Summary of Post

This exciting new project is supported by a steering group made up of local stakeholders including: Wester Hailes Community Trust, Living Well Wester Hailes, WHALE Arts, Edinburgh Napier University, About Youth, The Youth Agency, The Health Agency, City of Edinburgh Council, Prospect Community Housing and the Scottish Government.

Job Title: Place Vision Lead

Accountable to: The steering group on behalf of the Wester Hailes community.

Personnel responsible for: Community Researchers

Location: Throughout the seven distinct districts of Wester Hailes, in a significant outreach and detached work capacity, with an administrative base at WHALE Arts Centre. There will also be some work taking place at Edinburgh Napier University (three campuses across Edinburgh).

Hours of Work: 35 hours per week worked flexibly to meet the demands of the post, including evenings and weekends where required – can be less than 5 days per week, no fewer than 3 days per week and open to secondments and job-share proposals.

Contract Length: Fixed term contract February 2020 – May 2020

Salary: £24,193 (full-time on a pro-rata basis) – post can be paid on payroll or as a freelancer

This project complements and builds on existing place-making activity in Wester Hailes, building on current momentum in this area to develop a Local Place Plan. It will also introduce an innovative collaboration of academic and community researchers.

As both an overarching idea and a hands-on approach for improving a neighbourhood, city, or region, placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community. Strengthening the connection between people and the places they share, placemaking refers to a collaborative process by which we can shape our public realm in order to maximize shared value. More than just promoting better urban design, placemaking facilitates creative patterns of use, paying particular attention to the physical, cultural, and social identities that define a place and support its ongoing evolution.

With community-based participation at its centre, an effective placemaking process capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, and it results in the creation of quality public spaces that contribute to people’s health, happiness, and wellbeing.

https://www.pps.org/article/what-is-placemaking

The goals of the project include:

• Developing anew framework for including community members as partners in research
• Creating a ‘knowledge playground’ for community members and academics to learn together
• Supporting the development of a ‘place-scape’ of Wester Hailes through arts practice, developed by community members
• Supporting the Wester Hailes community to produce its Local Place Plan
• Providing seed-funding for community and/or academic participants to create their own responses to the project

The role of Place Vision Lead is pivotal to the success of this project. The postholder will work with local residents in the different neighbourhoods of Wester Hailes to recruit and coordinate a small team of community researchers, collaborate with academic researchers at Edinburgh Napier University and create a range of events and resources which will deliver a lasting, transformational, community-led change for the area.

This is a four month project which follows on from work carried out by local organisations, residents along with City of Edinburgh Council and from the work carried out with the community by Ian Gilzean, Chief Architect at Scottish Government, who is currently seconded to City of Edinburgh Council to start to help lay the foundations for a Local Place Plan for Wester Hailes.

Main Activities and Key Responsibilities

• Recruit, manage and support a small team of community researchers
• Manage and deliver activities and events in Wester Hailes (both regular and on a more ad hoc basis)
• Create and maintain partnership opportunities with local community organisations, public bodies, Edinburgh Napier University and other partners
• Coordinate with Edinburgh Napier University Public Engagement team to develop training for both community and academic researchers, and to be aware of the wider research and public engagement activity in the project
• Collect and analyse data with community researchers
• Monitor and evaluate public participation in Place activity, and support evaluation activity
• Ensure the views, assets and aspirations of local people underpin all aspects of the project.
• Develop and manage a range of volunteer opportunities
• Ensure a legacy of best practice and sustained community participation, maintaining consistent and regular communication with the community, ensuring a two-way dialogue
• Consider how this project could be sustainable in the future
• Ensure all project funding requirements are met, reports completed and effective communication maintained with funders

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.

Essential skills

Minimum 3 years experience in:

• Conceiving and delivering community development projects
  • Managing the development and delivery of creative projects and programmes.
  • Successful partnership working with a range of stakeholders.
  • Project management including managing budgets, monitoring and evaluation, recruitment and management of staff and volunteers.
  • Community engagement and community event management.
  • Supporting volunteers in creative or community settings.
• A commitment to and understanding of the importance of community-led development.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, able to work without supervision and as part of a team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable Skills

• Experience of Placemaking processes within an urban environment.
• Knowledge of Wester Hailes community, local organisations and services.
• Experience of working in or with a university or similar organisation
• Experience of using digital technologies in placemaking, community development or research    

Application Process:

Apply 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 – no more than 2 pages.
• Details of two referees, including at least one previous employer.

Applications should be submitted no later than 13:00 on Thursday 23 January 2020.

Late applications will not be considered. Please send applications to info@whalearts.co.uk.

Interviews will be held at WHALE Arts on Thursday 30 January 2020.

The successful candidate will be appointment 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.

Place-Vision-Lead-JD-Final

Enquiries can be made to:

Dawn Smith, Edinburgh Napier University, dawn.smith@napier.ac.uk, 0131 4553354

Leah Black, Chief Executive, WHALE Arts Agency, 30 Westburn Grove, Edinburgh, EH14 2SA

0131 458 3267, info@whalearts.co.uk