Job Description and HOW TO APPLY
Marketing + Communications Lead INTRODUCTION

You will be passionate about the performing arts, and like working in a small, vibrant, committed
team of like-minded professionals. Ideally, you’ll live in Dumfries & Galloway or have a significant knowledge of and connection with our beautiful region. You’ll have most, if not all, of the skills and experience we’re looking for.

You will work as an integral part of the team which delivers the many and varied elements of our year-round programmes and activities and the ways in which we promote, support and nurture artists living and working in Dumfries & Galloway.

You will enjoy the variety of work, you’ll like facing challenges and be good at finding solutions, you’ll be respected and valued for what you do, and you’ll be part of a lively and welcoming regionwide performing arts community.

Working with the rest of our team, you will lead on:

  • The further evolution and development of the organisation’s marketing aims and objectives and their delivery.
  • Further development and content creation for the organisation’s websites, keeping them up to date with events, opportunities and news.
  • Oversight and delivery of the organisation’s social media channels, focusing on a social impact strategy to highlight the impact of the work that we do and effectively tell our story.
  • The creation and delivery of the Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival brochure, promotional assets, and marketing strategy for event’s promotion.
  • Content capturing of live events throughout the year across the organisation’s online platforms.
  • The creation and delivery of regular newsletters and e-marketing emails, as well as the monitoring and regular updating of the organisation’s mailing databases.
  • Collating and shaping marketing content from performing artists and companies and partner organisations to inform the creation of promotional material.
  • Liaising with local partners and media outlets to maximise promotional opportunities across all projects throughout Dumfries & Galloway.
  • Writing materials for and liaising with press, media and broadcast outlets across Dumfries & Galloway and national outlets.
  • Preparing reports about promotional activities to create useful insights about our key demographics to inform future marketing strategies.
  • Developing further your knowledge and understanding through research of marketing and social media trends and challenges, to enhance your work for our organisation.

On occasion, as an equal member of our small team, you will support the front of house delivery of festival and year-round events and activities.

 

Marketing + Communications Lead WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
  • A passion for the performing arts, especially in rural locations and with rural communities
  • The abilities, aptitude and desire to fulfil this position’s tasks responsibilities
  • If you show us through previous work and experience that you have sufficient practical skills, expertise and experience, relevant qualifications are a bonus but not essential
  • Good writing and communication skills
  • Good analytic and numerical skills
  • Good knowledge of, facility with and confidence in using online administrative tools – Word, Excel, Mailchimp etc – and a good understanding of data protection principles and practice
  • Proven ability and willingness to learn new skills
  • Proven ability to work unsupervised with professionalism and confidence
  • Proven multi-tasking skills, effective time-management abilities and, ideally, experience and expertise in helping ensure a wide variety of tasks and deadlines are met promptly and professionally across various programme and activity streams
  • A keen eye for detail and strong organisational skills and experience
  • Ideally, you live in Dumfries & Galloway, and / or have a strong connection and/or professional working knowledge and experience of the region
  • A current driving licence.

 

 

Marketing + Communications Lead THE DETAILS

Salary: £25,000 – £27,000 FTE, pro rata £15,000 – £61,200. We operate a PAYE payroll, provided by McFadden Associates, CA.

Employment type: Permanent.

Place of work: Loreburn Hall, Newall Terrace, Dumfries DG1 1 LN.

Pension: Auto-enrolment, with a 3% employer’s contribution.

Statutory benefits / Annual leave: 20 days, inclusive of public holidays. Sick leave, and maternity and paternity pay rates, are agreed at current legal minimum levels.

Hours of work: 28 hours per week, excluding unpaid breaks, one hour per seven hours day. Our core hours are 10.00am to 6.00pm, Monday – Friday.

Our staff team operates a flexible hybrid working system which blends remote working with regular face to face meetings and interactions.

Ideally, the successful candidate will live in Dumfries & Galloway. However, if you are the right candidate, this is not essential if you if you were able to meet and work with the rest of our team in the office for at least one day each week.

On regular occasions, particularly during our festivals, staff are required to work additional evening and weekend hours to deliver events and activities. When this occurs, employees are entitled to time off in lieu (toil). We do not pay overtime.

Probation period: Three months.

Notice period: Two months.

Our staff team is made up of: (Simon Hart – Director & CEO; Liam Russell – Creative Producer; Melissa Mitchell – Administrator + Finance Lead), and the many artists, companies, venues and organisations we work with, both regionally and nationally.

 

Marketing + Communications Lead RECRUITMENT

To apply, please send us a covering letter (no more than two sides of A4) along with your current CV, telling us why you would like to work with us and what professional skills and experience, as well as personal strengths and skills, you would bring to the position and our organisation, to: simon@artsdg.org.uk  

We welcome applications in alternative formats, such as BSL, braille, sound or video recording, or transcribed by telephone. Please contact us if you are considering making an application in this way, we will work with you to make this process as straightforward for you as possible.

We especially encourage applications from applicants who face marginalisation, including D/deaf people, those with disablements both seen and unseen, LGBTQIA+ people, women, people of colour, working-class, and people from any related background or identity. If you feel you are often excluded from opportunities, we would like to hear from you and support you.

After the applications’ deadline date has passed (please see below), all applications will be circulated to our selection panel of three, which will consist of Simon Hart, (Director & CEO), Liam Russell (Creative Producer) and one of Arts D&G’s trustees.

The selection panel will meet to review applications, draw up a shortlist and invite candidates to attend an interview, ideally face-to-face at the Loreburn Hall, Dumfries. We will cover all travel costs for shortlisted applicants. However, if for legitimate reasons you cannot come to Dumfries and we would really like to meet you, we will schedule an online interview.

Shortlisted candidates will not be required to make any presentations or provide information additional to that provided in their application and CV. You will be asked a series of questions about your skills, expertise and experience which we will provide you with on the Tuesday before the interview.

 

Deadline for applications:                                Monday 7th September, 12.00pm.

Shortlisted candidates informed by:              Tuesday 8th September, 10.00am.

Interviews:                                                             Friday 11th September.

Decision announced:                                         Monday 14th September, 10.00am.

Successful candidate to start:                        Monday 12th October.

If you would like to discuss the position further before applying, please contact Simon Hart, our Director and CEO: simon@dgartsfestival.org.uk