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Arts Manager

Permanent (Full Time)

37 hours per week

Salary: £47,573 - £49,590 per annum (pay award pending)

Salary will increase to £48,587 - £50,608 from 1st April 2024

Job Summary

Now is an exciting time to join Warwick District Council’s Arts Section in the beautiful town of Royal Leamington Spa in South Warwickshire!

Warwick District Council is seeking to appoint an ambitious and highly motivated arts professional to lead the council’s Arts team.

We welcome over 600,000 visitors across our sites every year and visitor satisfaction has risen to 96% positive. In 2022 the team was nominated for, and won, the Customer Service Excellence Award at Leamington Business Awards.

We are fortunate to be experiencing a time of substantial growth and success. With record attendance and income figures in 2023, and significant capital investment due from Round 2 of the Museum Estate and Development Fund for the Royal Pump Rooms roof replacement, funds allocated from the Future High Street Fund to develop a new creative hub at Leamington Town Hall, and new project funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for creative initiatives across the district – the next five years are going to be challenging but exhilarating.

Job Description

You will manage the Arts section of the Place, Arts, & Economy service and lead the teams who are responsible for delivering high quality arts activities from a range of cultural facilities including the Royal Pump Rooms (including Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum), the Royal Spa Centre, and Leamington Town Hall.

You will lead on strategic planning for the Arts section, working with external stakeholders to develop and implement strategies to ensure that the service is artistically ambitious and financially sustainable.

You will find ways to increase attendance and participation in arts and heritage activity within the district and ensure that opportunities for engagement are maximised for visitors and residents – providing ‘Inspiration & Opportunity for All’.

The Arts Manager also seeks to strengthen the creative economy of the district by supporting its thriving cultural infrastructure and using the Council’s influence to develop new and existing partnerships with artists, organisations, and key funding bodies.

Job Responsibilities

Leadership and Management:

You will lead a team of 55 permanent staff, 100+ casual staff and freelancers to ensure that the artistic, educational, social, and financial objectives of the Arts section are met.

Strategic Planning:

You will lead on the long-term planning and direction of the Arts section. You will support major corporate and capital projects with an arts, creative, or heritage component and ensure the best possible outcome for the district and its creative industries.

Service Delivery:

You will manage and develop the operation of the Royal Pump Rooms, the Royal Spa Centre, and Leamington Town Hall and ensure that service delivery is of the highest quality. You will ensure that facilities are at all times safe, secure, and customer focused and that the heritage buildings and the associated art and local history collections are cared for, preserved, and protected.

Artistic Programming:

You will lead the programming and events team to develop and deliver an ambitious, diverse artistic programme of over 1,500 events, workshops, exhibitions, performances, and screenings.

Financial and Commercial:

You will be the primary budget holder for the Arts section with an income target in excess of £2.2m. You will maximise commercial opportunities and develop initiatives to drive income generation and lower the cost of the service.

Stakeholder Management:

You will develop and manage relationships with key stakeholders and partner organisations (including Warwick District’s Creative Compact and the Council’s Creative Partners). You will support the growth of the cultural infrastructure of the district and attract creative businesses and groups to the area, contributing to the creative economy. You will support local arts organisations through funding and grants and brokering networks and partnerships.

Participation and Learning:

You will maximize opportunities for arts attendance and participation in the district. You will ensure that the work of the Arts section is community focused and that it informs, inspires and provides opportunities for residents to get involved.

Job Requirements

You will have a deep commitment and passion for arts and heritage. You will require a broad understanding of the arts sector with expertise in at least one of the constituent elements of the service (arts management, live performance venue management, museums and heritage, exhibitions, development, or events).

Our ideal candidate will have previous experience of working in a senior leadership role within a professional arts environment.

You will have a proven track record of success in:

• leading, motivating, and managing large and diverse teams
• creating policy, developing a long-term vision, and setting and achieving strategic priorities

• managing a large-scale arts venue / facilities management
• devising cultural programmes and delivering arts events
• developing and maintaining strategic partnerships with key local and national stakeholders, including long-term funding relationships
• managing significant budgets, interpreting financial data, and ensuring the delivery of ambitious financial targets across a range of difference income sources
• operating within a political environment

• delivering arts grants programmes

This is a ‘hands on’, leadership role and the expectation is that that the majority of the work will be on site, split between our three venues in Leamington Spa, although a proportion of the role can be done by working from home.

If you have any questions or wish to have an informal discussion about the post, please contact David Guilding, Arts Manager on 01926 456230 or email [email protected]

Closing date: 16th July 2023

Interview date: w/c 24th July 2023

If you are unable to apply using the 'Apply' button please contact HR Support on [email protected] including your contact details and any relevant screenshots.
You will be notified of our shortlisting decision via email, so please check your email on a regular basis after submitting your application.

As part of being a Disability Confident employer we guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the post. By ‘essential criteria’ we mean that you must provide us with evidence in your application form which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required for each competence, as well as meeting any of the qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential in the person specification. To be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS), applicants must disclose that they have a disability and would like to be considered for the scheme.

Should you require application forms in an alternative format / language or any adjustments to be made throughout the application or recruitment process or upon appointment, please contact [email protected] and we will make every effort to meet your specific requirements.