Jobs at Swallow Hill Music

Concert Director

Job Title: Concert Director

Department: Concerts

Reports to: Senior Director of Strategic Programs

Effective Date: October 2026

Classification: Full-time Exempt

Compensation: $70,259 – $95,056 annually (with Medical, Dental, Vacation, and Sick Time accrual)

About Swallow Hill:

Founded in 1979, Swallow Hill Music is a Denver-based nonprofit dedicated to enriching lives and building community through music. As a 501(c)(3) and SCFD Tier II organization with an $8 million annual budget, Swallow Hill operates a nationally recognized music school and offers a wide range of community outreach and music education programs throughout the Denver metro area.

Swallow Hill presents local and nationally touring artists across a variety of genres at its three onsite venues (Daniels Hall, Tuft Theatre, and Quinlan Café) and through signature offsite concert series and partnerships, including the Denver Botanic Gardens Summer Concert Series, Evenings al Fresco, and Four Mile Historic Park.

Recognized as a cornerstone of Colorado’s music community, Swallow Hill has received the Mayor’s and Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts, honors from the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, and Folk Alliance International’s Business Lifetime Achievement Award, reflecting its longstanding contributions to live music, education, and community connection.

Job Summary:

The Concert Director is a key leadership role reporting to the Senior Director of Strategic Programs (SDSP), responsible for the artistic vision, strategic direction, and overall success of Swallow Hill’s concert programming. Working closely with the SDSP, Talent Buyer, and production staff, the Concert Director oversees a dynamic, mission-aligned concert program featuring nationally touring and local artists while advancing financial, programmatic, and audience development goals.

The Concert Director provides strategic and operational leadership for the department, including budget development and financial oversight, staff management, long-term planning, and cross-functional collaboration with teams across marketing, development, education, and operations. A successful candidate will bring a strong understanding of the live music industry and concert production, along with demonstrated experience leading teams, managing budgets, and translating strategic goals into action. This role guides artist selection and programming priorities, cultivates meaningful artist and venue partnerships, and builds on Swallow Hill’s reputation as a leading presenter in Colorado’s concert scene.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Recruits, interviews, hires, and trains new Swallow Hill Music Concert staff.
Oversees the daily workflow of the department.
Provides constructive and timely performance evaluations.
Handles discipline and termination of employees in accordance with company policy.

Responsibilities & Duties:

Responsible for ensuring effective coordination and execution of all concert department activities including production, booking/talent buying, financials, administrative work, and team management.
Develop and manage the Concert Department budget (4M), meeting revenue and expense goals.
Articulate and implement the creative vision for the concert department, along with team members, that align with organizational goals and ensure long- term sustainability.
Develop, in collaboration with the SDSP, short- and long- term Department goals, strategies, and recommendations for changes to, or the creation of, new concert programs and partnerships.
Responsible for effectively communicating and implementing organizational and departmental vision, goals, and strategy to concert team staff, leadership team, and other stakeholders.
Report on Concert Department strategies, tactics and the achievement of goals;
Collaborate with other internal departments such as School, Outreach, and Patron Experience Directors to identify cross departmental programming needs and opportunities
Collaborate with the Volunteer Manager to coordinate meaningful volunteer support for concert programming and events.
Work with School and Outreach Departments to leverage connections with artists to create value add propositions for the organization as a whole.
Collaborate with the Development team for donor event activations like VIP space needs, etc. and provide budgetary information and goals for potential funder/sponsorship opportunities.
Collaborate with the Marketing Department to maximize impact of materials and messaging
Monitor offers and contract execution; ensure contractual/deposit timelines are met; develop and/or manage MOUs for partners.
Collect and analyze concert and partnership data to evaluate mission alignment and profitability.
Supervise Concert staff and vendors as needed.
Ensure appropriate staffing, mentoring and provide professional development opportunities for staff.
Collaborate with supervisees on the development of individual goals that align with larger department and organizational goals.
Attend onsite concerts at night and on weekends several times a month and most outdoor shows in the summer. Serve as a House Manager for onsite shows when needed.
Support a patron-centric culture.
Other duties as assigned

Qualifications & Experience:

Minimum of five to seven years of experience in the live music or concert industry, including 3-5 years of demonstrated leadership experience in team management, budgeting, strategic planning, and program oversight.
Strong working knowledge of talent buying, concert production, and event management required; festival experience is a plus.
Understanding of business principals around nonprofit organizations, for profit promoters, and the intersection of both models
Deep understanding of programming, venue, and concert trends both nationally and locally in Denver
Knowledge of ticketing and box office operations as well as experience working with ticketing solutions

