization, depending on his or her skills and interests. These areas might include budget, fundraising, project management, and business development.  

Interested candidates should have the following qualifications:

• College degree and minimum 3 years of relevant work experience;
• Demonstrated experience in managing social media on behalf of an organization (including content development and strategy);
• Exceptional organizational skills;
• Strong communication skills, both written and oral;
• An ability to work efficiently, both independently and collaboratively;
• A polite, positive, and professional demeanor;
• Solid computer skills, primarily Excel, Access, Word, InDesign,  and PowerPoint;
• Strong time-management skills and experience in handling multiple deadlines;
• Spanish language skills helpful but not necessary;
• Music performing experience background a plus.

Interested candidates should include a cover letter and resume.