Cultural Partnerships Manager

Connect our world‑class cultural institutions with local communities to increase creative participation across the borough. We’re all in to open up arts and culture for everyone in Kensington and Chelsea, connecting world‑renowned institutions and culture providers with local residents to expand creative opportunities.

Working Style

You’ll be based in the Borough for five days a week, playing a key role in serving the local community and working with our wide range of cultural providers and creatives. Whether you’re working on the frontline or behind the scenes, you’ll be part of a dedicated team making an impact on residents’ lives.

What You’ll Be Doing

You will take the lead on delivering our borough’s Culture Plan, driving efforts to increase resident participation in arts and creativity as both visitors and creators. Your day‑to‑day work will involve collaborating with our major institutions and place‑based cultural centres, voluntary organisations, and community settings to open up access to culture at a grassroots level. You will establish and manage key workstreams, including a borough‑wide programme to connect primary school children with cultural activities, and work alongside our employment services to secure jobs and apprenticeships within the creative sector.

A substantial part of your role involves strategic negotiation and income generation; you will engage with property developers to secure Section 106 contributions for culture, collaborate with contractors to direct their social value commitments toward local cultural initiatives, and build corporate sponsorship networks. As the spend manager for these external investment funds, you will ensure resources are allocated effectively and fairly to promote community wellbeing. By facilitating networks between major national institutions, local providers and smaller grassroots artists, you will foster collaborations that give back directly to our residents, while also expanding the role of culture within local health and NHS settings.

What You’ll Bring

You bring extensive experience in public sector arts and cultural strategic management, with a proven track record of working collaboratively alongside major national or international cultural institutions. You possess deep knowledge of the creative sector and the ability to implement strategic cultural policies that drive audience development and placemaking. Building trusted, resilient relationships across vastly differing sectors—from grassroots artists to large corporate entities—is second nature to you, backed by excellent active listening and communication skills. You are a skilled negotiator capable of influencing stakeholders to secure inward investment and funding without relying purely on financial leverage. With strong project delivery capabilities and a flexible mindset, you navigate complex political environments and competing priorities with adaptability and composure. No formal qualifications are required, but you must demonstrate a values‑led approach that aligns with our commitment to integrity, mutual respect, and putting communities first.

Why join us

At RBKC, we’re all in – investing in our people, our communities and our future. Kensington and Chelsea is a premier UK cultural hotspot, second only to Westminster. The borough is home to world‑famous institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum, and the Natural History Museum, alongside hosting Europe’s largest street festival, the Notting Hill Carnival. We also feature top destinations like the King’s Road, Knightsbridge and the internationally renowned Portobello Street Market. As this is a brand‑new role, you have a unique opportunity to shape how the Council supports culture and design new strategic partnerships from the ground up. You will receive a competitive salary under Grade H and gain unmatched cross‑departmental exposure as our lead officer for culture, opening up excellent opportunities for long‑term career growth and professional development.

About Us

Kensington and Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough. As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our work every day, ensuring our services are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all. At RBKC, being “all in” means having the mindset to get stuck in and get things done, whether you are collaborating in the office, building relationships out in the field with grassroots artists, or negotiating in meetings with global museum directors.

This role operates within a highly scrutinised, political local government environment, and it comes with a real reality check: you will be managing a new function with very little direct Council budget. Delivering the ambitious goals of our upcoming Culture Plan relies entirely on your ability to generate inward investment and spark creative partnerships from scratch. It is not always smooth sailing to balance tight financial pressures with the expectations of world‑class institutions and local community groups. However, when you commit fully to this challenge, every ounce of effort pays off, turning complex stakeholder demands into outstanding opportunities for personal growth and visible community impact across our borough.

We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.