Understanding of event and venue marketing fundamentals, trends, and best practices
Experience negotiating and managing contracts with partner organizations
Successful track record booking and executing concerts

Required Skills:

Values diversity and contributes to an inclusive working and learning environment.
Understands and values data as a tool for strategic decision making.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
Strong interpersonal and customer service skills.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
Strong supervisory and leadership skills.
High level of fiscal management skills.
Ability to prioritize tasks and delegate them when appropriate.
Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times stressful environment.
Ability to navigate complex relationships, anticipating where challenges may arise and addressing them proactively.
Proficient with booking tools such as Celebrity Access and Pollstar.
Proficient in Google Workspace; and the ability to learn required business systems
Experience with Salesforce preferred.
Experience with ticketing platforms such as Eventbrite, Ticketure, Elevent, etc.
Comfortable utilizing remote meeting & video conferencing technology such as Google Meet & Zoom.
A genuine passion for live music and a belief in its power to bring joy, foster connection, and build community.

Physical Requirements:

This position requires walking, bending, reaching, and standing for long periods of time.
Must be able to lift and carry items weighing up to 50 pounds.
This position also requires hearing to accurately understand information at normal spoken word levels in a potentially loud environment and visual observation for reviewing, checking, preparing, and maintaining written and computer files.
Manual dexterity to operate standard office, data entry, and other related facility and production equipment is required.
Ability to flex schedule to work a combination of days, evenings, and weekends.

We will make reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with known disabilities or whose service requirements interfere with a religious belief, unless doing so would result in undue hardship or a direct threat to Swallow Hill Music. Please contact human resources at 303.777.1003 to request accommodation, or for questions/concerns regarding this policy.

EEO Statement:

Swallow Hill provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Swallow Hill complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

How to Apply:

To apply for this position, please send a cover letter, resume, and references to Jobs@swallowhillmusic.org. No phone calls, please.

Senior Manager, Patron Experience

Job Title: Senior Manager, Patron Experience
Department: Operations
Reports to: Operations Director
Classification: Full-time Exempt
Compensation: $63,000 – $75,000 annually; benefits including medical, dental, vision, 401k, accrued sick and vacation time

About Swallow Hill:

Founded in 1979, Swallow Hill Music (SHM, Swallow Hill) is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) organization that strives to positively impact the quality of people’s lives through music. SHM operates a music school and three performance venues at its Broadway & Yale location, and produces outreach activities and community events throughout the Denver metro region as an SCFD-funded Tier II organization with a $6 Million annual budget.

In addition to music therapy sessions, Swallow Hill’s flagship early education program “Little Swallows” is provided for students across the city. The organization is the producing partner for concerts at Denver Botanic Gardens, Four Mile Historic Park, the Butterfly Pavilion, the Clyfford Still Museum, and various music venues. Swallow Hill is a nationally-revered hub for concerts, classes, and community, and is a recipient of both the Mayor’s and the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, and an inductee of the Colorado Music Hall of Fame and Folk Alliance International’s Business Lifetime Achievement awards.

Job Summary:

The Senior Manager, Patron Experience directly leads the Patron Experience Team, who serve a vital role at Swallow Hill, performing customer service and operational tasks that support both Swallow Hill programs as well as the patrons who participate in them. The Patron Experience Manager also oversees the Cafe Manager and the performance of Swallow Hill’s bar service and retail program. The Patron Experience Manager’s overarching responsibility is to drive and uphold the Swallow Hill patron experience, where community, creativity, growth, and inclusion come together to foster musical experiences of all kinds. Successful candidates demonstrate flexibility and a “make it happen” attitude, as the Patron Experience Team is called upon to meet numerous and varied needs that support patrons, teaching faculty, staff, and volunteers in providing the programs and community events that make Swallow Hill treasured and unique in the Denver and national folk music scene.

The Senior Manager, Patron Experience reports to the Operations Director and is responsible for upholding customer service and patron experience expectations for Swallow Hill. This includes leading teams of employees to achieve programmatic, financial, and mission objectives. Swallow Hill programming operates seven days per week, for roughly 48 weeks per year.

Weekend and evening availability is required for this position, and the anticipated schedule will be afternoon/evening and will include 1 weekend shift.

