soho theatre & walthamstow granada head of creative engagement

An outstanding opportunity for a passionate creative leader

Closing Date: Tuesday 1st September at 12 noon

Interviews: Week commencing 7th September

Reports to: Creative Director

Line manages: Creative Learning Producer Community Engagement Officer (new role) Assistant (new role) Project specific freelancers

Works closely with: Head of Comedy & programming team Touring Producer General Manager (Walthamstow) Food and Beverage Director

Purpose of the Job: • To develop the Creative Engagement strategy with Soho Theatre’s Creative Director and Executive Director and lead on its implementation. • To take an active role in establishing the new Walthamstow Granada (opening in 2022) as a ‘local theatre with a national profile’.

Location: London

Salary: £45,000-£50,000

job summary

the candidate

This is a period of huge excitement and importance for Soho Theatre, a time in which we will be broadening the work that we create and the audiences that we connect with.

This additional new venue in Walthamstow has been made possible by a grassroots community campaign and £25m investment from Waltham Forest Council, winners of the inaugural London Borough of Culture in 2019. It is part of a broader vision for Soho Theatre’s strategic growth which encompasses its Dean Street venue and acclaimed festival programme, a fast-growing digital arm, increased UK and international touring with particular links to India and Australia.

This is a newly created role to lead on creating a pioneering participation programme at the new Walthamstow Granada. It will be part of Soho Theatre’s senior team, also leading creative engagement and community projects across all of Soho Theatre’s activities.

The successful candidate will be an outstanding individual with the right balance of skills and experience to lead on the development of Soho Theatre’s Creative Engagement strategy and all aspects of its implementation. Passionate about the value of participatory arts and committed to local community engagement, they will be able to demonstrate a track record of working with diverse communities, developing relevant cultural education and building inclusion.

The post-holder will report to Soho Theatre’s Creative Director and manage a small team providing leadership and a clear focus for the development and delivery of an excellent Creative Engagement programme in Waltham Forest and surrounding boroughs. The right candidate will be a good communicator and networker and able to cultivate contacts at different levels within the local area, across London, and nationally.

the role

soho theatre

walthamstow granada

Soho Theatre’s mission is to produce new work, to discover and nurture new writers and artists and to target and develop new audiences. We produce new plays, work with groundbreaking comedians and present the best new and emerging theatre companies.

Our creative work pursues excellence, harnessing an artistic spirit that is based in our new writing roots, inclusivity and being welcoming to all. We work with artists and performers representing different communities, cultures and backgrounds. Our work takes many forms, drawing on the radical ethos of the fringe and the traditions of punk culture and queer performance. We champion voices that challenge from outside of the mainstream, and also some that poke out from within. We identify and nurture new talent through commissions, awards and schemes, and we broaden access through participation.

Our unique festival programme makes us distinctive: we have nurtured shows like Fleabag that draw from theatre and comedy; our audiences are more diverse in age, background and outlook. We commission new writers and we produce new plays. In comedy and cabaret, we identify, develop and produce exciting new talents and present some of the biggest international stars.

We work beyond Soho bringing artists to and from the world’s major creative festivals like the Edinburgh Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival and tour performances across the UK and internationally with strong connections to India, Australia and the US. We have developed a digital wing which has filmed our own comedy shows licensed for UK television and onto international airlines with a dedicated British Airways channel. Our own digital download site, Soho Theatre On Demand is available throughout the world hosting our best recorded theatre, comedy and cabaret.

Soho’s board is chaired by Dame Heather Rabbatts DBE, Mark Godfrey is Executive Director and David Luff is Creative Director.

The new Walthamstow Granada will be a local theatre with a national profile, a venue rooted in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, reflecting its rich local heritage and acting as a cultural hub inhabited by the local community and offering a wide range of participation and engagement activities. The Walthamstow Granada will also fill a vital gap on the London cultural scene for a 950 seat theatre dedicated to a world-class comedy programme, alongside a wide and eclectic programme of panto, music, performance and screenings.

