Programme Manager, Arts Council England Programme London, England
Job description
PROGRAMME MANAGER, ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND ENVIRONMENTAL
PROGRAMME
Julie’s Bicycle is seeking a skilled manager to take a lead on delivering key strands of Julie’s
Bicycle’s partnership with Arts Council England and work on forward planning and project management with the ACE Programme Lead. This is a flagship programme which supports and mobilises the arts and culture sector to take action on the climate and environmental crisis.
ROLE SUMMARY
● Job title: Programme Manager, Arts Council England Programme
● Contract: Full-time, until March 2026 (in line with the funding for the current contract from Arts Council England.)
● Location: Hybrid working: office base is at Somerset House, London: we are flexible on approach, within a hybrid model of in-person & virtual. This can be discussed at interview (*)
● Salary: £40,000 per annum
● Reporting to: Arts Council England Programme Lead
● Start date: ASAP (depending on your notice period)
● Normal hours: Working hours are 9.30am - 5.30pm, Monday – Friday
● Flexible working requests and patterns will be considered
Other:
● Annual leave is 25 days per year plus standard bank holidays
● Cultural entitlement of £250 per annum to spend on arts/ cultural events & activities
● All employees are able to claim 1 hour a week for personal wellbeing
● Pension scheme enrolment and 6% employer contributions (reviewed annually)
(*) Access to desk space in London is always available to staff who can't or don't want to work from home. Our standard arrangement is a minimum of 1 day in the office per week or equivalent groups of days in any month - depending on the location of the employee.
If you would like this application pack in a different format (e.g., large print or audio file), please email [email protected] or call 0208 746 0400
ABOUT JULIE’S BICYCLE
Julie’s Bicycle (JB) is a pioneering non-profit organisation mobilising the arts and culture to take action on the climate crisis. Founded by the music industry in 2007 and now working across the arts and culture, JB has partnered with over 2000 organisations in the UK and internationally. Combining cultural and environmental expertise, JB delivers high impact programmes to meet the climate and ecological crisis head-on.
JB supports the arts and culture to: become net zero carbon and restore nature; inspire public action on climate and nature; and champion environmental justice and fairness.
Our work includes research, training, consultancy, and policy development, nationally and internationally. We provide the creative community with the full range of tools, knowledge, and inspiration to act. We run a rich programme of events, projects, advocacy, and campaigns.
Since 2012 JB has been the partner for Arts Council England’s (ACE) environmental programme, when the Arts Council became the first cultural body in the world to make environmental reporting, policies and action plans part of funding agreements.
For our Arts Council England Environmental Programme, JB delivers an ambitious and inspirational programme of activities aimed at building environmental literacy, skills and capacity in the arts sector so that organisations feel confident to act on climate change and reduce their environmental impacts. The new programme, running from April 2023 to
September 2026, will include programmes on climate leadership; Net Zero, and Resilience, alongside climate literacy training; how-to guides, webinars, workshops, training and free access to our carbon calculator tools for the cultural sector. Alongside supporting arts organisations and creative professionals JB also works with the Arts Council to develop their own capacity to lead positive environmental change within the sector.
Our commitment to climate justice underpins our work: The Colour Green Lab: an environmental knowledge and skills programme that supports cultural practitioners and artists of colour to lead environmental action; and our Creative Climate Justice Hub were both initially launched as part of the Arts Council Programme.
This is an exciting time to join a team of 22 employees and additional external associates who, together, represent a unique mix of arts, culture, scientific, environmental and digital expertise.
We encourage people from any background to apply for this post. We are committed to creating a workforce which is representative of our society, and to bringing together those with a variety of skills and experiences to help shape what we do and how we work. We are particularly keen to hear from people of colour and those who self-identify as disabled.
THE OPPORTUNITY
We are looking for an outstanding individual to join the Julie’s Bicycle team as Programme
Manager on our Arts Council England Environmental Programme. This is an exciting opportunity to join an ambitious organisation working at the intersection of culture and climate to drive change. We are looking for a talented, proactive and highly organised manager to take this senior role, which will combine on-the-ground delivery of project sessions and content with work on the project management of the wider programme and deputising for the ACE Programme Lead when required. The ideal candidate will have both a good knowledge of environmental issues and demonstrable understanding of the arts sector.
You will understand the causes and consequences of the climate crisis, and key issues and practical solutions for organisations of different sizes. We are particularly looking for someone who can lead and manage our Net Zero programme - working alongside our specialist energy partner, Pilio, you yourself will have an understanding of energy; decarbonisation and pathways to net zero. You’ll be excited by the challenge of ‘translating’ this understanding to support arts organisations to make change.
