Position Title

Executive Director, Watermark Art Center, Bemidji, Minnesota

The Opportunity

Watermark Art Center is seeking a relational, strategic, and community-rooted Executive Director to lead the organization into its next chapter. This is an opportunity to build on Watermark’s strengths as a respected regional arts institution.

The next Executive Director will provide steady organizational leadership, strengthen financial sustainability, support staff and board alignment, deepen community relationships, and ensure that Watermark continues to serve as both an arts presenter and a cultural anchor for Bemidji and the surrounding region.

Position Summary

The Executive Director is a full-time, exempt position reporting to the Board of Directors and based in Bemidji, Minnesota. Serving as Watermark Art Center’s chief executive leader and primary public ambassador, the Executive Director works in close partnership with the Board of Directors to advance the organization’s mission, artistic excellence, financial sustainability, community engagement, and overall organizational health.

This role provides strategic leadership for the organization, including oversight of fund development, financial stewardship, staff management, external partnerships, organizational priorities. The Executive Director is accountable for Watermark’s overall direction and sustainability while supporting staff and program leaders in carrying out high-quality exhibitions, programs, and community-facing work.

Core Responsibilities

Strategic and Organizational Leadership

• Lead organizational strategy and annual priorities in partnership with the board and staff.
• Translate mission, vision, values, and strategic direction into clear work plans, resource decisions, and organizational focus.
• Assess structure, workflows, and organizational capacity and recommend improvements that support long-term sustainability.

Fundraising and Revenue Diversification

• Lead fundraising strategy across grants, sponsorships, major gifts, memberships, events, and new revenue opportunities.
• Cultivate and steward funders, donors, sponsors, and institutional partners.
• Build a long-term financial model that supports program quality, staff sustainability, and organizational resilience.

Financial Stewardship

• Oversee budget development, financial planning, and organizational forecasting in partnership with the treasurer, finance committee, accountant, and relevant staff.
• Ensure consistent financial reporting, internal controls, and sound decision-making around revenue, expenses, and risk.
• Use financial information to guide priorities, planning, and operational discipline.

Staff Leadership and Culture

• Supervise and support staff through clear expectations, regular communication, coaching, and accountability.
• Foster a workplace culture grounded in trust, transparency, inclusion, and shared responsibility.
• Promote a warm and welcoming environment for staff, volunteers and visitors.

Program Stewardship

• Remain accountable for the overall quality, accessibility, and community relevance of Watermark’s exhibitions, programming, and events.
• Support staff and program leads in planning, evaluating, and refining programming rather than personally carrying all implementation details.

Community Engagement and External Relations

• Serve as a visible, relational, and trusted representative of Watermark in the region.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with artists, schools, civic partners, donors, and cultural institutions.

Board Partnership and Governance Support

• Partner with the Board of Directors on governance, strategy, accountability, and policy implementation.
• Keep the board appropriately informed through timely, accurate updates, recommendations, and reporting.
• Support healthy board-staff role clarity and strong governance practice.

Qualifications and Experience

• Leadership experience in a nonprofit, arts, cultural, or community-based organization.
• Success in fundraising, donor cultivation, grant writing, sponsorships, or revenue diversification.
• Financial management skills, including budgeting, planning, and operating in constrained or uncertain environments.
• Experience supervising and developing staff and building a collaborative internal culture.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to build trust across staff, board, community, and partners.
• Understanding of, or appreciation for, artists, exhibitions, and diverse art experiences.
• Commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and partnership with surrounding communities.
• Ability to lead in a rural regional context and work effectively across multiple community groups.

Work Conditions

This role requires regular in-person leadership presence in Bemidji, Minnesota. The Executive Director should expect some evening and weekend attendance for events, programs, donor cultivation, and community engagement. The role also requires sustained visibility in public settings and active relationship-building with artists, partners, donors, and community members.

Compensation

Salary range: $55,000 - $60,000. Benefits package to be confirmed and discussed with finalists.

How To Apply

Please submit one PDF or Word document containing all of these items: a cover letter, résumé, and any requested application materials through the upload field below by end of day June 1, 2026.

Applicants should provide three professional references. References will be contacted only with the candidate’s prior consent and only for finalists in the selection process.

Your Cover Letter Should Address:

Please use your cover letter to respond to the following:

• What draws you to the opportunity to serve as Watermark Art Center’s next Executive Director, and what about Watermark’s role as an arts presenter and cultural anchor in the region most resonates with you?
• How has your experience prepared you to lead an organization through change or challenging moments while maintaining trust, stability, and strong programming?
• What is your approach to building authentic, respectful relationships across a diverse range of communities, and how would you apply that approach at Watermark?

Watermark Art Center encourages candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply. If you are excited about the role but do not meet every qualification exactly, you are still encouraged to submit an application.