WHALE Arts – Chief Executive

WHALE Arts is seeking a dynamic Chief Executive to lead the organisation through an exciting new phase of development and ensure that WHALE Arts is the creative heart of a vibrant, thriving community.

The Chief Executive is responsible for WHALE Arts’ strategic and operational development. They will oversee all aspects of WHALE’s programming, building, staff, finances, and ensure the organisation achieves its objectives.

Job Description

Strategic Management
• Develop, implement and monitor strategic and operational plans with the Board of Directors and staff. Ensure these align with local authority and government aims and respond to the assets and aspirations of local people.
• Maintain current and develop new partnerships with community, creative, cultural, and academic partners – including Wester Hailes Community Trust and Living Well Wester Hailes.
• Positively and proactively represent WHALE Arts at local and citywide networks and events.

Financial Management
• Set annual organisational budgets and monitor regularly with Finance Officer.
• Monitor all expenditure and income and ensure staff follow good financial practice.
• Oversee preparation of monthly management accounts and annual audited accounts.

Fundraising
• Secure funding to support the core work of the organisation, including tendering for contracts, establishing service level agreements and social enterprise development.
• Ensure funding objectives are met and good relationships with funders are developed and maintained.
• Support WHALE staff to secure and manage funding for projects and programming.
• Work with the Board to increase income from fundraising and donations.

People Management
• Manage staff team according to set policies and procedures.
• Ensure staff, Board and volunteers receive any necessary training, support and supervision.
• Coordinate team meetings and ensure effective team communication.
• Ensure policies and procedures are complied with and up to date, and develop new policies and procedures required.

Governance
• Recruit and support a voluntary Board of Directors.
• Attend and service all Board meetings and sub-group meetings (where required), preparing papers and reports and ensuring accurate Minutes are taken.
• Set up, attend and service Annual General Meeting and all other general meetings a set out in the Memorandum and Articles.

Reporting
• Coordinate the monitoring and evaluation of all WHALE Arts activity.
• Report on the impact of our work to a range of stakeholders.
• Develop the use of creative evaluation systems and ensure staff are trained and supported to use systems.
• Produce WHALE’s Annual Report and other reports required for OSCR, Companies House, funders and other stakeholders.

Facilities Management
• Ensure facilities management and working practices comply with Health and Safety, Data Protection, Employment and other relevant legislation.
• Maintain effective, efficient and environmental organisational practices.

Programming
• Oversee the development and delivery of a programme of regular and project activities in line with the organisation’s strategic objectives.

Marketing and PR
• Oversee the marketing of the organisation.
• Ensure website and social networking sites are regularly updated.
• Promote the work and maintain the profile of WHALE Arts Agency by attending conferences, making presentations, liaising with Press, Councillors, MSPs etc.

Other Duties

• To be a key holder, opening and securing the building out of office hours when required.
• To comply with relevant WHALE Arts Agency policies.
• To undertake any relevant training in relation to the post.

Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the post-holder may, from time-to-time, be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities. 

Person Specification

Essential Skills:
• Previous experience in a leadership role with an arts or third sector organisation, large scale project or similar.
• Experience and understanding of using arts to address community issues, particularly those faced by people living in areas of deprivation.
• Ability to think and plan strategically and to deliver related operational outcomes.
• Excellent financial management skills, managing budgets up to £350,000.
• Experience in successfully securing and managing funding from government, lottery, trusts and other sources.
• Experience of developing and maintaining partnerships with public bodies, further education and other similar organisations.
• Collaborative leadership of multidiscipline teams.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Experience of monitoring, evaluation and evidencing impact to stakeholders.

Desirable Skills:
• Educated to degree level in arts, education, community work or other relevant qualification.
• Experience of managing a community and/or arts building.
• Knowledge of the arts and community arts sector in Edinburgh.
• An understanding of creative, community-led regeneration.
• Experience of social enterprise development.
• Knowledge of policy developments that impact on communities.

