Chief Executive Officer Full Time

MAIN LOCATION: Contact and some homeworking but may be required to work at other venues as required.

RESPONSIBLE TO: Board of Trustees

RESPONSIBLE FOR: All departments

WORKS WITH: Senior Management Team, Wider staff team, Partner Organisations and Creatives, Freelance Staff, and external stakeholders (including donors, funders, government agencies and the public).

HOURS: Full Time (100:80:100 trial ongoing)

STATUS: Permanent

CLOSING DATE: 14th October 2024

This is an exciting time for Contact following period of change and consolidation since reopening our building in 2021. Contact is truly a values led charity and is committed to our Vision and Mission. From our vibrant sustainable building we work with communities, artists and audiences to create impact across Greater Manchester and beyond with young people at the heart of everything we do. We want our CEO to champion young people, their voices and centre them in decision making.

The last few years have been challenging for the arts and charity sectors and despite this, Contact has continued to deliver for our participants and audiences throughout. These challenges have been financial, political and global and are felt across the world. Contact has now addressed the immediate financial challenges and seeks a CEO to build on the consolidation work and take Contact into its next iteration, serving diverse young people and audiences.

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE

Contact is looking for a Chief Executive Officer to oversee and lead the arts organisation and charity. The Chief Executive Officer will be responsible for developing and implementing the strategy to lead Contact into its next iteration, maintaining a culture in which the organisation can fulfil its mission to change the face of UK Culture, uphold our values and maintain economic sustainability.

You will provide effective leadership of Contact and all its operations including financial, creative and operational sustainability and promote the work we do to the outside world. A brilliant communicator, you will enjoy presenting Contact’s life-changing impact to the world, representing Contact alongside young people. You will develop and maintain a caring culture in which the organisation can fulfil its mission and uphold its values, tirelessly championing youth voice, artistic excellence, equality, diversity and environmental sustainability.

MAIN TASKS

Leadership

• Work with young people directly to be an effective advocate for their role in the arts.
• Provide inspiring leadership to a strong diverse staff team reflective of Manchester’s communities, creating a working environment where employees work together as one team and can flourish and develop
• Work with the Senior Management Team to create and implement effective strategic business plans for the company that fulfil its mission and ambition, backed up by effective resourcing. The business plan should be progressive, forward-thinking, sustainable and move Contact forward into its next iteration.
• Further embed a company-wide culture of anti-racism, accessibility and inclusion, collaboration and creativity in relationships with partners, artists, young people and communities
• Develop an entrepreneurial culture to diversify the income stream of the organisation
• Create a strong national and international presence
• Be an inspirational and inclusive Chief Executive Officer.
• Inspire a high performing Senior Management Team and support and guide them to manage their teams to the highest possible standard ensuring each team has effective and clear plans, budgets and deliverables in place.
• Ensure that Contact’s management structure and staff responsibilities are appropriate for the effective delivery of the company’s strategic and artistic plans and goals.
• To lead organisational change and development to ensure that Contact is agile and able to adapt to the changing financial and economic climates
• Establish clear and achievable annual budgets in line with the company’s vision and procedures and ensure effective financial monitoring.
• To provide inspirational and supportive leadership for your direct reports & the wider staff team, ensuring that they remain highly motivated and empowered to develop within their roles.
• Ensure clear and effective communication of Contact’s vision, mission and plans internally and externally.

Strategic Relations

• Play a leading role in the development of new relationships with partners and funders across sectors nationally and internationally ensuring Contact’s profile. Create new and more diverse income sources, funding opportunities and profile-raising opportunities.
• Work with the Board and the Senior Management Team to create a new strategy to deliver transformational change and provide an operations plan to detail how this will be delivered.
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with key partners, including Arts Council England, Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, University of Manchester, business partners, sponsors and donors and other stakeholders, ensuring that the impact of Contact’s work is effectively reported and communicated.
• Proactively develop creative and strategic partnerships and networks regionally, nationally and internationally which will further the aims and interests of Contact.
• Promote, advocate and lobby for the work of Contact, acting as ambassador and raising Contact’s profile with key decision-makers, the press and the public in the UK and internationally.
• Advocate for Contact’s young governance model, supporting other organisations and bodies to incorporate best practice

Governance and Operations

• Actively commit to Contact’s Equal Opportunities policy and Contact’s Safeguarding of Young People policy.
• In line with Contact’s governance model, pro-actively engage young people in decision-making through consultations, young people’s panels and other mechanisms relevant to your job role
• To ensure the organisation is well-governed in accordance with the delegations of authority delivered from the Board.
• Set, manage, control and report on all budgets, delegating budgetary authority where appropriate.
• To continually monitor, evaluate results, manage risks and when required, re-evaluate the business plan in collaboration with Senior Management Team, Board and staff.
• To advise and report regularly on activity as required by the Board and sub-boards, supplying any data required to meet funder reporting requirements.
• Review & manage all third-party contracts
• To ensure all personal data is managed in line with the General Data Protection Regulations, using the Spektrix database as directed.
• Undertake any other duties that may be reasonably required in connection with the position.

Key Experience

ESSENTIAL

Working with artists and young people

• A proven commitment to working with young people aged 13-30, supporting their development and engaging with them creatively and organisationally.
• A strong understanding of participatory arts, co-creation and the role of arts organisations in their local communities.
• A demonstrable commitment to improving access and inclusion across all areas of the organisation’s activity and programme.

Organisational skills

• Experience of developing and implementing a dynamic organisational vision with effective leadership and strategic planning skills, ideally including experience of leading or jointly leading a turnaround strategy.
• An approachable, effective communicator with the ability to inspire and motivate.
• Demonstrated knowledge of financial planning and an ability to interpret financial information.
• Experience and understanding of team and staff management, with an ability to motivate, inspire and get the best from a diverse range of people.
• Experience of engaging with funding bodies such as Arts Council England, local government, trusts and foundations.
• Experience of proactively developing partnerships with companies, community groups and organisations in and beyond the arts.
• Evidence of creating an environment which results in developing new talent, ideas and audiences
• Evidence of being able to adapt and manage change, being able to make bold choices and prioritise when required
• Proven commitment to equal opportunities practice, anti-racism and safeguarding.

DESIRABLE

• Experience of working in a cultural building, with a proven understanding of organisational management.
• Knowledge of the use of digital technology in performance and programming, and how technology can contribute to the audience and participatory experience.
• An entrepreneurial approach to identifying and exploiting new income generating opportunities.
• Experience of being able to manage organisational change
• Knowledge and experience of national and international theatre and arts, particularly in relation to young people.

C1EO