This is an in-person role.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Recruits, interviews, hires, and trains new staff.
Directly supervises the Patron Experience Associates, the Patron Experience Lead, and the Cafe Manager.
Drives the daily workflow of the Patron Experience Team members.
Oversees the performance of Swallow Hill’s bar service and its retail program.
Leads Patron Experience and Cafe/Retail teams in creating and achieving team and individual goals that are aligned with organizational priorities, including DEIA goals related to the Swallow Hill patron experience.
Leads teams in understanding the importance of data-informed decisionmaking and drives regular data reporting of key metrics for each.
Provides constructive, timely, and data-driven performance evaluations based on team and individual goals, as well as informal coaching and feedback that drives team members’ goal achievement and professional growth.
Drives and provides shift-level management and expectations of Patron Experience Associates, including prioritization, task delegation, coaching and support.
Handles discipline and termination of employees in accordance with company policy.
Serves as Manager-on-Duty according to schedule when programming is active.
Develops goals and objectives, refine workflows, and reports on key data that demonstrates success across the Patron Experience Team.
Prepares and executes staff schedules to ensure adequate staffing during programming hours, including appropriate handling of planned and unplanned staff absences.
Serves as point person for supporting teachers’ operational and daily program needs when on shift.
Ensures staff compliance with established procedures, policies, and customer service standards.
Reviews and approves payroll for the Patron Experience Team.

Responsibilities & Duties – Patron Experience Team:

Leads Patron Experience Team in providing prompt, friendly, and professional customer service to patrons in-person, via email, and via phone.
Drives Patron Experience Team in meeting program goals for ticket sales, class and lesson registrations, and membership sales.
Works closely with School, Concert, and Facilities departments to meet program needs and maintain publicly visible areas in a clean, orderly, and safe condition.
Serves as the primary contact for daily building use and needs for onsite programs as well as staff needs (example: meeting space)
Supports Patron Experience Team by helping develop and distribute daily resources outlining daily program needs.
Serves as the primary point of escalation for customer service issues, using sound judgment and organizational policies to resolve matters promptly.
Assists patrons with accurate processing of ticket sales, registrations, memberships, gift cards, and retail purchases.
Ensures classrooms and performance spaces are prepared and equipped appropriately for scheduled uses.
Ensures Patron Experience Team members complete all opening and closing procedures and required daily administrative reports.

Responsibilities & Duties – Cafe & Retail:

In collaboration with Cafe Manager, School, and Concert staff, oversee maintenance of a bar schedule that aligns with data-supported revenue opportunities for the bar.
Support Cafe Manager, as needed, in process change and change management to better align processes with needs of financial accounting and reporting
Oversee use and preparation of cafe space for various uses over the course of a program week, including use as classroom space during the week, traditional bar use during concert times, and use for special events, as they arise.
Oversee and collaborate with the Cafe Manager and Marketing department on Swallow Hill merchandising strategy and cycles.
Produce regular, consistent data on the financial performance of both the bar and the retail program and report to the Director of Operations.

System & Technical Responsibilities:

Develop proficiency in required transactional systems and functions necessary for carrying out transactions and business objectives, and serve as a primary resource to Patron Experience staff on these systems and workflows.
Leads documentation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and workflows for the Patron Experience Team.
Supports reporting needs related to customer service, registrations, ticketing, memberships, and other business metrics.

Required Skills/Abilities:

Values diversity and contributes to an inclusive working and learning environment.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly, professionally, and compassionately.
Excellent interpersonal, sales, and customer service skills.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
Excellent supervisory and leadership skills.
Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times stressful environment.
Be or become proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite or related software.
Be or become proficient in Point of Sale Systems used by organization.
Be or become TIPS certified.
Ability to work a flexible schedule when required, including evenings, weekends, some holidays, and overtime as operational needs require
Experience with developing key performance indicators for a team and an understanding of the importance of data-driven decision making.
Working knowledge of retail and sales principles, nonprofit and performing arts business models, and the intersection between earned revenue and mission-driven work.

Education and Experience:

Four to six years experience managing multiple employees in customer service or operational support roles.
Experience in nonprofit revenue programs preferred, but not required.
Bilingual skills (Spanish) preferred, but not required.

Physical Requirements:

This position must be able to sit at a desk for prolonged periods, as well as move around the facility for periods of time.
This position must be able to lift and move objects up to 50 pounds.

EEO Statement:

Other Duties:

How to Apply:

Please apply by sending a cover letter, résumé, and at least 2 references to jobs@swallowhillmusic.org.

References should ideally include 1 person you have worked for, and one person who has worked under your supervision.