The Old Vic

Responsible to: Director, Old Vic New Voices

Department/Team: Old Vic New Voices

Location: The Old Vic, 103 The Cut, London, SE1 8NB and

The Old Vic Workrooms, 16 Drummond Rd, Bermondsey SE16 4EE

Hours: 9.30am – 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, with some additional hours on weekends and during the evening from time to time

Salary: Circa £34,000 per annum (depending on experience)

Duration:9 month fixed term maternity cover (with a potential 3 month extension)

The Old Vic

The Old Vic has been a landmark theatre in London and the home of great productions for nearly 200 years. In its dazzling history, The Old Vic has been home not only to great acting but also to dance, musical extravaganzas, vaudeville and spectacle. This diverse heritage is a big part of our new Artistic Director Matthew Warchus’ inspiration going forward as his goal is to program invigorating seasons which are, by turns, surprising, smart, adventurous and fun.

As important as our work on stage, our dynamic outreach programme Old Vic New Voices has been integral to The Old Vic’s success and it has a thriving future ahead. Through Old Vic New Voices we support young actors, directors, writers and producers to learn their craft; we invest in groundbreaking programmes in schools to raise aspiration among young people; and we use theatre skills to work with charities and local organisations to enable those in the community to participate in what we do.

The Team

The Old Vic New Voices team is led by the Director and also includes the Stage Business Coordinator, the Community Coordinator (p/t) and the Old Vic New Voices intern. This team is also supported by a network of freelance artists and administrators.

Purpose of Job

As Head of Education & Community you will take lead responsibility for the creation, administration and development of education and community projects at The Old Vic. These projects will serve particular strategic objectives as defined in The Old Vic Business Plan. You will lead on the delivery of specific projects such as Schools Club, a group of 40 schools selected each year to take part in workshops and free tickets to shows; and The Old Vic Community Company, a diverse group of 200 Londoners aged 16+; and oversee the delivery of others ensuring they are delivered to the highest quality. You will also contribute to organisation wide initiatives from an education and community perspective.

Areas of Responsibility

Department content

To oversee current Education & Community project activity, ensuring it is meeting its objectives and reviewing this regularly
To develop future strategic Education & Community activity
To maintain strong relationships with all stakeholders from participants to supporters to professionals involved in the department’s activity
To use digital platforms to share outputs from all projects, building engagement and providing the work with a wider reach

Staff management

To line manage the Education and Community team on a day to day basis
To appraise the Education & Community team on an annual basis
To recruit and supervise appropriate freelancers to work alongside the Education & Community team
To manage freelancers ensuring they are contracted and paid accordingly in collaboration with HR

Specific project delivery

To lead the content creation of all Education & Community activity
To oversee the administration of all projects ensuring targets are met and that agreed outputs are delivered on time and to budget
To project manage and develop The Old Vic’s flagship education project, Schools Club
To deliver drop-in workshops and other non-production related activity for The Old Vic Community Company
To write, edit and produce booklets and materials such as Teacher’s Resources and Education Packs to accompany the main-house shows

Operational activity

To set departmental budgets for the year

To manage project budgets including invoice sign off, reconciliation and petty cash
To lead on external communications for all Education and Community projects, including department copy, images and promotion
To work closely with The Old Vic’s Design Studio to create marketing material for the Education and Community team, in line with Old Vic branding guidelines
To support annual reporting through provision of data and interpreted evaluation reports
To support The Old Vic’s Development department to ensure supporters’ needs are met, that information is available in a timely and appropriate fashion and that projects meet their targets
To evaluate Education & Community activity throughout the year, setting evaluative procedures, gathering requisite data, producing evaluation materials independently and in conjunction with external evaluators
To maintain an awareness of best practice in community arts settings
To maintain a detailed knowledge of changes to the current education system and practical understanding of the effects on schools
To support the Director, Old Vic New Voices in the development, administration and programming of The Old Vic Workrooms (a temporary additional space)

Company-wide activity

To attend the Senior Management Group on a weekly basis
To act as The Old Vic’s Child Protection Officer
To attend Development events as requested
To contribute to regular staff meetings sharing information and connecting staff with the activity of all Education & Community projects
To represent The Old Vic at various events and ensure its reputation is maintained

This is not an exhaustive list of duties and the Theatre's management may, at any time, allocate other tasks which are of a similar nature or level.

Person Specification

The post holder must be able to demonstrate the following:

Essential

Experience of managing a small team
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Excellent organisational and project management skills, and a clear head under pressure
Proven ability of setting and managing budgets
An energetic, thorough and professional approach with a good eye for detail
A robust understanding of best practice and new developments within a theatre educational context
Education to degree level in the creative arts (or equivalent experience)
Proven experience of working with young people
Proven experience of evaluation design, analysis and reporting
Experience of writing copy for content and marketing materials
A rigorous and inspiring approach to project planning and delivering creative workshops and projects
A confident, enthusiastic manner and experience of building relationships with external stakeholders
A current Disclosure and Barring Service check certificate (or must be willing to undergo one)

Desirable

Experience of managing arts or educational projects to tight deadlines
Experience of working on projects with a national reach
A knowledge of digital media and experience of supporting online learning processes
An understanding of designing and running workshops with young people
Experience of working within a theatre building
First Aid Training