We Are Hiring
The Crucible is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all persons, especially those who bring the benefits of diversity to the organization. Women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
We are a nonprofit organization and art school dedicated to making the fine and industrial arts accessible for all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Our work is centered in Oakland and the East Bay, where we offer classes and team builds in glass, metal, clay, wood, and more to over 8,000 people each year.
Staff Openings
Crucible staff enjoy great benefits, including free tuition on seven Crucible classes a year, paid time off, and medical and dental coverage starting at 20 hours a week.
Role: Customer Support Coordinator
Reports To: Director of Marketing and Ecommerce
Status: Full-time, non-exempt
Hours: 40 hours per week, regular weekday schedule with some modified hours as needed
Salary: $23-$25 per hour, depending on experience; eligible for benefits
Closes: Open until filled
Our mission:
The Crucible inspires creative exploration and expression through welcoming, hands-on arts education and experiences for people of diverse ages and backgrounds. As an innovative hub built around the industrial arts, The Crucible is a catalyst for individual growth and vibrant community connections. In addition to supporting working and emerging artists and art students, The Crucible is dedicated to supporting career pathways into the arts and the industrial trades and access to our programs for BIPOC youth and families, especially those from West Oakland. Want to work in a supportive work environment committed to the arts? Reach out to us to learn more!
Position Overview:
The Crucible, Northern California’s most innovative and diverse industrial arts education center, seeks a multi-talented, customer service-oriented, and enthusiastic individual to join our team as our Customer Service Coordinator. This is an on-site, hands-on position with a focus on greeting and supporting visitors and customers who call, send emails, and visit as they engage with our classes and programs.
The Customer Service Coordinator reports to the Director of Marketing and Ecommerce and works closely with them to answer phone inquiries, email inquiries, and social media inquiries from students and community members, as well as manage walk-in inquiries, all in a timely fashion. This is a job that is people-oriented and detail-oriented. Patience, compassion, and enjoyment of other humans and sharing knowledge are great traits to have in this role.
You must be able to prioritize multiple tasks simultaneously, be highly detail-oriented, well-organized and have an interest in learning about the arts. Ensuring team-specific inquiries are escalated to the appropriate parties is crucial to the success of classes, programming, and revenue generation. You will also engage with volunteers, staff, and faculty on a regular basis.
As you build your expertise, your ability to field and answer questions from all community members will make you a highly valued part of the team. Working with staff and faculty across the organization, this position is key in sharing information about The Crucible and helps set the expectations of the visitor experience.
Key Responsibilities:
- The first point of contact for people entering and interacting with The Crucible: providing excellent customer service and welcoming students, faculty, staff, guests, and community members in person.
- Answer phones, transfer calls, and manage phone logs and callbacks for those seeking information on classes, registration, transfers/withdrawals, cancellations, and general Crucible information.
- Manage emails inquiries to info@ and communications@ email inboxes, with the support of your manager, related to general Crucible information, upcoming classes, events, etc., forwarding emails to the appropriate parties.
- Send registration, withdrawal, transfer, refund, cancellation, and other related requests to Programs staff in a timely fashion.
- Manage inquiries made through Crucible Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok accounts.
- Work with the Director of Marketing and Ecommerce, as well as the Senior Programs Manager, to ensure proper customer service is being delivered and all issues are resolved.
- Assist with upkeep of front entry and check-in, ensuring proper entry protocols are followed.
- Ensure marketing materials (flyers and print materials) are regularly replenished throughout the building.
- Review listings on the digital jobs board to make sure outdated posts are removed and all current posts meet community standards.
- Work with Marketing Associate to manage online orders and get them mailed in a timely fashion.
- Assist Marketing, with help from others on the Programs Team, to ensure public facing student and class information is correct on the website and other public-facing channels.
- Help the Marketing Team with social media content creation.
- Attend all training and orientations as needed, including First Aid/ CPR.
- Be available to work evening and weekend shifts as required.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- Minimum of two years experience in customer service of some type.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and interpersonal ability.
- Strong organizational ability and attention to detail.
- Ability to work independently and to work as part of a team.
- Strong computer skills, including usage of Google Suite: Gmail and Google Drive.
- Salesforce database, or related, experience preferred.
- WordPress experience is a plus.
- Ability to communicate in a friendly and professional manner and with a strong emphasis on customer service.