Application Process

Apply by email to info@whalearts.co.uk attaching:

• A covering letter demonstrating how your skills meet the Essential and Desirable criteria of the job description. Cover letters should be no more than 2 pages in length and written in Arial size 11 font.

• An up to date CV detailing relevant education and employment experience.

• Details of two referees, including at least one previous employer.

• A completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring form.

Applications should arrive at WHALE Arts Agency no later than 12:00 (midday) on Monday 12th February.

Interviews will be held on the 22nd and 23rd February 2018.

The successful candidate will be appointed to the role subject to confirmation of PVG Scheme Membership.

Equal Opportunities Monitoring

WHALE Arts Agency is committed to recruiting high quality candidates whose skills and experience are most suited to the job regardless of sex, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religion (or beliefs), marital status, sexual orientation (or perceived sexual orientation), disability, age or political affiliation.

Please complete the Equal Opportunities form enclosed with the application pack. This information is for monitoring purposes only, will be treated as confidential and will not be used in the selection process.

Contact Details

Michelle Herron
Chairperson
WHALE Arts Agency
30 Westburn Grove
Edinburgh
EH14 2SA

0131 458 3267

info@whalearts.co.uk

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WHALE Arts is proud to share a new online resource, the WHALE Arts VHS Archive. WHALE has been collecting VHS tapes since the early 1990s and although the archive is a modest size it features interesting community events, news clips and performances.

The films can be viewed here, via our dedicated webpage or through our YouTube channel.

The tapes were digitized by Chris Dooks in 2017 as part of a larger Heritage Lottery Funded project called Wester Hailes: Your Story, Our Story. The project was managed by Meghan Bidwell, Arts Engagement Manager (Adults). Craig Tyrie, Digital Sentinel, supported the development of the new webpage.

We would welcome the addition of films from local people and partner organizations which feature WHALE Arts or Wester Hailes. Please contact info@whalearts.co.uk if you would like to get in touch about the archive.

WHALE Arts is delighted to announce that for 2018 the Scottish Poetry Library (SPL) will be running a flagship residency project in Wester Hailes in partnership with Open Book. This exciting pilot project has emerged from WHALE’s Creative Connected Community Project supported by the Big Lottery which has a focus on creative placemaking in Wester Hailes. The Creative Connected project aims to engage the different neighbourhoods that make up Wester Hailes in creative activities and workshops, commission public artworks made with and for the community and coordinate community wide events around the 50th anniversary of Wester Hailes in 2019.

The partnership with SPL is an excellent opportunity for the community of Wester Hailes to participate in poetry, creative writing and shared reading activities and explore their environment and place through writing. The project builds on a legacy of poetry written in and about Wester Hailes.

The residency will include taster sessions with local community groups and partners; a four week creative writing block at Wester Hailes Library; and monthly poetry groups at WHALE Arts. Groups and writing workshops will support health and well-being. As well as writing groups we hope to develop an anthology of poetry and prose written by local people, visit the Scottish Poetry Library and hold a community-wide public poetry event.

How can people get involved:
• Our first four week block of poetry and creative writing starts at Wester Hailes Library on 28 February – 21 March 2018, every Wednesday from 11.30am – 1pm. This is a great opportunity to join a friendly group to read, write and share poetry and creative writing. No writing experience is necessary and activities will be suitable for all.
• If you are interested in organizing a taster session with our team of poets please contact Creative Placemaker Helena Barrett on helena@whalearts.co.uk
• The monthly poetry group at WHALE Arts will begin on 28 March 2018 and take place on the last Wednesday of the month there after. Please contact Arts Engagement Manager (Adults) Meghan Bidwell via info@whalearts.co.uk to learn more about this group.

At the WHALE Arts AGM & Christmas Showcase on 21 December 2017 Fabien Merville was presented by WHALE Arts Director Allan Farmer with The Spirit of WHALE Award for his outstanding contribution to the Westburn CAN project.