The vision for the Walthamstow Granada has developed over many years, emerging from a grassroots campaign to save the venue through to a deep and successful partnership with the London Borough of Waltham Forest. As a local theatre, the Walthamstow Granada will be rooted in its community; approachable and accessible, we will create transformative opportunities for young people to develop valuable life skills, work in partnership with local schools, and provide intergenerational participation activities and access for the whole community.

In our beautiful and iconic venue, we will build on Waltham Forest’s legacy of a hugely successful inaugural London Borough of Culture Festival and provide our local community with a new and vital cultural hub and a world class participation programme.

job description: responsibilities

Purpose of the Job:

• To develop the Creative Engagement strategy with Soho Theatre’s Creative Director and Executive Director and lead on its implementation. • To take an active role in establishing the new Walthamstow Granada (opening in 2022) as a ‘local theatre with a national profile’.

Strategic planning

• Develop a dynamic and inclusive Creative Engagement strategy, that is responsive to the needs of local people and delivers high quality experiences and outcomes. • Ensure that Soho Theatre develops a world class reputation for collaborative and participatory work ranging from borough-wide community projects, co-created theatre productions and intergenerational heritage programmes. • Develop innovative creative engagement programmes across all our sites and stages, in schools and community centres and on tour, and online. • Take responsibility for planning and delivering the Creative Engagement strategy across both Dean Street and Walthamstow sites and elsewhere, taking into account existing programmes (e.g. Soho Labs led by the Creative Learning Producer) and devising new ones. Local Advocacy

• Develop a profile for Soho Theatre’s Creative Engagement work within the borough, a good working knowledge of other activity and dialogue with communities and key players. • Build strong and strategic relationships with appropriate funding bodies. • Become a part of local culture and regeneration networks, identifying or devising opportunities for Soho Theatre to lead on or support local cultural and community activity. • Act as a local advocate for the social and economic value of the arts and culture, especially in the context of regeneration. • Build on the legacy of Waltham Forest’s inaugural Borough of Culture programme in 2019.

Management

• Lead and develop the Creative Engagement Strategy. • Prepare reports for the Board of Trustees, funding bodies and any sub-committees or stakeholders as required. • Develop a culture of research, evaluation and impact that will underpin all projects and programmes delivered by the Creative Engagement team. • Fulfil the role of Designated Safeguarding Officer and report regularly to the Executive Team and the Trustees with responsibility for Safeguarding, including ensuring compliance with Soho Theatre’s Safeguarding Policy at all times. • Deputise for the Creative Director as required. • Attend and participate in external meetings across the creative and cultural sector to ensure that Soho Theatre is aware of best practice.

Continued.

Financial Management, Contracts and Administration

• Be responsible for working within annual and project budgets with support from the finance team. • Work closely with the General Manager (Walthamstow Granada), to prepare contracts/templates for any part-time and/or freelance staff delivering the Creative Engagement programme.

General

• Work with the Executive Team and Head of Finance & Administration to champion Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) across Soho Theatre’s programmes and activity. • Be fully aware of Soho Theatre’s programme/events (across both venues) at all times. • Comply with Soho Theatre’s Health & Safety Policy and statutory regulations.

This is a guide to the nature of the work required of the Head of Creative Engagement. It is not wholly comprehensive or restrictive and many be reviewed with the post-holder and the line manager, from time to time.

job description: person specification

The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate evidence of the following experience, knowledge and skills:

Essential Skills and Experience

• Demonstrable (or transferable) experience of leading inclusive creative engagement work. • Understanding of broader local and national policies around access and inclusion. • Excellent project management skills, and experience of delivering impact through programmes. • Demonstrable experience in leading on the monitoring and evaluation of creative learning and community projects. • Excellent communication skills (written and oral), the ability to confidently promote Soho Theatre’s vision for its participation programmes in Waltham Forest and in Soho. • Understanding of and adherence to best practice in health and safety, safeguarding and GDPR requirements in participatory arts. • Commitment to audience development and outreach, and delivering excellence through dynamic creative learning programmes from early years to adults. • Experience of managing a team of permanent staff and regular freelancers.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Enthusiasm for growing arts in Waltham Forest. • Previous development of effective partnerships with regional authorities e.g city/region mayors, Local Enterprise Partnerships etc. and/or other public bodies such as local health trusts and universities. • Facilitation, negotiation and mediation skills, with the ability to help others realise their potential.