- Demonstrated commitment and ability to work with populations that are both economically and ethnically diverse.
- Non-profit, educational, and or industrial arts experience is a plus!
This is a full-time, non-exempt position based in Oakland, California. The Crucible is an equal-opportunity employer and encourages applications from all persons, especially those who bring the benefits of diversity to the organization. Women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Compensation
We offer competitive pay and benefits, including health insurance starting at 20 hours a week, access to classes, and more. Our work environment is casual, upbeat, professional, and fun. Come join us!
How to Apply:
Please email a cover letter, resume, and three reference contacts (PDF format) to [email protected]. Subject line: Customer Service Coordinator. No faxes or calls, please!
Role: Development Associate
Reports to: Interim Development Director
Status: Full-time, 40 hours a week
Pay: $27/hour, eligible for benefits
Closes: Open until filled
Our mission:
The Crucible inspires creative exploration and expression through welcoming, hands-on arts education and experiences for people of diverse ages and backgrounds. As an innovative hub built around the industrial arts, The Crucible is a catalyst for individual growth and vibrant community connections. In addition to supporting working and emerging artists and art students, The Crucible is dedicated to supporting career pathways into the arts and the industrial trades and access to our programs for BIPOC youth and families, especially those from West Oakland. Want to work in a supportive work environment committed to the arts? Reach out to us to learn more!
Position Overview:
The Development Associate is responsible for the maintenance of the donor database (Salesforce), some grant and donor research and writing, and project management and event coordination. The Development Associate is also responsible for timely gift processing, acknowledgment, and benefits fulfillment. You will work closely with the Development Director and the Executive Director, to support all of the organization’s fundraising efforts.
Classification:
This is a full-time, non-exempt position. Evening and weekend availability are required occasionally for events and meetings.
Responsibilities
Database Management / Stewardship (50%)
- Accurately enter information into the donor database (Salesforce) and maintain contributed income data entry for contacts, gifts, pledges, etc., to ensure consistency and the highest level of accuracy, and to reconcile with the Finance Office.
- Generate regular and accurate reports on income and fundraising progress, list maintenance, and lists for solicitation appeals.
- Prepare gift acknowledgments, pledge letters, and updates.
- Generate, reconcile, and send Development Batch Report and Contributed Income Report to Finance on a monthly basis.
- Prepare and send all acknowledgement letters.
General Departmental Support (50%)
- Research individuals with the capacity for giving who are connected to The Crucible using donor tools.
- Document wealth scoring and prospect research results.
- Research grant prospects to support community programs, scholarships, and general operating support.
- Support Development Director with grant writing and proposal development.
- Support planning and coordination of events throughout the year, including managing vendors and site logistics, organizing volunteers, and managing invitations/RSVPs.
- Assist with special community events, including annual fundraising events, artists’ talks and demos, and community outreach programs.
- Attend Crucible events and be a visible and engaged community member.
Position requirements:
- Experience with Salesforce in a nonprofit development office.
- Highly proficient in Microsoft Office.
- Experience with data management and organization, including data entry, report generation, list management, and segmentation.
- Experience with donor research tools.
- Enthusiasm for education and The Crucible’s mission to make the industrial arts accessible to everyone.
- Commitment to quality work, productivity, and attention to detail and accuracy.
- Ability to organize and prioritize workload in a timely manner and handle multiple deadlines.
- Strong problem-solving and collaboration skills; enjoys people and communication.
- A high degree of professionalism and commitment to cultural competency.
- Self-starter and good communicator.
- Availability to work some nights/weekends.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion.
We offer competitive pay. This is a full-time, hourly position with job flexibility and benefits. The Crucible is an equal-opportunity employer and encourages applications from all persons, especially those who bring the benefits of diversity to the organization. Women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
How to apply:
Please email cover letter, resume, and three reference contacts (PDF format) to [email protected]. Subject line: Development Associate.
No faxes or calls, please!
Role: Ceramics Instructor
Status: Non-Exempt, hourly, part-time
Reports to: Interim Director of Programs, Faculty Coordinator
Pay: $20.00—$26.50 per hour, depending on experience
Our mission:
The Crucible inspires creative exploration and expression through welcoming, hands-on arts education and experiences for people of diverse ages and backgrounds. As an innovative hub built around the industrial arts, The Crucible is a catalyst for individual growth and vibrant community connections. In addition to supporting working and emerging artists and art students, The Crucible has become increasingly focused in recent years on supporting career pathways into the arts and the industrial trades and supporting access to our programs for BIPOC youth and families, especially those from West Oakland.
