Arts Manager Wales
British Council Pay band: 7
Salary: £30,839
Location: Cardiff (successful candidate will be required to work in the Cardiff office at least twice a week)
Department: International Operations
Contract type: Indefinite (permanent)
Closing Date: 5th January 2025
You must have the legal right to work in Wales at the time of application.
There is no relocation or sponsorship support.
British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service. This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview.
Role purpose
The Arts Manager delivers a diverse portfolio of Arts and Creative Industry programmes funded by British Council grant, other partners or client-funders. They will implement activities in Wales delivered through the Arts four global programmes: Culture Connects, Spotlights on Culture, Creative Economy and Arts Responds to Global Challenges.
They will work with a small team in Wales led by Head of Arts, Wales and reporting to Country Director Wales and will manage sector partner and stakeholder relationships. They will also build relationships with their peers in Wales and across the global arts network, collaborating on global programme.
They will work with the Head of Arts, Wales, project funders and project partners to develop and deliver effective, high quality arts partnership projects, ensuring that our arts programme is aligned with British Council, Welsh Government and arts sector priorities in Wales.
The Role
Over the last 25 years, devolution has taken decision making and accountability closer to the people of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. In addition to our strategic alignment with FCDO and HMG priorities, we are committed to supporting the relevant international ambitions of elected Governments in Cardiff, Belfast and Edinburgh. We factor all of this in at beginning of the choices we make, the value we seek to create and the partnerships we build.
The British Council plays an important a role in showing an imaginative and exciting vision of the United Kingdom and its four nations (and the diversity within them, and commonalities across them) to the world, through our commitment to Working for the Whole of the UK.
Our constitutional arrangements are under stress and there are challenges to the Union. Leaving the EU and COVID-19 have accentuated strains in relationships between the four Governments of the United Kingdom, which are made up of different political complexions, with no sign of that changing in the near future.
Accountabilities/Responsibilities:
Sector/subject expertise
- Uses their own knowledge of Wales’ arts and creative industries, intelligence and insight from other sector partners, to support the implementation of global arts programmes that meet the specific needs of Wales, while also providing value to international as well as wider UK arts and creative industry organisations.
- Through ongoing relationships with Global arts colleagues, builds and maintains good understanding of Wales’ arts and creative industry sector priorities as well as key international and wider UK priorities.
- Identifies opportunities for Wales’ Arts sector to work in and collaborate with peers internationally.
- Contributes to briefings on the arts and creative industries in Wales.
- Represents British Council in Wales as a recognised, credible authority in arts and the creative industries to external stakeholders and audiences.
Leadership & management
- Manages Arts activities day-to-day ensuring global standards on programme and contract management are achieved.
- Ensures effective financial management and compliance: manages and delivers to target, budgets, profitability, timelines, and to corporate quality standards in all areas.
- Is responsible for assuring quality and impact, as well as managing issues and risks relating to programme grants, partner agreements and supplier contracts.
- Provides specialist input and design to ensure activities under the Arts global programmes are relevant to the arts and creative industry sectors in Wales.
- Reports monitoring, evaluation and learning against Cultural Engagement’s Strategy 2025 and FCDO key performance indicators.
- Actively works across the matrix in the Arts network, collaborating with colleagues on programmes, while promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Uses digital platforms and technological advancements to improve efficiency, impact and quality of activity design and delivery.
- Incorporates specific actions to address equality, diversity and inclusion priorities in programme delivery
- Manages arts initiatives, which actively drive forward the British Council’s anti-racism action plan.
Strategy and/or planning
- Contributes to planning process for Wales’ arts portfolio.
- Supports the development of internal relationships across UKR and Cultural Engagement to ensure that Wales’ strategic objectives are aligned, understood and achieved
- Considers the role of digital products, services and channels in optimising the impact and sustainability of the portfolio, working with regional marketing and digital colleagues.
Relationship & Stakeholders
- Maintains partner relationships relevant to the Arts, and wider cultural sectors in Wales, to maintain an excellent understanding of relevant themes and issues in the arts and creative industries. Uses this insight to identify new opportunities and partnerships for British Council Wales.
- Coordinates and builds a broad, diverse and dynamic network of key creative and cultural sector representatives in Wales, including artists, creative professionals, creative hubs, arts organisations, arts advocacy groups, intermediary and sector bodies, etc.
- Builds and maintains the sector institutional relationships that will help open doors for artistic collaboration, cultural exchange and creative economy work.
- Represents and communicates about British Council Wales and Global Arts programmes.
- Represents British Council Wales at relevant external and internal meetings, deputising for Head of Arts, Wales as required.
Brand and market positioning
- Promotes the diversity of Wales’ arts and creative industries sector overseas.
- Contributes to the development of internal and external communications materials to highlight impactful stories from Wales’ arts portfolio.
- Supports the maintenance, expansion and monitoring of PR campaigns including digital, working with British Council Wales team and Communications.
- Manages the calendar of all arts events in/for Wales in collaboration with all partners and stakeholders, project events.
- Ensures that British Council Wales’ reputation for quality and as a valued not-for-profit partner remains high and contributes to our organisational mission of building trust between Wales and other countries.
- Works closely with colleagues in UKR and Cultural Engagement to feed market/customer insights into the programme development planning cycle, to ensure British Council Wales’ offer is market relevant for Wales and consistent with the British Council, Welsh Government and FCDO objectives.
- Works with Head of Arts, Wales and Communications to ensure the Wales arts programme is effectively promoted, marketed and communicated across media, including on British Council website, print and digital in Wales, UK and in appropriate international markets.
Programme management
- Works to ensure activities under the Arts global programmes are tailored to the specific needs of Wales, through collaboration with UKR/Cultural Engagement /overseas colleagues.
- Manages and coordinates arts projects and programmes for British Council Wales including, where relevant, project design and delivery.
- Manages the finances of arts projects and activity including financial and resource planning on accounting platform SAP, month-end financial monitoring and reporting, raising POs and managing external funding where relevant.
- Manages procurement, grants and contract development/management, including due diligence.
- Manages and timetables partner, advisory and steering group meetings, administering agendas, coordinating meetings and providing minutes and reports.
- Responsible for tracking and managing project/programme evaluation; data collection and reporting against British Council and partner impact targets; and project/programme management reporting.
- Manages issues with internal and external partners and stakeholders and escalates them when necessary.
- Holds delivery partners, team members and consultants to account for agreed deliverables.
Requirements of the role:
Minimum/Essential
- Relevant undergraduate degree or equivalent professional experience
- Good understanding of the arts & creative industries and arts policy in Wales
- At least 3 years’ experience of working in the arts and/or creative industries sector
- Experience of managing arts projects and liaison with multiple stakeholders and partners
- Active and up-to-date network of diverse arts sector contacts in Wales
- Ability to communicate effectively to diverse audiences, including verbal, written and presentation skills.
- Active commitment to EDI
Desirable
- Ability to communicate (speak and write) effectively in Welsh or willingness to learn.
- Experience of working on projects between the UK and other countries
- Experience of digitals tools, platforms, digital event planning, management and delivery ensuring that all corporate standards are met
- Experience of building partnerships, networking
