Manchester Jewish Museum exterior, image by James Houston

JOB DESCRIPTION: CREATIVE PRODUCER – ADULTS (PARENTAL LEAVE COVER) Salary: £25,000Contract Type: Fixed term - 12 months Parental Leave Cover Hours: 35 hours per week, some unsociable hoursAccountable to: Head of ProgrammesAccountable for: Volunteers (programming for adult audiences)

ABOUT USManchester Jewish Museum is common ground; a hospitable place that makes connections by showing and sharing universal experiences through the stories of one culture. We are a place to experience and explore how we are different, together. We connect Jewish stories to the world and to our society to explore both our differences and similarities, and to celebrate that which makes people unique and that which connects us all.

In doing so we look to spark reaction and change and to make real the knowledge that there is more that binds us together than separates us. We boldly explore and combine educational, cultural and artistic experiences to

Manchester Jewish Museum is a company limited by guarantee · Registered in England.Company No. 8370403 · Registered Charity No. 1154353 · VAT registration No. 177 7230 85 · Accredited Museum No. 179.

encourage those with whom we come into contact to feel and believe that we are all better together.

We make connections to make things better.

We are the only Jewish museum in the UK outside London. Our collection has been described as one of the most outstanding Jewish collections in Europe, with over 30,000 objects, documents, photographs and oral histories charting the growth of Manchester’s diverse Jewish communities, a city with the second largest Jewish population in the UK.

Since becoming one of the Arts Council’s National Portfolio Organisations in 2018 we have grown our team to deliver new and innovative programming which has resulted in a wide range of artists and communities working with us to produce a diverse portfolio of work. We have now an established network of over 100 artists from across the UK.

Described by Arts Council England as “brave and ambitious” our programming is having a real impact, helping people connect closer to our collection and to one another. Applying the ‘scratch’ process to our work helps us connect even closer to our audiences. Scratch is an iterative process, where we test out ideas on a small scale, ask for feedback, then test again, helping future proof our work. Whilst we have been in lockdown, our work has continued through a season of digital trailblazer events, helping us grow and diversify our audiences ahead of this summer’s re-opening.

We are reopening on Friday 2 July. Following a £6million redevelopment our new museum includes a new gallery, café, shop and learning studio & kitchen as well as complete restoration of our stunning 1874 synagogue featuring an installation by Turner Prize-winning artist Laure Prouvost as part of a collaboration with Manchester International Festival.

This summer’s re-opening will mark a bold and ambitious new chapter for the museum and centres around making connections and finding common ground to make positive change. As such, it is an exciting time for the successful candidate to join a team with big plans and a positive agenda. This is based on our brand values of:

Imagination: we are creative, playful and daring; we open minds and generate energy Bravery: our ambitions are motivated by development, growth and change; we are open-minded Belonging: we actively celebrate diversity, and we promote acceptance Impact: our mission is to be relevant, useful and to make an impact; on audiences, neighbourhood, our sector and on society

‘Feast' 2019, image by Grant Archer

ROLEThe fundamental aim of the role is to take the lead in the production of original and innovative work for adults that reflects the museum’s vision, values and programming themes; and for embedding the scratch process across the organisation.

Working as part of the programming team you will support the development and delivery of our core strategic aims: Becoming a more diverse and inclusive organisation; Creating bold, ambitious and innovative work; Establishing ourselves as a place for research and creative learning; Supporting and growing our museum community; Reducing our environmental impact; Building a resilient business model.

What we need you to do

As a small team, we all lead on certain areas and support on others – planning and budgeting, press & PR, audience research, evaluation, social media, database management, etc. This role will lead on all areas of adult programming with the following responsibilities:

Audience development and engagement

To contribute to the transformation of the museum’s audiences, brand and profile, focussing on community, creativity and diversity, with storytelling at its heart, so that it is relevant to existing, new and diverse audiences locally and regionally through:

Leading on the development and delivery of programming for adults, scratching new ways of working whereby artists and audiences help in-form programming decisions

Supporting data collection and analysis to capture impact of programming on adult audiences

Supporting the museum’s marketing & communications strategy, produ-cing content and embedding marcomms in the development and delivery of programming for adult audiences

Delivering externally funded projects to ensure that objectives and targets are met

Programming ambitions

To be a vital part of the development of the innovative scratch programme, so that all programming explores stories of journeys, communities and identities, past and present; and collaborative, creative working processes are embedded across the organisation, through:

Working with Head of Programmes to devise, manage and deliver a high quality, innovative and risk-taking programme for adult audiences

Supporting a diverse network of local and national artists; project managing their involvement in museum programming and working with museum staff to focus their work around our collection, our building and our diverse local communities.

