MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR RECRUITMENT PACK

Transcription

1 MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR RECRUITMENT PACK JANUARY 2018 An opportunity to shape the marketing and communications strategy of one of the UK s most exciting artistic and social programmes Image: Kim Noble, You re Not Alone

2 1. WHO WE ARE SICK! Festival confronts the physical, mental and social challenges that we face in our individual and collective lives. We deliver an outstanding international arts programme, weaving in perspectives from research, clinical practitioners, public health professionals, charities and those with lived experience of issues addressed culminating in a high-profile, biennial international festival. Themes are explored through many art forms dance, theatre, public installation and through lectures and debates. SICK! takes the conversation into the heart of the communities where the subjects matter most and to major cultural centres. We provide a common space where differing perspectives and voices, academic, personal, creative and clinical, come together in shared exploration and understanding. The issues we examine are difficult: sexuality, identity, mental illness, ageing, death the very stuff of being human. They are also deeply personal and all too often kept away from public debate. We exist to change that. In 2015, SICK! Festival won the prestigious EFFE Festivals Award, a prestigious accolade rewarding the 12 most outstanding European festivals from a pool of 760. The award reflects the organisation s quality, innovation and international reputation as a leader in the arts, health and well-being. In April 2018, SICK! Festival will join the national portfolio of Arts Council England. This represents a step change for us, both in artistic ambition and organisational capacity. SICK! Festival team is led by Helen Medland (CEO and Artistic Director), Ralph Kennedy (Executive Director) and Tim Harrison (Creative Director). We are a small, high-performing team, working across multiple areas. The Marketing and Communications Director will be a key member of this team. A ground breaking festival tackling the challenges of life and death in innovative ways. The Stage Manchester is made to feel better The Mancunion

3 2. PURPOSE OF THE ROLE The Marketing and Communications Director will lead all areas of marketing, communications and audience development, creating and developing strategy as well as ensuring successful delivery. The over-arching aim of the role is to build on recent successes by developing our brand, establishing SICK! as a leader in the local, national and international cultural calendar. This will require building the festival s profile regionally, nationally and internationally, and attracting new, larger and more diverse audiences to the festivals in 2019 and It also requires the development of our digital audiences, with SICK! committed to launching a new raft of digital work (SICK! Radio) at the festival in To achieve all of this the post-holder will need an agile and committed approach to the complex themes the festival addresses, our partnerships and the communities we work with. The post-holder will be expected to shape, own and deliver a marketing and communications strategy that: Builds the SICK! brand and cements our reputation as a leading cultural player regionally and nationally Develops and grows our audiences, including those that are hard to engage, audiences in specific project and programme locations, and digital audiences Facilitates the smooth day-to-day running of the marketing and communications function, including its budget, resources, and creative outputs 3. PERSON SPECIFICATION We are looking for a person with that special mix of wisdom and energy, an appetite for risk balanced with attention to detail, and the ability to think big while working in a small, tightly focused team. The postholder will need a flexible, hands-on approach, one minute managing our website and social media, the next pitching to the senior decision makers. A minimum of five years experience of marketing or communications in the arts, health, voluntary or creative media sector is likely to be needed to undertake the role. Experience In-depth experience of developing audiences (or equivalent in other sectors), using metrics and data insights to achieve and exceed targets (E) A digital native, with demonstrable experience of content creation and communications via social media to build and engage with communities, both public and professional (E)

4 Hands-on experience of using CMS systems (E) Financially astute and analytical with a proven track record of developing and managing budgets (E) Track record of driving change, fostering a culture of ideas and innovation, and instilling new thinking among colleagues (E) Experience of developing tender documents and decision-making on the use of external agencies, consultants and suppliers, particularly around digital (E) Track record of running successful PR and media campaigns (D) Knowledge of Manchester s cultural offer and venues (D) Knowledge of Manchester s health services and voluntary sector (D) Skills Exceptional communications, interpersonal and consultative skills and the proven ability to build relationships, securing buy-in and building credibility at the most senior levels (E) A flair for creativity, ideas and spotting opportunities, and confidence and ability to express and develop them (E) Ability to prioritise and deliver high quality work with minimum supervision; able to multi-task under pressure and bring people with you on key decisions (E) Exceptional problem-solving skills, with a good mix of evidence-based decisions balanced with pragmatism, flexibility and common-sense (E) CIM qualified (D) Proficient in Adobe CS (D) 4. DETAILS AND CONDITIONS Title: Contract: Based: Salary: Accountable to: Responsible for: Hours of duty Holidays Marketing and Communications Director Permanent with a six-month probation period Manchester 35,000 p/a Artistic Director Marketing Interns Marketing and PR Freelancers Agency contracts 37.5 hours per week, occasionally in the evening and at weekends 25 days per year, plus bank holidays

5 5. HOW TO APPLY Send your CV, a completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form (downloadable from the website) and a covering letter of no more than 1,000 words to ralph@sickfestival.com. Your covering letter should explain why you want to work with us and how you will meet the objectives of the role. Deadline for applications is 9am on Monday 5 February 2018 Shortlisted candidates will be contacted on Wednesday 7 February 2018 Interviews will be held in Manchester on Monday 12 February 2018