Villages in Action, Job Opportunity: Part-time Project Co-ordinator, funding and advocacy

The Villages in Action rural touring scheme, run by Carn to Cove, is looking to recruit a:

Part-time Project Co-ordinator, funding and advocacy

Closing date: Friday 6th December

0.4fte, fixed term contract until August 2021. This may be extended if further funding is raised

Responsible to: Carn to Cove Project Director

Start date     Week beginning 6^th January 2020           

Office base:   Exeter Northcott Theatre (the postholder will have flexibility on days and some travel by car and unsocial hours will be required)

The employer for this post is Creative Kernow, Cornwall’s leading creative sector support organisation.

Creative Kernow runs a number of projects in Cornwall, with the key ones being Krowji, the creative workspace cluster in Redruth; the Carn to Cove rural touring scheme; the Cornwall 365 listings and cultural tourism project; the European funded Cultivator skills and business programme; Screen Cornwall and the FEAST community arts programme.

This post supports the Carn to Cove team to programme two seasons per year of live performances throughout southern Devon as part of the Locomotor project, delivered in partnership with Villages in Action.

Villages in Action has been promoting the arts in rural south Devon  for over 25 years and offers a ‘menu’ of high quality arts performances to a network of volunteer promoters who pick from the choice of events for their village halls and community centres. See http://www.villagesinaction.co.uk for further information on the rural touring scheme, which covers the local authority areas of Mid, East, South and West Devon, Teignbridge and South Hams.

Roles and responsibilities

• Further development and widening of audiences in existing partner villages, and supporting new membership
• Developing relationships with established and emerging artists who are active in the rural touring sector
• Developing relationships with key arts organisations
• Developing relationships with non-arts organisations to widen the role of the arts in rural communities and market and coastal towns in southern Devon (e.g. heritage, environmental, wellbeing agencies)
• Supporting and developing  relationships with current funders
• Identifying opportunities for additional funding streams, including Trusts & Foundations, commissioning opportunities
• Supporting the development of other options as part of the wider Locomotor project (including digital innovations, Hub and Spoke model, Made in Devon)
• Working with the Project Director and ViA Trustees to ensure long term sustainability of the Villages in Action scheme.

The post holder will need to work in Devon with scattered, mainly rural, communities and stakeholders, so needs to be able to travel independently.

Additional tasks

• Work with line manager to identify and attend training, networking and events appropriate for the development of the role and the organisation.
• Assist in the evaluation of the programme

This is not an exhaustive list of duties and you may be required to carry out other tasks in accordance with the needs of the organisation. You will need to be flexible and adaptable in respect of your role.

Person Specification

Please note that only candidates who can demonstrate that they can meet all the essential criteria will be shortlisted

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Successful fundraising experience
• Excellent communication skills with a range of different audiences
• High level of computer literacy, particularly in use of Word and Excel
• Ability to use social media platforms effectively for marketing
• Experience of administering Arts Council England funded projects
• Attention to detail and the ability to produce accurate and well-presented written documents
• Ability to organise information efficiently using both paper systems and information technology
• Experience of dealing effectively with customer enquiries

Desirable

• Experience of using Access database software
• Ability to initiate and set up office systems
• Familiarity with basic business bookkeeping systems and simple management accounts

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Flexible, adaptable, able to work on own initiative, with a positive can-do attitude
• An interest in creativity and an appetite to learn more
• An ability to work to tight deadlines as part of a small team
• Good interpersonal, communication and customer service skills, including an effective telephone manner
• Very well organised with excellent time management skills; reliable and with the ability to self-motivate
• Sensitivity and discretion in the workplace
• Full valid driving licence and access to a vehicle for business use
• Own IT equipment

Key conditions of work

Contract             Permanent contract, but please note that the funding for this project is expected to run until the end of August 2021

Pay        In the range £23,500 to £25,000 fte, dependent on skills and experience

Pensions            Creative Kernow will automatically enrol you into The People’s Pension if you are aged at least 22 but you are under State Pension age and you are earning more than £10,000 a year (£833 per month).

If you don’t meet these criteria on appointment but you do meet them at a later date, we will automatically enrol you into the scheme then.

If you are eligible to join, Creative Kernow will contribute 3% of your salary.  More details about the scheme are available on request.

Holidays             4 weeks a year rising to 5 weeks over 5 years plus bank holidays

Hours   15 hours per week (0.4 x 37.5 hours fte). There is scope for flexible working in consultation with your line manager. From time to time staff will be required to work unsociable hours. A TOIL system operates rather than payment of overtime.

Probationary period                     There will be a standard six month probationary period

Equality and Diversity

Creative Kernow is committed to equality of opportunity in employment practices and the provision of services and expects that its policy will be supported by everyone in the organisation. We are committed to making every effort to find and grow diverse talent for our workforce.