The Assistant Curator is a key staff member at Liverpool Biennial, supporting the Programme Team in all aspects of the research, preparation, delivery, production, installation, maintenance and de-installation of the Biennial exhibition and year-round programme of talks, events, publishing and research.
- SALARY £24,836 – £26,746 depending upon experience
- CONTRACT Full-time, 37.5 hours per week. Fixed term to 31 October 2025
MAIN DUTIES:
Curatorial / Exhibitions Organisation
- Support the Programme Team in all aspects of the research, preparation, delivery, production, installation, maintenance and de-installation of the Biennial exhibition and year-round programme of talks, events, publishing and research.
- In particular, oversee the delivery of in-person and digital public programmes, working closely with the Curator and Programme Manager to devise and deliver a diverse range of talks, workshops, screenings and events for key audiences across multiple venues.
- Oversee the delivery of select festival commissions, projects and loans, including live and digital works.
- Assist the Programme Manager and Curator to ensure that select festival commissions and all aspects of the Public Programme are integrated and delivered on time and within budget.
- Be main point of contact for select artists and their representatives, and liaise with arts institutions, funders and other key stakeholders regularly.
- Liaise with all Biennial departments to ensure a smooth, consistent flow of information.
- Assist the Programme Manager in liaising with Biennial partners and venues, ensuring that venue staff are all fully briefed on schedules, installation plans and artists requirements.
- Assist with installation and deinstallation of artworks and support Front of House team to deal with all maintenance enquiries as appropriate, ensuring that all exhibitions and installations are running smoothly.
- Support the Programme Manager and Access Liaison Officer to ensure all artworks and events are made as accessible as possible, organising additional access provision where appropriate and exploring how to embed creative access into projects with artists at early stages of projects.
- Contribute to the delivery of Biennial publications such as festival catalogue and online research journal Stages where necessary.
- Represent the Biennial at public events, meetings and networking events, and lead curatorial tours or talks throughout the festival.
Administration
- Arrange accommodation, travel and per diems for select visiting artists, participants or contractors. Set up meetings and prepare welcome packs for artist visits and host them when they’re in the city.
- Liaise, communicate, convene, attend and record meetings.
- Organise and attend site visits and research trips.
- Monitor and maintain budgets for specific exhibitions and events efficiently and in a timely fashion. This includes obtaining estimates, following procurement procedures, raising purchase orders, processing invoices, maintaining digital and physical budget files and providing regular updates to the Programme Manager.
- Draft, file and administer service contracts with artists, suppliers, contractors and other participants, and with non-partner venue sites
- Maintain and update contacts on the Liverpool Biennial database and support Development team with compiling guest lists for events and openings.
- Prepare and regularly update checklists and timelines.
- Support with copy-editing and sign-off processes for artist information and interpretation and support the Marketing team in the development of marketing campaigns by providing up-to-date project information.
- Provide information, including research reports or project proposals, to enable the Development team to research, identify and secure funding streams for participants in the exhibition and year-round programme.
- Support in the writing of risk assessments and ensure that health & safety and safeguarding considerations are actioned.
- Ensure that sustainability is prioritised throughout planning and delivery of all exhibitions and events.
Miscellaneous
- Manage trainees, interns and freelance employees as well as supervise departmental work placements where appropriate.
- Attend training and professional development opportunities as required.
- Work within the context of Liverpool Biennial’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion policy, Code of Conduct, Sustainability policy and other policies in delivery of internal and external service and treatment of colleagues, partners and participants.
- Work occasional evenings and weekends as necessary, taking this as Time Off in Lieu (to be agreed in advance with the Programme Manager).
- Other duties as required, commensurate with the nature and responsibility level of the role.
PERSON SPECIFICATION:
Essential:
- Minimum 2 years in contemporary art curation, production or administration
- Demonstrable experience of simultaneously managing multiple projects and budgets
- Experience of organising online, digital or hybrid programmes
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, in particular MS Word and Excel
- Excellent communication skills, written and verbal, with the ability to adapt to different situations, in order to develop productive relationships and effective partnerships
- Ability to thrive within a team environment and work with others to generate creative ideas and turn them into reality
- Ability to work under pressure, remain calm and meet tight and sometimes changeable deadlines
- Demonstrable understanding of and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and the role you have in improving access for those from protected characteristic groups into our staff team, artists, audiences and participants
- Demonstrable commitment to environmental sustainability
Desirable:
- Knowledge of Health and Safety and safeguarding risk assessments for arts venues
- Experience of working in an arts environment outside of a traditional gallery setting
- Experience of working in an international environment
- Experience of contributing to, or producing, publications
- Line-management experience
- Knowledge of Liverpool City Region, and Liverpool Biennial
Visit biennial.com/job/assistant-curator/ to download the Job Information Pack & find out more.