Gallery Director in Carmarthen

Oriel Myrddin Gallery is Carmarthenshire’s centre for contemporary visual art, craft and design. A place where we can all engage with contemporary ideas through a unique and culturally diverse, high‑quality programme of the visual and applied arts. We are the main publicly funded art and craft gallery for the South‑West Wales region and located in a listed Victorian building in the centre of Carmarthen.

Come lead one of Wales' key contemporary art galleries. This senior leadership role will shape the gallery’s vision, strategy and future as we establish ourselves as an independent Charitable Incorporated Organisation and open our newly redeveloped building.

This senior leadership role will shape the gallery’s vision, strategy and future as we establish ourselves as an independent Charitable Incorporated Organisation and open our newly redeveloped building. You’ll lead a skilled team, oversee an ambitious programme of contemporary visual art, craft and design, grow audiences and partnerships, and position Oriel Myrddin within the cultural life of Wales and beyond.

The Director will lead Oriel Myrddin Gallery in its first full year as an independent organisation, driving this next phase of development, reconnection and growth. Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the Director will be responsible for shaping and delivering the Gallery’s vision, strategy, partnerships, profile and long‑term sustainability. Working with a strong delivery team across curatorial practice, engagement, visitor experience, marketing and finance, the Director will provide the strategic leadership, fundraising capacity and sector positioning required to move the organisation forward.

• Strategic Leadership & Vision: Define and articulate a clear, ambitious long‑term vision for the Gallery. Lead the development and delivery of an integrated organisational strategy. Work closely with the Board to ensure strong governance and accountability. Establish clear goals, performance measures and evaluation frameworks. Build a culture of clarity, ambition and delivery across the organisation.
• Fundraising Expertise: Develop and deliver a comprehensive fundraising strategy. Secure income from key funders including Arts Council of Wales, trusts, foundations and partners. Diversify income streams to strengthen financial resilience. Build and steward relationships with donors, sponsors and supporters. Embed fundraising thinking across the organisation.
• Commercial Acumen: Lead development of earned income across retail, hospitality, events and venue activity. Oversee financial planning, budgeting and performance. Develop commercial partnerships aligned to mission and values. Drive financial awareness and accountability across the team. Balance commercial development with artistic and public value.
• Programme Leadership: Champion a distinctive, high quality programme of contemporary visual art, craft and design. Work closely with the Creative Producer to shape curatorial direction. Ensure programme reflects accessibility, participation and excellence. Develop partnerships with artists, curators and institutions. Align programme with audience development and organisational strategy.
• Sector & Network Impact: Act as a visible advocate for the Gallery within Wales and the UK. Build relationships with artists, organisations, universities and networks. Strengthen the Gallery’s national profile and sector contribution. Position the organisation within wider civic and cultural agendas. Represent the Gallery with credibility, authority and influence.
• Welsh Language & Cultural Context: Champion the Welsh language and culture and its importance within Carmarthenshire and the wider cultural life of Wales. Lead a bilingual organisation, ensuring Welsh language is embedded across public activity, communications and internal culture. Ensure the Gallery reflects and serves its bilingual community in both programme and audience experience. Create the conditions for Welsh language use across the organisation, supporting staff, artists and audiences to engage in Welsh.

• Essential: Senior leadership experience in the cultural or creative sector. Proven ability to lead organisations through change or growth. Strong financial management and fundraising track record. Experience securing income from trusts, foundations and major funders. Knowledge of contemporary visual arts or a comparable field. Excellent communication and partnership‑building skills. Experience of leading, managing and developing teams, including performance management and a sound understanding of employment practice. Commitment to inclusion, access and public value.
• Desirable: Experience in the visual arts or gallery sector. Knowledge of the Welsh cultural landscape. Welsh language skills are highly desirable; candidates should be willing to develop their Welsh language skills if not already Welsh speaking. Experience building national profile and partnerships.

Salary: £40,000–£45,000 per annum (depending on experience). We are committed to attracting the right candidate and are open to flexible working arrangements – including a four‑day week or other models – where this supports an outstanding appointment.

Pension contribution. Flexible working environment. The opportunity to lead a major organisation at a defining moment.

We welcome informal conversations with prospective candidates. If you would like to discuss the role in more detail, please contact: David Wilson Interim Director, Oriel Myrddin david.wilson@orielmyrddin.com

To apply, via email to director@orielmyrddin.com please submit: A CV (maximum 3 pages) A covering letter (maximum 2 pages)

Closing date 10:00am, Monday 11 May. Interviews to be scheduled week commencing Monday 18 May. Start date As soon as possible, with flexibility for the right candidate. This is a leadership role with real scope — to shape an organisation, define its future, and strengthen its position within the cultural life of Wales. We look forward to hearing from you.