Managing Director

Organization

Schouwburg & Concertzaal Tilburg is the vibrant cultural hub of the city of Tilburg. A leading cultural center offering a wide variety of performing arts, it serves as a welcoming and lively meeting place for Tilburg residents and many visitors from the region. There is a fruitful collaboration with partners in the city and the Cultuuralliantie, including coordination of programming with De Nieuwe Vorst and Paradox. The organization has an ambitious and vibrant Vision for the Future 2025–2028 formulated under the motto Here You Are Free.
Guided by our core values of openness, connection, agility, inspiration, and courage, we are working toward ambitious goals for the next four years:

• To be a vibrant cultural hub in the city of Tilburg;
• An increase of more than 100,000 visitors by 2028, including attendees of performances, other business and cultural activities, and, to a significant extent, the hospitality sector;
• Thinking in terms of sustainability and digital innovation;
• To make an undeniable impact on Tilburg and its residents.

Schouwburg & Concertzaal Tilburg comprises the Concert Hall, the Theater, the Studio Hall, and the Stadscafé, which is open all day, seven days a week. In 2024, Schouwburg & Concertzaal Tilburg attracted a total of approximately 170,000 visitors to performances, concerts, and other business and cultural activities. Revenue exceeds €10 million, slightly less than half of which consists of subsidies for the organization and the rental of the building. The organization employs over 65 full-time equivalents (FTEs), including staff on on-call contracts and many volunteers.

With Rob van Steen’s departure after 13 years as executive director, the organization is now seeking a new executive director to start no later than August 1, 2025.

Job Description

As Executive Director, you will serve as the strategic and operational leader of Schouwburg & Concertzaal Tilburg. You will be the public face of the organization and will strike a balance between cultural, social, and commercial objectives. You will develop and implement strategies that help position the theater as a unifying force in the community. You will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including the Board of Trustees, staff, the municipality, and business, cultural, and social partners.

Responsibilities

• Managing the day-to-day operations of Schouwburg & Concertzaal Tilburg, with a focus on cultural, social, and commercial objectives. In this role, the director serves as the direct supervisor of the staff and management team (HR, financial control, programming & education, hospitality & sales, facilities & technology, and marketing & ticketing).
• Developing and implementing strategic policy, in collaboration with staff and the management team and in consultation with the Works Council, as well as the organization’s long-term vision and objectives.
• A solid understanding of financial flows. Ensuring financial stability by managing and monitoring the budget, securing funding and sponsors, and maintaining sound operations. This also includes stepping up activities targeting the corporate market and ensuring the sound operation of the Boove & Benee restaurant.
• Collaborating with cultural partners in the city (represented, among others, by the Cultuuralliantie and the Makershuis) and program-based collaborations with De Nieuwe Vorst, Paradox, and Tilburg-based and southern creators such as Kamerata Zuid and Ward/waRD (both of whom are also our neighbors), the Zuidelijk Toneel, Lonne Gosling, and PhilZuid
• Encourage innovative and entrepreneurial thinking within the team, and foster a healthy work environment and a productive atmosphere within the team.
• Representing the organization in the region and at the national level.
• Fostering enthusiasm for culture among a broad audience, from the local to the international level.

Profile

The ideal candidate has a passion for culture and the performing arts and is able to inspire and motivate both staff and partners through a collaborative leadership style. In addition, the executive director possesses the following qualities:

• Leadership: Demonstrable experience as a director or in a comparable leadership role within the cultural sector or a similarly complex organization. A people-oriented leader capable of strengthening and motivating the team, with a focus on professional development and innovation.
• Strategic insight: The ability to develop a long-term vision and policy and successfully translate them into concrete plans.
• Commercial and financial acumen: Knowledge of and experience with managing budgets, grants, and fundraising strategies, as well as with the sound operation of hospitality businesses and commercial leasing, and maintaining a healthy balance between the costs and revenues of cultural programming.
• Networking skills: Strong connections and effective relationship management within the cultural sector, the political and administrative landscape of the municipality of Tilburg and the province of Brabant, the media, and Tilburg’s communities.
• Innovative and entrepreneurial: The ability to identify and capitalize on new opportunities for the organization, with an eye for innovation and social trends. You possess strategic knowledge and experience in marketing strategies and digital transformation, focused on reaching a broad and diverse audience.
• Affinity with culture: You have knowledge of and an affinity for the arts and culture sector, as well as an eye for quality. This does not necessarily have to be specifically related to theater, but a broad interest and experience in the arts and culture is essential.
• Hospitality Development: You have knowledge of and relevant experience in hospitality development and entrepreneurship, and understand the role that hospitality plays in the overall visitor experience.

Personal characteristics

• Results-oriented, consistent, and reliable; a problem-solver and decisive.
• Leading the way in fostering a proactive, guest-focused, and entrepreneurial mindset within the organization.
• A director who is highly visible and approachable within the organization and is a good listener.
• Organization-focused, with an eye for the individual within the organization and for employee development; a team player with strong communication skills, adept at providing clear information and establishing frameworks.

Terms of Employment

• Salary classification in accordance with the VSCD guidelines on compensation for theater directors.
• Employee benefits, such as the travel allowance, commuting benefits, and the career budget, in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Performing Arts Venues;
• This is a full-time position, with the possibility of hybrid work arrangements in consultation with the management team. Regular attendance at performances and events, including in the evenings and on weekends, is part of the job.
• We are an organization for everyone, where we embrace the widest possible range of people. We believe that diversity is the foundation of creativity, relevance, and innovation. We therefore warmly invite anyone interested to get in touch.

Procedure

The current director, Rob van Steen, will step down on August 1. The goal is to make an appointment by May 1, so that the new director can realistically take office in the summer of 2025. The interview rounds will be held on Monday, March 24, and Monday, March 31, 2025.

Interested?

Schouwburg & Concertzaal Tilburg is being advised by Colourful People in this matter. Winfred Voordendag, a senior partner at Colourful People, will be happy to answer any questions you may have. He can be reached at w.voordendag@colourfulpeople.nl or on your mobile at 06-28284706. Please apply via the "Apply" button, attaching your resume and cover letter.