Hours – Full Time
Based – The Mansion House, Calderstones Park, Liverpool, L18 3JB
Contract – Fixed Term until Nov 2023 (possibility for Permanent extension TBC)
Salary – £26,000 (per annum)
Closing date – 5pm, Monday 16th May 2022
This is an exciting and important role within the programmes team, which sits within the Literature Directorate. You will be responsible for managing an exciting and growing programme including literary & reading events, outdoor theatre and a significant programme of heritage projects.
A key part of the role will be delivering their National Lottery Heritage Fund (the Heritage Fund) supported project called “Making Meaning at Calderstones” – a two-year project that will help uncover and tell the stories of Calderstones as a significant place of meaning-making.
You’ll work closely with Head of Programmes (or Founder on an interim basis) to lead the heritage vision for The Reader, ensuring the work we do in heritage is brought to life and embedded across the organisation. The project is already creating new and interesting ways for more people to experience heritage at Calderstones, providing a vital means of wellbeing support and reducing social isolation.
The public-facing elements of the ‘making meaning at Calderstones’ project include:
• Around the World in Plants and Trees – a community-led exploration of the international botanical and natural history of the park
• Making Meaning at The Garden Theatre – capturing the many precious memories of the theatre before they are lost.
• Diverse Connections to Calderstones – unearthing the site’s challenging connections to the transatlantic slave trade and how this relates to Liverpool’s wider maritime history and its connections to the transatlantic slave trade.
• Literature in Heritage – exploring the history of reading and of coming together to share stories.
• Heritage Storybarn Presents – a stomp through the past Storybarn-style for children and families.
• Opportunities for skills development, volunteering, work experience and employment for those who need it most.
You’ll need to develop an in-depth understanding of the project aims, targets & approved purposes, and project manage all strands of activity, including overseeing the budget and risk register and leading cross-team meetings.
They have ambitious plans to reach and engage audiences in new ways, and have developed a ‘Front Door Key’ an initiative which offers discounted/ free tickets across our programme to people living with disadvantaged circumstances around the local area, which you will lead.
You’ll work closely with their Director of Impact and external affairs to develop a strong understanding of the target audiences, and ensure our work has impact in equality, diversity and inclusion. Alongside the Making Meaning at Calderstones specific project work, you will work with the wider Literature Directorate and programmes team, to create and manage the organisation of the wider programmes plan.
You’ll line manage the Heritage Programmes Coordinator and Programme co-ordinator. You are someone who is experienced in delivering multiple creative projects simultaneously, can manage work that involves a number of teams and external agencies, and are a flexible worker who can lend expertise to other teams as deemed appropriate. There are some creative elements to the role, but we are essentially looking for a highly skilled project management professional.
Key Responsibilities
Knowledge & Skills
• Use your extensive and varied experience to deliver the targets and overall goals of the programme and project manage the full Making Meaning at Calderstones programme of work
• Able to quickly develop an understanding of all Making Meaning at Calderstones project strands enabling you to lead bi-weekly cross organizational team meeting and resolve all team queries and feedback relating to the project
• Creating and managing comprehensive project plans and effective project management processes to ensure all approved purposes are delivered on time and to budget
• Overseeing and managing the Making Meaning at Calderstones budget and risk register (cross organizational)
• Develop and demonstrate a clear understanding of audience and EDI targets and the project’s specific KPI’s and outcomes
• Deliver & implement the Front Door Key project within the Making Meaning at Calderstones programme of work
• Develop comprehensive briefings for all relevant teams involved in each project you’re delivering, defining and assigning roles and responsibilities
• Proactively contribute ideas for the programme by keeping abreast of industry trends/activity – bringing new ideas to the programme aligned with the Reader values and team objectives
Leadership and People Management
• Lead the Reader’s heritage vision & work and ensure it is integrated across all departments – identifying and creating opportunities to embed the understanding of heritage into the wider organization
• Line-manage the heritage coordinator and programme coordinator, including monitoring their development by carrying out quarterly reviews, performance management and sickness and holiday management
• Develop the project management and coordination skills of team members in the programmes team by creating learning and shadowing opportunities where appropriate
• Lead the team to coordinate planning and effective input into the cross-organisational planning process
• Carry out lessons-learned review process at the end (or at appropriate stage) of each project strand, working with all involved teams to find out what went well and what could be improved, and share findings with other relevant teams
Communication
• Ability to liaise and communicate with staff across several departments, including senior management
• Lead the communication of project plans and key milestones to stakeholders – both internal and external, using discretion and discernment when communicating with 3rd party stakeholders
• Manage relationships with external organisations collaborating with the programmes team on relevant projects, such as digital agencies and community groups, ensuring they deliver a quality of work that reflects the values and mission of The Reader at Calderstones
• Work closely with Development team to co-ordinate Funder reporting (quarterly) including attending regular the Heritage Fund update meetings to report on project progress and discuss any challenges as required.