Personal Attributes:

• Enthusiastic, energetic, dynamic. • Collaborative by nature, with the ability to manage and bring out the best in a team. • A strong commitment to promoting and broadening Equality, Diversity, Inclusion policies and practices. • Resilient, with the ability to cope with pressure and high expectations. • Passionate about the arts, culture and community engagement. • Excited at the opportunity to shape a brand new area of work in Walthamstow for Soho Theatre.

terms and conditions

Job Title: Head of Creative Engagement

Responsible to: Creative Director

Responsible for: Creative Learning Producer Community Engagement Officer (new role) Assistant (new role) Project specific freelancers

Key working relationships: Head of Comedy & programming team Touring Producer General Manager (Walthamstow) Food and Beverage Director

Contract type: Permanent. This is envisaged as a full time role however we are open to part time and job share proposals.

Hours: Full time – 40. This job will require evening and weekend working.

Salary: £45,000-£50,000

Holidays: 20 days plus Bank Holidays, rising to 25 days plus Bank Holidays after one full year of employment.

Pension: Soho Theatre operates an auto-enrolment pension scheme. This is at the rate of 3% from the employer and 5% from the employee on qualifying (banded) earnings. The Government will pay in 1% of qualifying earnings, which is tax relief. If you have made other arrangements, there is the option to opt out altogether.

Benefits: • Complimentary tickets for Soho Theatre and Walthamstow Granada productions

• Season Ticket and Cycle to Work loan schemes

• Training and development opportunities

• Discount at Soho Theatre Bars and other local businesses

• Seasonal flu jabs

Probationary period: Six months

Notice period: Three months

Location: This role will be primarily based in Waltham Forest, London but will require some time in Soho and elsewhere.

application details

Closing date: Tuesday 1st September at 12 noon

Interviews: It is intended that first interviews will be held in the week commencing 7th September via Zoom, and second interviews in the week commencing 14th September in person. Please tell us in your covering letter if you are not available during that fortnight.

Start date: To be jointly agreed (dependent on relocation needs/existing commitments).

To apply: Please send a covering letter (no more than two pages) setting out how your experience and skills match the requirements of this role at Soho Theatre. Tell us what you will bring to the job, and your reasons for applying. We will shortlist for the position based on how you respond to the job description and person specification.

Please enclose your CV, details of two referees (who will not be contacted prior to interview) and complete an equal opportunities monitoring survey by clicking on this link. Please email your appliaction to jobs@sohotheatre.com with the subject line HoCE2020.

If you are interested in finding out more about this opportunity, please contact Shreela Ghosh for a confidential conversation on ghoshresearch1@gmail.com

We will contact every candidate, whether they are shortlisted for interview or not.

Soho Theatre is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to working towards a more diverse cultural sector. Our recruitment process is open to all, but we are particularly keen to hear from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and / or disabled candidates, as these groups are currently underrepresented in our teams. All disabled candidates who demonstrate that they meet the person specification will be invited for an interview, and we are committed to meeting access requirements; just let us know what you need. Please let us know if you require this Job Pack in a different format by calling 020 7478 0127 or by email to rose@sohotheatre.com.

Data Protection. The information you provide will be used to create a shortlist for interviews and to inform our decision of who to appoint. All your details will be held securely, and access limited only to those involved in the recruitment process. Your application will be kept on file for at least three months after the closing date and destroyed no later than twelve months after.

Recruitment equal ops data is also anonymised and used internally to identify ways to improve our process and reach the widest possible pool of candidates. Submission of your application to us indicates your consent to your data being used in this manner.