We are the national development agency for creativity and culture. We champion creativity and culture across the country, develop talent in every corner of the nation, and support artists, practitioners and cultural organisations to work in partnership and to be world-leading.
Our Strategy for 2020-2030, Let’s Create, is an invitation to those who share our beliefs to come together and create new opportunities for every person in England to get creative and enjoy brilliant culture.
We believe creativity and culture not only inspire us, but they bring us together and teach us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, they make life better. From 2023 to 2026 we will invest over £467 million of public money from Government and an estimated £250 million from The National Lottery each year to help support the sector and to deliver our strategic vision.
We support combined arts, dance, literature, music, theatre and visual art, as well as museums and libraries. Through a range of funds, we provide short and long-term investment for individual artists and arts projects, arts organisations, museums, galleries and libraries.
Alongside investing in arts and culture, we also have a vital role in developing its availability, relevance and sustainability across England.
Our Structure
The Arts Council is made up of around 600 enthusiastic, expert and dedicated staff members. We are led by our National Council – a non-executive board with overall responsibility for the governance of the organisation. This is supported by five Area Councils in London, the South East, South West, Midlands and the North.
The diagram below provides an outline of our organisational structure as it relates to the role of Area Director, North.
How We Work
We use the skills and expertise of our staff to guide investment and development work to deliver these aims. This includes working with individuals and organisations across the creative and cultural sector to support their artistic work, encourage their professional and organisational development, help them to reach new audiences and create diversity in their creative output and workforce.
On the public stage, we will advocate for the value of creativity for all adults and children, raising awareness of how the work of arts organisations, museums and libraries is intrinsic to our happiness, wellbeing and the shared life of our communities. We also champion the remarkable contribution of the arts and creative industries to our economy.
In recent years we have enjoyed significant successes. We have worked closely with the creative and cultural sector to increase its resilience and diversity; we have increased funding outside London and have helped the arts to lead regeneration in towns and cities across England.
Our ground-breaking programmes such as Creative People and Places are now involving many people who don’t usually engage with culture.
While much remains to be done, Arts Council England is in a good position to move forward. We are leaner, more transparent and accountable, and we enjoy positive relationships both with the arts and cultural sector and our funders in government.
At the heart of our new Strategy is the belief that creativity and culture make lives better, empowering people to realise their potential. To make this happen, we need our own organisation to have people with skills, bold ideas and diverse perspectives – people of vision and empathy who can both lead and learn.
Does this sound like you? Then we’d encourage you to read on to the job description and find out more about the skills we’re looking for.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We believe that England’s rich and varied cultural identity can and should be reflected through the arts, increasing understanding and enhancing lives. It’s important that our staff reflect the communities we serve. However you identify, and whatever background you bring with you, we welcome you to apply for a role at Arts Council.
If there are any adjustments that would help support you in your application, please do let us know when you apply. If you are disabled Evenbreak are able to provide support with your application, for further information please visit their website here.
Disabled, D/deaf and/or neurodivergent people and those from Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse backgrounds are underrepresented in our workforce so we particularly encourage applications from people in these groups.
If you are disabled and your application meets the minimum criteria for the post, we guarantee you an interview. This role is also eligible for a similar scheme Arts Council England are piloting for Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse applicants to guarantee access to our first stage of selection if you meet the minimum criteria.
Staff Benefits
We offer our staff a number of formal and informal benefits, including
Wellbeing Support: Our internal wellbeing strategy launched in 2021, and colleagues have access to a range of resources to support their wellbeing including:
- Unmind: a workplace mental health platform.
- Employee Assistance Programme: a confidential 24/7 telephone counselling service which offers impartial external advice and support on personal, legal, financial and line management issues, plus up to six counselling sessions per year.
- A fully trained team of internal Mental Health First Aiders.
Annual Leave: 25 days, plus bank holidays and an additional three days leave at Christmas. All staff also earn one additional leave day per full year of service (up to five days) and we offer a scheme to buy and sell annual leave. We offer generous sick pay, paid maternity, paternity and adoptive parental leave, as well as up to five days a year for personal and religious reasons.
Flexible and Hybrid Working: Where possible, we accommodate working from home, compressed or part-time hours, job shares and other arrangements to help you balance work and home life. We encourage individuals and teams to work flexibly and smartly, providing portable devices and technology so they can work and stay in touch while at home, travelling or otherwise out of the office.
Learning and Development: We invest in the growth and development of all our staff, including professional qualifications, in-house and external training courses, conferences, e-learning and more. We encourage individuals and teams to keep learning and developing – as a gold standard Investor in People, we provide flexible and adaptable learning and development opportunities for staff at all levels.
Pension Scheme and Life Assurance: The Arts Council retirement plan is a final salary scheme with contributions on a sliding scale. All staff members are automatically provided with life assurance cover.
Relocation Support: Newly appointed staff who need to move residence are eligible to apply for up to £5,000 support.
Shopping Discounts: Exclusive savings on high street and online shops, holidays, cinema tickets, gym membership, dining out and more.
Travel Loans: Interest-free loans for travel season tickets, as well as bicycle, car and motorbike loans for those who regularly use them for commuting.
Please note that we are currently consulting on our Staff Code of Ethics and changes which will avoid conflicts of interest. The changes would mean that employees of the Arts Council would not be able to receive an Arts Council grant, investment or loan funding – either in person, as a member of a partnership, or for any organisation they own. There are also limitations on board or CEO positions employees can hold in organisations we fund. For more information on this, please talk to the recruiting manager