Senior Officer, Capital Relationships and Monitoring x 5 roles (COO66 - COO70)

This can be based from any of the following Arts Council offices (with hybrid working): Bristol, Birmingham, Brighton, Cambridge or Manchester.

Overall Purpose of the role

Arts Council England deliver a range of capital investment programmes which contribute to the outcomes of Let’s Create, our 10 year strategy. Capital Investment Programmes are programmes that invest in assets or infrastructure to support the long sustainability of creative and cultural organisations across England. Led by the Director, Capital, the Capital team is made up of 3 sub‑teams:

• Investment – focused on the design of investment programmes and associated assessment and advice giving.
• Relationships and Monitoring – focused on stakeholder engagement and monitoring of risk, compliance and overall delivery of our Capital investment.
• Cultural Development Fund – focused on the delivery of this specific fund in partnership with Area based colleagues.

You will be part of a team of Senior Officers within the Relationships and Monitoring team supporting the delivery of our Capital Programmes. You will use your sector expertise in Museums, Libraries and cultural organisations to give advice to applicants, assess applications and monitor awarded grants. Where required you will share your expertise and contribute to the delivery of other funding programmes to ensure that public funds are used in accordance with the Arts Council’s policies and frameworks.

Main day to day responsibilities

• Provide support to arts organisations, museums and libraries throughout their engagement with our funding programme(s). This includes signposting to legal, finance and investment centre colleagues when needed.
• Assess applications across capital and other investment or development programmes, making recommendations to feed into decision making panels.
• In conjunction with Senior Managers, develop and deliver monitoring regimes for a portfolio of funded organisations across the capital programmes, focused on (but not limited to) risk management, compliance and outcomes in line with the Arts Council’s policies and processes.
• Support effective relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders, including local and national government representatives, grantees and colleagues across the organisation.
• Line manage any appropriately allocated role to a high standard as required, enabling the postholder to deliver their objectives successfully.
• Deliver user research to understand the experience of applicants and funded organisations to support the design, delivery and continuous improvement of grant making processes in the capital team.
• Maintain an awareness of best practice in grant making and deliver funding programmes in line with the relevant government standards including accurate record keeping and best practice in public service delivery.
• Use digital and data tools effectively to track impact and identify trends. You will manage data in line with data protection regulations and internal policies.
• Contribute to a positive working culture in the organisation by taking a proactive approach to learning, responding to change, inclusive practice, and environmental responsibility.
• You will reflect the Nolan Principles of Public Life and the Arts Council's values with a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• You will be required to travel on occasion to other Arts Council locations across England.

Key relationships

• The Capital Director, Senior Managers and colleagues in across the capital team to provide sector and specialist knowledge.
• Directors, Senior Relationship Managers, Relationship Managers, Communications and Operations colleagues in area teams to maintain an understanding of place‑based capital needs.
• The Investment Centre, Data, IT and other teams to collaborate on the delivery of investment programmes.
• Museum, Libraries and specialist staff to inform a user focused and consistent approach to the delivery of capital programmes.
• External partners including creative and cultural organisations, local authorities, stakeholders in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, other funders and stakeholders.

Essential (Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours)

• You will have knowledge, work, or voluntary experience relating to Museums, Libraries or Capital and/or other specialisms we support. This may be from the creative and cultural sector or in related sectors such as local government, education, health or similar.
• You will have experience in developing credible relationships with a range of stakeholders in one or more of the cultural, voluntary, public, or commercial sectors.
• You will have experience using a variety of analytical, communication, and numeracy skills and the ability to synthesise and communicate data and information in a clear, confident and engaging manner.
• You will have experience of managing projects and the ability to manage complex tasks with multiple priorities.
• You will have experience of investment programmes, with a good understanding of grant giving and monitoring.
• You will be able to contribute to the organisation’s understanding of diversity and its implications for the arts and culture, promoting a diversity perspective in all aspects of the organisation’s objectives and activities.

Desirable (Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours)

• Knowledge or experience of capital investment programmes and/or capital projects.
• Knowledge of the needs, challenges and opportunities that Museums and/or libraries across England currently face.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and we participate in the ‘Offer an Interview’ scheme, which means that we offer an interview to any disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role they’re applying to, subject to the volume of applications received. Disabled candidates, those living with a long‑term condition and/or neurodivergent candidates may be eligible for this scheme.

Our Code of Ethics requires that employees of the Arts Council are not able to receive an Arts Council grant, investment or loan funding - either in person, as a member of a partnership, or for any organisation they own. There are also limitations on board or CEO positions employees can hold in organisations we fund. For more information on this, please talk to the recruiting manager or contact recruitment@artscouncil.org.uk