Planning & Organising
• Ability to organize & prioritise time and workloads under your own steam, work to tight deadlines, & manage conflicting priorities
• Responsible for overseeing the planning and delivery of the Making Meaning at Calderstones programme of work, managing a comprehensive project plan and timeline, and ensuring associated teams have all they need in order to progress the project deliverables
• Create, update and monitor the wider Reader Programme plan, including oversight of workplan for team, leading on programmes team input into the cross-organisational planning process.
• Keep an up to date programme calendar, making sure programmed work is planned ahead and included in all organisation-wide planning documents and systems such as Yesplan
• Oversee the timely briefing of key events and activity into delivery teams such as communications, operations, facilties & monitoring and evaluation
• Working alongside the Monitoring and Evalaution team, ensure well-thought out evaluation plans in place for the Making Meaning at Calderstones project and programme events under your remit
• Responsible for ensuring that The Reader meets its obligations in terms of budget and outcomes agreed as outlined in the Heritage Fund ‘Making meaning at Calderstones’ bid
Initiative & Problem Solving
• Use initiative to think creatively and independently about challenges that arise on fast moving programme projects and work to identify solutions alongside Head of programmes
• Manage and adapt accurate budgets. Take responsibility for the Heritage Fund budget and appropriate use of funds, working alongside the Head of Finance to report to the Funder as required
Decision Making & Freedom to Act
• Take responsibility for the successful delivery of the Making meaning at Calderstones project
• Ability to think decisively and weigh-up different solutions to project challenges, assessing their risks and opportunities using previous varied experience and lessons learned
• Teamworking and Collaboration o You will build close relationships with Reader teams involved in delivering programmes work, including (but not limited to) communications, operations & facilities, Children and Young People and the volunteer team, in order to make sure the work we do is joined up and collaborative, initiating regular communication
• Ensure our programme has impact and reaches the agreed target audiences, working closely with our Director of Impact and External Affairs and our in-house Monitoring & Evaluation team to find the most effective ways of measuring our programme & building reports alongside Development.
• Responsible for ensuring programme team’s scheduling, planning & reporting processes is smooth and well planned, and meets internal and external deadlines
• You will contribute towards bids for relevant project work, including creating and inputting ideas, targets & proposed budgets
Person Specification
• Experience of delivering and managing projects, programmes or events
• Experience managing cultural project work
• Experience or working in a heritage context or an interest and ability to learn
• Experience of literature/reading work, including your own life as a reader
• Able to work with and manage closely a range of varied partners and collaborators, internal and external
• Able to plan and prioritise workloads with limited resources, and respond flexibly to changing circumstances
• Ability to work under pressure, delivering to tight deadlines, managing conflicting priorities
• Problem solving skills, able to think of creative solutions in fast paced working environment
• Excellent communication skills with a strong background in liaising with a range of stakeholders internally and externally
• Capable of understanding facts and figures, including ability to monitor and report
• Good interpersonal skills, including well developed listening skills, able to empathise with others and view situations from different perspectives
• Able to demonstrate a good understanding of The Readers’ wider work and its social mission, and show a commitment to our values
• Ability to contribute to a site that is open 7 days per week. You will need to be able to act as operational site lead for events during evenings and weekends as agreed
Download the Application Pack here