• Based at The Octagon Theatre & Westlands Entertainment Venue, Yeovil
• Fixed Term position in line with current Arts Council England funding
• Full time position but open to part time working requests

The Octagon Theatre’s Arts Engagement & Outreach service is principally funded by Arts Council England as one of their National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) and Somerset Council.

The Octagon’s Arts Engagement & Outreach service deliver programmes and activities that benefit health and wellbeing, enrich learning and education in and outside school that inspires and celebrates talent. Creating work that supports local artists and tells ‘local stories’, seeking to improve inclusion and remove barriers, so that everyone is able to enjoy and benefit from the creative arts.

The aim is to unleash creativity, connect our communities, improve access to the arts and nurture talent here in Somerset and across the South West.

We currently have a vacancy for enthusiastic and motivated individual who is resilient, have excellent creative, administrative and communication skills and a natural problem solver to join our small, high profile Arts Engagement & Outreach team at The Octagon & Westlands.

We’re working to improve the lives of residents of all ages and abilities in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that. Your day-to-day work will involve:

• Developing the Octagon Theatre and Westlands Entertainment Venue as cultural hubs and supporting the Creative Learning & Education, Participation, Arts for Health & Wellbeing, Programme & Commissioning, and Talent Development & Artist Support programmes across Somerset, with schemes to improve inclusion and remove geographical, social, economic, physical and psychological barriers to access.
• Lead on the development, planning, facilitation and delivery of our Creative Learning, Education & Participation programmes at The Octagon Theatre & Westlands Entertainment Venue and in our Creative Hubs across South Somerset.
• Develop, implement, monitor and evaluate Arts Engagement & Outreach service programmes and deliver the Arts Engagement & Outreach Strategy (2022-2032) and the Somerset Council Cultural Strategy.
• Develop partnerships and collaborate with a rich network of artists, creatives, facilitators, practitioners, teachers, regional and national arts organisations and companies to programme enrichment opportunities as appropriate.

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:

• Experience supporting development and delivery of arts based projects and participatory programmes.
• Experience of working with artists, practitioners and facilitators.
• Experience of working with funding bodies and of fundraising and philanthropy practices.
• Educated to A Level standard or equivalent or qualified by strong relevant experience.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

The salary range for this role is £27,711 -£31,067 per annum for 37 hours per week. Involves weekend working

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Katherine Hoskins, Arts Engagement & Outreach Manager, on 01935 462415 or by email at Katherine.hoskins@somerset.gov.uk

If you have everything you need, just hit the apply button. We can’t wait to hear from you!

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