Strategy & Development Lead

Location

Yorkshire | United Kingdom

Job description

Chol Theatre

Contributing as both a thinker and motivated self-starter, you’ll ensure Chol’s efficient operation and sustainable growth. Your focus on diversifying income streams and identifying fundraising opportunities will extend across the entire programme, allowing you to oversee, streamline, and contribute to the strategic development of projects. Chol was recently successful in becoming one of Arts Council England’s (ACE) National Portfolio Organisations (NPO), securing regular funding until March 2026.

Now, in this significant phase of growth and development, we seek an individual with strong financial, administrative, and people skills to join us. Beyond overseeing efficient operations, your role will be instrumental in navigating transformative changes and sustaining a robust company. Our staff well-being is a priority and as a member of the Chol-Operative, you will share responsibility for maintaining a positive workplace culture within a radical company structure.

If you are passionate about Chol’s ethos and mission and want to be part of our growth in this exciting phase, we would love you to consider the role of Chol-Operative Strategy & Development Lead.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Vision and Development:

• Support strategic growth by developing and implementing a 5-year plan in collaboration with the Chol-Operative and Board of Trustees, focusing on the cornerstones of Chol’s work and financial sustainability
• Maintain an overview of the programme delivery and the company development to support the Chol-Operative to run ‘smarter not harder’
• Identify and nurture strong, effective relationships with key local and national partners
• Identify and pursue development opportunities for the company both nationally and internationally
• Stay informed about new sector developments and opportunities to keep Chol’s work contemporary and relevant, ensuring that our cultural outputs have a distinctive style and content based on our values

Finance and Fundraising:

• Setting company and project budgets in collaboration with project leads
• Work with the Finance Officer to manage the financial well-being of the charity, quarterly management accounts and cash flows
• Oversee and take responsibility for fundraising and diversifying income streams including bid writing and securing grants
• Provide timely and accurate financial reports to the Board and funders

Operations and Governance:

• Regularly updating risk register, collecting data and monitoring information and completing quarterly reports required by ACE for NPO funding and other funders
• Ensure GDPR and statutory compliance for the company
• Prepare agendas, schedule and attend board meetings, and record and distribute minutes
• Work alongside the Strive Lead to review, update and implement company policies in engaging and radical ways, keeping Chol values at the core of operations

Person Specification

Essential:

• Belief in and commitment to Chol’s programme and mission
• Proven success in strengthening creative organisations and their programmes
• Passionate about collaboration and the opportunity to work within the Chol-Operative company structure
• A demonstrable commitment to anti-racism, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion
• An openness to learn with humility from both successes and failures
• Organisational and administrative skills, including financial management and timely reporting
• Experience in successful bid writing, securing grants, and diversifying income streams
• Effective and adaptable oral and written communication skills
• Strong networking and relationship-building skills

Desirable:

• Have existing relationships with major trusts and foundations
• Clear understanding of the financial challenges and opportunities facing small arts organisations and charities
• Experience in working in charitable organisations
• Knowledge of relevant networks across the Yorkshire region
• An understanding of the role of communications and marketing within an organisation
• Experience of using research and evaluation to drive change in the arts sector
• Understanding and experience of HR, contracting, data protection, and governance
• We are an equal opportunities employer and we know that diversity strengthens and enriches us. We positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates of all ages and from all backgrounds, in particular from global majority backgrounds and disabled candidates who are currently under-represented in this industry.

Job Details

Contract and Renumeration

Start Date: April 2024
Contract: An initial 1 year contract is offered for this part time role of 3 days a week (22.5 hours a week). Days to be worked will be agreed to meet the needs of Chol and the employee.
Salary: The annual salary is £32,500 FTE (£19,500 pro rata) (flat Chol-Operative rate).
Pension: The postholder will be enrolled into Chol’s company pension scheme (NEST) after successfully completing an initial probationary period of 3 months. Chol makes employer contributions at the current statutory minimum rate of 3% with employee contributions of 5%.
Holiday: The full time holiday allowance is 30 days including all bank holidays. For this part time role, the annual allowance is 18 days including bank holiday.
Location: All members of the Chol-Operative are supported to work flexibly. We encourage a mix of remote and in-person working. The Chol-Operative usually meet in person twice a month, mainly in Huddersfield or Sheffield.

Application Process

Please submit your CV and a short response to the following 3 questions:

• How do you feel about working within the Chol-Operative company structure?
• How do your personal and professional values and interests connect with Chol’s mission and programme of work?
• What will your skills and experiences bring to the role of Strategy and Development Lead and to Chol? Your response to these questions can be written (no more than 1 side of A4) or in the form of a digital presentation (no more than five slides).

Application Timeline

Application opens: Wednesday 14th February 2024
Application deadline: Monday 11th March 2024
Interview dates: Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st March 2024 Start date: Week commencing Monday 15th April
Please submit your application to[email protected]
If you are thinking of applying and would like an informal discussion with a member of the team before making an application please contact Vicky to arrange a call.

Job tags

Salary

£32.5k per annum