The Opportunity:
The Ceramics department at The Crucible is looking for instructors to teach hand-building and wheel-throwing classes at our 56,000-square-foot non-profit and industrial arts school in West Oakland. Instructors must know the fundamentals of working with clay and glazing. We are looking for at least 1-2 years of teaching experience in an informal or formal education setting. Classes are typically 4-10 students, with 1:6 teacher ratio (i.e. we hire a TA for larger classes). Classes are usually 3 hours in length. There is paid prep time.
The ideal candidate is interested in making teaching an ongoing part of their ceramics practice. We do offer instructors storage space, access to studio and tools, participation in firings. But our studio is too small to support a production potter who seeks to run their business out of our space. We have worked hard to increase diversity among our teacher and student population, welcoming young creatives seeking to explore their culture through creativity.
Ceramicists who can support this approach are welcome, as are those who appreciate both the creative and the healing experience of ceramics. If you’re passionate about sharing your skills with a wide range of students and want to be in a collaborative environment with other teaching artists, this is a great place for you!
Classes are held at night, on the weekends, and during the day during the week. Instructors have the opportunity to both learn the curriculum for a specific class and to schedule their participation in a way that works for them. Many instructors come to The Crucible for studio access before and after their classes. We ask experienced ceramicists to TA a class so they can learn our curriculum, but then move them into lead and/or co-teaching.
Pay:
We pay $16.50 an hour for a Teaching Assistant role, and $20-$26.50 per hour for an instructor, based on experience and seniority. Occasionally, we are able to offer faculty teaching at higher rates, usually to participate in a time-limited grant-funded project where we have raised more money for higher faculty salaries.
Non-cash benefits:
Faculty members receive access to Crucible departments and studios equal to one hour of access for each 3 hours taught in a class or monitoring a lab, once they have checked out on the equipment. Faculty also have access to free classes (with some restrictions) and financial support for materials for classes. Some limitations apply.
Preferred qualifications:
- Two years of teaching experience, with a track record of success, informal arts education a plus
- Five years of experience producing work in your core teaching areas
- Ability to meet students where they are and help them grow as creators
- Respect for everyone’s differences, approach, and creativity
- A strong commitment to teaching, curriculum design and development, and collaboration
Responsibilities:
- Teach in an artistically diverse environment
- Participate in departmental and faculty meetings
- Develop and maintain area procedures and standards
- Support The Crucible’s policies and adherence to The Crucible studio safety rules
- Organize materials and supplies before and after classes and workshops
- Collaborate with the Department head and studio to order materials as needed
Curriculum:
- The curriculum includes teaching courses in areas that focus on foundational skills
- Work with the Program Director and team on advancing/developing and updating the curriculum
Faculty Meetings, Open Houses, & Events
- Attend two open houses or events a year to represent your area
- Attend at least three paid faculty meetings a year
- Participate in demonstrations and shows when able
This is an hourly, part-time position based in Oakland, California. The Crucible is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all persons, especially those who bring the benefits of diversity to the organization. Women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
Email a cover letter, résumé, link to portfolio, or PDF file of images of your completed work to [email protected]. Subject line: Ceramics Instructor.
Faculty Openings
The Crucible is always looking for talented faculty to support in teaching the fine and industrial arts to thousands of students each year. We are seeking skilled, part-time instructors in all our departments, including Welding, Blacksmithing, Foundry, Machine Shop, Ceramics, Glass Flameworking, and more. Crucible lead faculty are paid between $25.00-$27.50, depending on experience and seniority. We also have openings for teaching assistant positions, who support the work of the lead faculty member in the classroom, starting at $18.53.
If you have questions about joining The Crucible’s faculty, email [email protected]. You can review the Faculty Job Description here. And please indicate your interest by filling out the short application below!
Faculty Job Application
Join Our Team of Volunteers
Earn discounts on Crucible classes
Donate your time to The Crucible! Each year, hundreds of passionate volunteers make sure The Crucible’s studio, front office, and events are properly staffed while accruing hours toward discounts of up to 50% on tuition and membership costs.
Questions? Contact us
[email protected]
(510) 444-0919