You might have a mainly environmental or a mainly cultural background: either way you will recognise that the cultural sector, in taking climate action itself, is uniquely placed to influence and inspire action in others. You will be able to combine strategic thinking and forward planning with day to day on-the-ground delivery in all stages of a project. You will be a strong communicator and confident project manager, you will have a flexible, proactive, solution-focused approach and be excited about joining our small, passionate team.
JOB DESCRIPTION
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Programme Management and Delivery
● Lead delivery of key strands of the Arts Council Environmental Programme including managing the Net Zero strand working with our Technical Delivery partners Pilio.
This programme delivers an engaging programme of support to organisations that are at different stages of their journeys towards achieving new zero energy for buildings. The programme involves building participants' knowledge, confidence and skills in developing net zero pathways, energy management, and guiding preparation and readiness for necessary capital investment projects for low-carbon solutions and retrofitting, as well as peer sharing opportunities and mentoring.
The role includes all aspects of project management: strategic oversight and decision making on programme priorities, planning, driving progress and ensuring evaluation and, leading on design of the facilitation for cohort meetings and other sessions. Making information understandable and easy to action for individuals with varying levels of specialist knowledge is key.
● Involvement in delivery of other ACE programme strands as time allows, and as the role progresses.
● Hands-on delivery including development of information resources and reports for the sector; facilitation and delivery of training (e.g. planning and running webinars and workshops); wider sector support (e.g. consultancy/advisory).
● Responsible for project management of allocated programme strands including planning; resource management; timeline; budget management; managing sub-contractors (where applicable); monitoring and evaluation etc.
Wider ACE Programme
● Work directly with JB’s ACE Programme Lead on overall programme planning.
● Contribute to relationship management with ACE.
● Deputise for the ACE Programme Lead when required.
Communications
● Work proactively with JB’s Communications & marketing team on the communications and marketing strategy for allocated programme strands and the wider ACE programme.
● Where relevant, external advocacy for JB and the ACE programme.
Wider Julie’s Bicycle programme
● Actively participate in wider JB team peer learning - sharing your expertise and learning from others.
● Where time allows, contribute to and collaborate on other JB Programmes.
● Contribute to an inclusive culture of learning; mutual support; problem solving and proactivity.
EXPERIENCE & SKILLS
It can be hard to find the ideal balance of environmental and cultural knowledge for our roles at JB. We are open to what this balance is, so if you are stronger in one or the other area but think you could do the job please still apply, and tell us why the role is right for you.
MUST HAVES:
● Significant professional experience in an environmental sustainability role or a cultural / arts role that has included managing environmental action.
● An environmental qualification or demonstrable knowledge of key sustainability topics (this could include: climate science, energy/carbon management, waste management/circular economy, climate policy, justice, etc.)
● Knowledge of the arts and culture and their role in environmental change
● Good knowledge of net zero approaches and pathways (buildings in particular)
● Experience of leading a variety of projects
● Proven project management and forward planning skills
● Experience of successful partnership working
● Confidence in, and experience of, liaising with a wide range of stakeholders or project participants
● Strong communication skills e.g. designing and facilitating workshops or presenting training or similar, ideally to a non-specialist audience
● Experience of producing written content for a non-specialist audience e.g. reports, guides, and communication materials
● A proactive, flexible approach, and ability to progress work independently in a fast paced environment
● Excellent attention to detail
NICE TO HAVES:
● Experience of supporting business plans for capital investment
● Knowledge of energy use in buildings, building retrofit options and low-carbon technologies
● Direct experience of working in an arts or cultural organisation
● Experience of working with organisations across a range of sustainability expertise i.e. from those starting out to those with strong in-house knowledge. Ability to adjust your approach accordingly
● Experience of undertaking consultation and information gathering with organisations
● Experience in monitoring and evaluating activity
● Experience of communications, marketing and/or advocacy i.e. publicly talking about and promoting a programme or activity
APPLICATION PROCESS
If you’d like to apply, please:
● Complete the application form and the equal opportunities monitoring form found on our website here
Send these to [email protected] by Midday on Wednesday 26th April 2023
We are committed to being an Equal Opportunities Employer; we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, culture, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.
Julie’s Bicycle supports flexible working and this post will be considered for flexible arrangements.
Please note, this post is open to people who already have the right to live and work in the
UK, as Julie’s Bicycle is not currently in a position to sponsor a work visa.
Thank you for your interest in working at Julie’s Bicycle.
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Work from home
Flexible Language Requirement:
- English not required
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
Work Location: Hybrid remote in London
