Access Lead

Job Vacancy: Access Lead (permanent: full-time or 4 days per week)

The Role

We are currently recruiting for an Access Lead to support Hijinx Actors with their professional employment. This is a great opportunity to join this busy and exciting theatre company and make a positive impact.

The Access Lead will manage access related administration, particularly for our learning disabled and autistic artists, ensuring they have the right access support to thrive in their employment as creative professionals.

As part of our administration team, the Access Lead will provide the essential organisational assistance to support access for all our activities and deliver all the associated administrative tasks in an efficient and timely way. You will ensure that all our participants are well supported and be the first point of contact for any access enquiries.

Key responsibilities

Supporting Actor Employment

• Work with Head of Business Development (Casting) to establish access requirements for jobs undertaken by Hijinx Actors outside of Hijinx.
• Working with Head of Business Development (Casting), Hijinx Actors and their families/support to agree contracts and fees and payments for work.
• Source, brief and contract Creative Enablers* to support artists on external creative projects, from audition onwards.
• Arrange logistics, including travel, liaising with Hijinx Actors and their family and support.
• Ensure Hijinx Artist access requirements are met for working on external productions.
• Ensure that access requirements are met for all Hijinx Actors taking part in internal projects.
• Work with wider team and industry partners in recruiting and training freelance Creative Enablers.
• Monitor and evaluate projects to ensure best practice in the support of Hijinx Actors.
• Support Artists to create, and regularly review, their Access Requirements/Riders.

Self-Employment Administration

• Manage the process Access to Work (A2W) claims to Hijinx for artists and staff, working with Hijinx Actors, their family/support and the wider Hijinx team.
• Manage new applications or renewal applications for A2W grants for artists.
• Support our artists to complete permitted work forms (PW1) in relation to supported employment.
• Support our artists and their families to register as self-employed and complete self-assessments where relevant.
• Support and advocate for Hijinx Artists at occasional external meetings related to finance, benefits or Hijinx grants, such as a job-centre meetings.
• Work closely with our learning disabled and autistic artists, and their legal appointees if appropriate, to support Universal Credit or Employment Support Allowance claims and reporting.
• Support our artists in the transition to Universal Credit, in relation to their work with Hijinx.

Finance

• Manage all invoices for and with our Hijinx Actors, working with the wider team and our Administrator and Finance Manager to ensure timely payment for artists.
• Ensure any personal financial information relating to our Hijinx Artists is stored systematically and securely in line with GDPR.
• Present financial and other information to Hijinx Artists in a clear and accessible format (Easy Read training will be provided).

Welsh Language, EDI & Sustainability

• Champion and promote the equitable use of the Welsh language in all our communications.
• Work with colleagues across the organisations to deliver against our strategic equalities plans and ensure our work is accessible and inclusive.
• In line with our Sustainability Policy, develop and adjust work to adhere to sustainability principles and the Theatre Green Book.

Other

• Stay aware (as far as is reasonable) changes to the benefits system that may impact our Hijinx Actors (training will be provided).
• Represent Hijinx to external stakeholders and positively promote the organisation at all levels.
• Participate in any internal or external training and development provided by the charity.
• Be vigilant for Hijinx Actors safeguarding, welfare and wellbeing and report any significant issues, or concerns to Academy Director / Head of Pawb (Safeguarding Leads) following our safeguarding procedure (Safeguarding training will be provided).
• Remain up to date with and ensure compliance with Hijinx policies and procedures, particularly those concerning Actor and freelance workers safety, well-being, and safeguarding.

Line Manager: Head of Business Development (Casting) / Finance Manager

Contract: Permanent role (6 months’ probation)

Hours: Full-time (37.5 hours / week) or Part-time (30 hours / week) with some evening and weekend commitments for which time off in lieu is given

Based at: Hijinx Office, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay – hybrid working available

Salary: £27,000 per annum (Full-time) or £21,600 per annum (Part-time)

Holiday: 25 days per annum + statutory bank holidays (pro rata for part-time)

Diversity & Equality

If you have any accessibility requirements, require any other reasonable adjustments, or require the role information in a different format, please contact us on hr@hijinx.org.uk

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

As part of our commitment to increase the diversity of our workforce at Hijinx, we provide a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to applicants who are under-represented on our team.

You can ask to be considered under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme if you are a person of the Global Majority or if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. Providing that you meet the essential criteria for the role, which is stated in the role specification, you will be invited for interview. Your guaranteed interview application will only be shared with Hijinx’s HR team and the recruiting manager.

If you would like to be considered under the scheme, please indicate this in your covering letter.

Name free recruitment

Hijinx operates name-free recruitment. The recruiting panel will not see personal information such as a candidate’s name and address during the shortlisting process.

Interview questions

To ensure our interview process is accessible to the widest candidate pool, we provide all candidates with interview format and questions in advance.

Application Process

If you think you are a good fit for the role and would like to apply, please send us:

• A current CV telling us about you – and why you feel you are the right person for the role, ensuring you highlight any relevant experience, skills and qualifications. Please send this as a Word document.
• A covering letter of no more than two sides – telling us why you are the right candidate and how you would approach the responsibilities of the role. Please send as Word document.
• A completed Diversity Monitoring Form – to be completed online here – please confirm in your covering letter that you have completed this form.

Applications should be sent to hr@hijinx.org.uk by the closing date.

Applications will close at midnight on 17/01/24. Interviews will be scheduled for the week commencing 29/01/24.

Find out more on our website.