Collaborating closely with Creative Producer (Children & Young People), Curator and artists network

Building and maintaining relationships with learning institutions and other arts organisations, sharing best practice and exploring opportunities for partnership working

Working with Chief Executive and Head of Programmes to embed collabor-ative, creative working processes (such as Scratch) across the organisa-tion.

Working with staff and volunteers across the organisation to ensure pro-gramming for all audiences embodies the quality principles of originality, excellence and risk.

Attending performances, cultural events and participatory activities at other venues and institutions, and in doing so maintain knowledge of ground-breaking programming for adult audiences.

Resilience and entrepreneurship

To support the strengthening of the museum’s future financial stability through:

Supporting the development and delivery of an innovative and effective fundraising strategy; identifying and applying for funding opportunities relating to programming for adults

Capturing and interpreting evaluation data in line with the museum’s eval-uation framework

Managing delegated budgets and ensuring all work is completed within agreed time and financial constraints

Working with Finance & Administration Manager to complete all administrative tasks relating to programming for adults

Supporting the development of effective strategic relationships with stake-holders and funders, including the development of collaborations and part-nerships to maximise income

Supporting the implementation of the business plan so that there is effect-ive evaluation, monitoring and reporting on key performance indicators.

Organisational Change & Governance

To support the creation of a flexible and empowered organisation so that the contribution of staff and volunteers is maximised through:

Championing the vision for the creative scratch approach so that all staff, volunteers and trustees are engaged

Working effectively within a small team, attending staff meetings, contributing ideas, offering colleagues support and helping with the general upkeep of the museum site

Delivering key-holder responsibilities, including opening-up in mornings, closing in evenings, and setting alarms

To promote equal opportunities so that there is equality of access in the workplace and in delivering services

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FORESSENTIALExperience• Extensive experience of planning, managing and delivering a diverse events and activity programme within an arts, heritage or cultural setting. • Proven experience of project managing the work of artists, particularly in a participatory context. • Demonstrable experience of first-hand facilitation of creative activities for a diverse range of participants. • Significant experience of working with culturally diverse communities.• Experience of collecting and interpreting evaluation data.

Skills• Strong organisational skills with proven experience of managing budgets and working to time constraints in a high-pressure, rapidly changing environment. • Warm, open and confident with strong communication skills and a demonstrable ability to work successfully with a wide range of people - staff, volunteers, artists, funders, partner organisations, audiences etc. • An enthusiastic, energetic and pro-active team player.

• A commitment to ‘get stuck in’ and make things happen in a small museum with very big ambitions. • A proven self-starter with the drive and determination to take advantage of the opportunities for development that come with this exciting role.• Computer literate with significant experience in the use of common PC software such as Outlook, Word and Excel.

Knowledge• Passionate about arts and culture, committed to the values of the museum and driven by a desire to reach new audiences. • Strong understanding of collaborative creative working processes, particularly iterative processes such as Scratch. • Ability to work some evenings and weekends. • Strongly committed to diversity, access and inclusion.

DESIRABLE• Existing network of arts, culture and heritage contacts, with a particular focus on Manchester and the North. • Experience of working in partnership with a broad range of arts and culture organisations.• Proven ability to successfully raise funds, experience of writing bids and good understanding of the arts funding landscape. • Experience of working with volunteers. • Experience of training or mentoring others. • Experience of working in an organisation going through change. • Experience of CRM / ticketing systems

WHAT NOW?Deadline for applications by email: 9am Monday 5th July

Send your CV with a cover note of no more than 2 sides of A4, detailing why you want this role and to work with us at Manchester Jewish Museum and why you are a good fit for the position, drawing on the job requirements and person specification.

Email your application along with completed Equal Opportunities monitoring form to gareth@manchesterjewishmuseum.com . Any queries can be made to the same contact (Gareth Redston, Head of Programmes).

We will notify shortlisted candidates as soon as possible. First interviews will be held on Thursday 15th July, if needed, second interviews will take place on Thursday 22nd July.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

We pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive organisation, actively celebrating diversity and promoting acceptance and inclusivity. We value the benefits that diverse perspectives bring to our team and practise. We recognise we currently under-represent black people, people of colour, people with disabilities and those with intersecting identities in our team. We also seek to include self-identifying Jewish representation across our team. We are actively working to address this and encourage applicants from these identities and are committed to positive policies to promote equal opportunity in the development and growth of the museum industry.

While the successful candidate will be selected purely on merit, in the event of a tie between two candidates with equal experience, we may select a candidate who helps us better represent the communities the museum serves.