The award, launched in 2016, is in memory of the contribution WHALE Arts Board Member Doris Brown made to WHALE Arts and the community over many years. The award is presented to volunteers who have demonstrated outstanding creativity and community spirit.

Congratulations to Fabien!

WHALE Arts – Receptionist Administrator
35 hours per week

We are looking for a positive, self-motivated, organised and enthusiastic person with excellent communication and customer service skills to join our team.

This is a key role within the organisation and first point of contact for visitors and participants to WHALE Arts Centre. You will need to be good with people, have first-rate organisational and office administration experience and engaging social media skills.

Main Activities and Key Responsibilities

• To be the first point of contact for in person and telephone enquiries for WHALE Arts Agency and tenants.
• Provide information regarding WHALE services and projects to enquirers.
• Manage central sign in system and sign in monitoring database.
• Operate the telephone exchange and staff message system
• Support the development of the WHALE Arts website including content management.
• Update WHALE Arts’ social media channels.
• Manage WHALE Arts Centre Room Bookings and Venue Hire Calendar.
• Manage incoming and outgoing postal system and info@whale arts e-mail account.
• Support the WHALE Director to ensure health and safety of WHALE Arts Centre users including operating the entry system, drawing attention to hazards, and evacuation in the event of fire.
• Responsible for WHALE administration tasks including mail outs, sign up, communication with participants, completing registers for projects, postage and photocopying records, and staff timesheets.
• Attend and take minutes at WHALE team meetings.
• Update central WHALE registration system and registration database.
• Provide photocopying, franking, laminating and other services for tenants and staff.
• Maintain an electronic finance record of postage and photocopying.
• Complete petty cash and banking procedures.

Facilities

• Provide service for internal and external room bookings including room set-up/clean up, hospitality, access to rooms, signage and a weekly room planner.
• Enable users to access resources and rooms and monitor lending and return of keys and equipment.
• Assist with identifying any building issues requiring attention and action/ source quotes to address these.
• Submit monthly utilities readings.
• Coordinate annual PAT testing visit.
• Arrange contracted maintenance visits (including Lift, Heating, Alarm, Fire Safety, Theatre License)
• Update the building inventory

Other Duties

• To be a key holder, regularly opening and securing the building – including out of office hours on occasion.
• To comply with relevant WHALE Arts Agency policies.
• To undertake any relevant training in relation to the post.

Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the post-holder may, from time-to-time, be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.

Recruitment Details

Essential Skills:
• Excellent customer service skills including telephone skills, dealing with in person enquiries, assisting people with additional needs and dealing with challenging behaviour.
• Displays in-depth knowledge, understanding and demonstrable skills in managing/curating social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and photosharing.
• Operating office equipment especially photocopier, franking machine, laminator.
• Competent with Microsoft Office programmes especially Word and Excel, e-mailing and internet.
• Ability to create and manage computer database systems.
• Ability to create and manage paper filing systems.
• High standard of written and spoken English.
• Basic understanding of Health and Safety issues in community spaces.
• Ability to work in a team and also self-motivate without supervision.
• Excellent timekeeping.
• Excellent communication and people skills.

Desirable Skills:
• Knowledge of local area, community and services.
• Experience of working in a community organisation.
• Experience of dealing with trades/contractors.

Application Process

Apply in writing or by email, enclosing/attaching:
• An up to date CV detailing relevant education and employment experience.
• A covering letter demonstrating how your skills meet the Essential and Desirable Skills criteria of the job description.
• Details of two referees, including at least one previous employer.

Applications should arrive at WHALE Arts Agency no later than 12:00 (midday) on Monday 8th January 2018. Late applications will not be considered.

The successful candidate will be appointed to the role subject to confirmation of PVG Scheme Membership.

Contact Details

Kate Griffin, Learning and Participation Manager
WHALE Arts
30 Westburn Grove,
Edinburgh
EH14 2SA
info@whalearts.co.uk
0131 458 3267

 

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