POSITION SPECIFICATION
President
Ocean City Tabernacle Association
Ocean City, New Jersey
The Situation
The Ocean City Tabernacle Association was founded in 1879, during the great "Revival Years" on the eastern seaboard, by Methodist laymen as a site for summertime camp meetings. The Tabernacle today is a non-denominational center for ecumenical religious teaching and practice reaching 1000 people in each of three Sunday Services weekly and up to 50,000 participants each season, 14 weeks.
Functioning in modern facilities on a five acre site in the heart of Ocean City, the Tabernacle is renowned for the caliber and diversity of its speakers, the scope and quality of its musical offerings and its commitment and devotion to the spiritual well being of families of all backgrounds and ages. Administered by a lay Board of Trustees, the Tabernacle is a 501(c) (3) organization with a substantial endowment and an annual operating budget of $750,000. For additional information go to: www.octab.com/
Attractions and Critical Issues
Success of the kind the Tabernacle has enjoyed carries with it the moral imperative to plan for even further successes. In this case that means preparing to take the institution to an entirely new plateau of service to a broad constituency in a thriving and growing community. Happily, two things now conjoin to make this an ideal time to reposition the Tabernacle as it prepares for the future – first the need to find a successor worthy of the leadership achievements provided for in the past decade by the retiring chief executive, and, second, the need to enlarge and enhance the Tabernacle’s physical facilities to make them more welcoming to families in the decade ahead.
The Position
Reports To: Chairman, Board of Trustees
Major Responsibilities:
The President is responsible on a year-round basis for the effective administration of the full range of the Tabernacle’s many activities. Included among these general responsibilities are:
Program planning, development and execution.
Financial planning, management and stewardship.
Articulation of recruitment and personnel policies.
Direction and management of communications and resource needs.
Implementation and maintenance of all administrative procedures.
Attainment of positive and supportive relationships with municipal authorities and the community at large.
Principal Duties:
In a broad portfolio of duties several are of paramount importance including the following:
Preparation and management of operating and capital budgets.
Recruitment, hiring, training and supervision of staff.
Selection, scheduling and accommodation of seasonal programs and speakers.
Direction of all outreach activities including marketing, advertising, program promotion and logistics for events.
Supervision of maintenance of facilities and grounds.
Approval and oversight of contracts and vendor relationships.
Administration of sound office procedures.
Initiation of a strong, ongoing membership program and all related constituency development functions.
Direction of all communications and fund-raising.
Adept and sensitive management of relationships with local government and business and professional associations.
Other duties as required from time to time by the Board of Trustees.
Qualifications
The Tabernacle requires a mature, experienced, highly skilled, articulate and personable individual to take charge of its administrative functions.
The Ideal Person Should Have:
A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university with preference afforded to candidates with a Master’s Degree or higher. Disciplines might include the ministry, social sciences, public service, communications or community development.
Broad sympathy with the Tabernacle’s history and purposes, and dedication to
its spiritual and educational objectives.
Experience with speaker selection and program management.
Substantial administrative experience in education, the ministry, social service, cultural or public service fields with a record of accomplishment in achieving goals, undertaking increasing levels of responsibility.
Ability to work effectively with a large, diverse and active Board of Trustees.
Successful management experience in some aspect of the non-profit field.
An accomplished writing and speaking ability.
Demonstrated time management and supervisory skills.
Computer literacy.
An ability to organize and supervise the work of others.
Time management and priority development skills.
Knowledge of financial management requirements and techniques inducing investment policy development and budget preparation and oversight.
Experience with the management of volunteers.
An interest in, and successful experience with, fund-raising.
A commitment to working on a year-round basis.
The Ideal Person Should Be:
A person of spiritual depth and Christian commitment.
A resident of the region, or one broadly familiar with it and prepared to live in Ocean City or reasonably close to it.
An individual with strong leadership skills - quite possibly learned in the course of business, not-for-profit management, a church vocation. Someone who has recently retired will be considered.
A people-oriented individual comfortable working with both small and large groups.
A person who is patient, equable, enthusiastic and particularly devoted to active engagement with families and the development of young people.
A good communicator able to identify and deal with the concerns of others while conveying his/her ideas clearly and persuasively.
An individual in good health, with high energy, a positive outlook and great enthusiasm for the traditions and potentials of the Tabernacle.
Nominators and those interested in exploring this situation should:
Communicate with Bob Sellery, Robert Sellery Associates, Ltd.,
1050 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., 10th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20036.
Telephone: 202.331.0090, FAX: 202.333.1167, Email: sellery@sellery.com.
All inquiries will be kept in strict confidence.
R
OBERT SELLERY ASSOCIATES, LTD.
