Arts Project Manager Recruitment at the British Council, 19th July, 2019

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The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We are recruiting to fill the position below:     Job Title: Arts Project Manager (Maternity Cover)  Location: Lagos Pay Band: 6 Department: Art Job Category: Art Role Type: Business Delivery Duration: 8 Months (Maternity Cover) Reports to: Programme Manager, Arts Ghana & West Africa Role Purpose

• Maternity cover for current Arts Project Manager, working with the West Africa Arts cluster and the wider British Council team to deliver programmes, audiences and partnerships which contribute to the British Council’s SSA Arts programme.
• The projects will be delivered through close liaison with Head of Arts - Nigeria and West Africa, the Arts team in Nigeria, the West Africa cluster and supported by one intern.

Geopolitical/SBU/Function Overview

• The West Africa socio political context is one with democratic governments but often unstable transition / election cycles, relatively small middle class with high levels of inequality, significant national and international migration, large youth population, a weak skills base and high unemployment, low broadband penetration but growing fast, and rapid mobile phone penetration.
• The arts and creative industries in Nigeria and Ghana are rapidly growing and increasingly recognised as economic powerhouses and job creators for young people across music, film, fashion, and the performing and visual arts, leading to increasing public and private support for the sector. In Sierra Leone, (partly influenced by Ghana and Nigeria), and due to a lack of cultural infrastructure for performative arts, there is growing interest in video and film and the music industry. Street art is also a significant part of the arts scene.
• In Senegal, historical public support for arts means a strong focus on artistic practice in dance, literature, music and film particularly but less developed creative economy but this is changing quickly.
• In the UK, there is interest in the West Africa creative sector particularly in Nigeria by diaspora and non-diaspora players especially in film, music, and fashion and technology sector.  There is diaspora and non-diaspora interest in fashion, design and music in Ghana and Sierra Leone to varying degrees. There is also UK interest in francophone countries like Mali and Senegal particularly in music and dance.

Our arts programmes in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) are underpinned by research, focused on young people (18 – 35-year olds), and committed to:

• Supporting the creation of new art and sharing this art to audiences both online and in person
• Sharing skills and knowledge between creative communities in SSA and the U.K
• Creating new connections between young people in SSA and the UK.

We focus our resources into three areas: Creative Enterprise:

• We respond to sector needs through our Creative Enterprise Support Programme, where we offer individuals and organisations training in business and digital skills, networking events, access to new markets, connections to resources and finance opportunities.

Connecting:

• Our British Council arts teams in SSA and the U.K. continually build their insight, expertise and first-hand knowledge of their contemporary art sectors in order to offer art making and mobility grants.

Festivals:

• Festivals are vibrant artistic platforms. They are meeting points, and a hive of activity for people to network, share skills, exchange ideas, and share each other’s art with wide and varied audiences.

Main Opportunities/Challenges for this Role Cross Country Audiences

• Facilitate new engagements between artists in the region as well as artists and audiences in SSA and the UK through supporting region wide programmes including New Art New Audiences, in-Motion and Collab Now Now.

New Narratives:

• Opportunity to contribute to work around presenting new narratives of West Africa in the UK and engaging audiences in both places. Using digital communication to share alternative perceptions in order to amplify our work in cultural convening and brokerage.

Internal and External Communications:

• Raise the profile of the British Council Nigeria through consistent reporting of our Arts programme activity on regional intranet, bulletin and other internal media, updating events calendar, as well as externally through website and social media.

Main Accountabilities Project Planning and Delivery:

• To implement a portfolio of projects within the West Africa Arts programme with the support of internal project officers, UK project managers and/or external delivery partners to meet agreed project targets.
• To be the dedicated point of contact for assigned projects managed in Nigeria.
• To manage relationships with project partners, and representing the project to other external stakeholders
• To ensure that all project activity reflects key equal opportunities and diversity issues
• Project planning, monitoring and evaluation, using the following tools:
  • Project plans and initiation documents
  • Project logic models
  • Gantt charts to reflect planned activity
  • Scorecard instruments (audience forecasts and actuals, quality of service questionnaires)

Manage Finances:

• Prepare and manage detailed expenditure budgets for projects to British Council standards
• Manage cash flow, profiling and monthly, quarterly and annual reporting of budgets managed Manage procurement in accordance with corporate procurement policy and processes
• Support Programme Manager with information for monthly budget management reports and quarterly reforecasting returns

Marketing and Communications and Evaluation:

• Work with the Marcomms colleagues to develop and manage digital marketing and audience development campaigns including but not limited to social media platforms
• Provide content to the Marcomms team for communications materials  for distribution internally and externally in Nigeria, the region and UK
• Ensure the evaluation strategy for each project is implemented in accordance with Corporate Scorecard standards and to report likely variations from target

Provide market intelligence and information, maintain and develop close understanding of and links with the sector in Nigeria:

• Provide advice to UK organisations, artists and professional networks on the international development of their work
• Seeks ways to increase benefits through collaboration with other SBUs in education and skills and Society
• Post may have Line management responsibilities
• Working with other members of arts team, the post holder will:
•  Maintain and expand knowledge of the Nigerian arts sector
• Develop and sustain relationships with key practitioners and organisations, both established and emerging talent;
• Represent our work in arts to external partners and stakeholders
• Proactively identify and pursue opportunities for developing new physical and digital audiences for delivery of British Council arts projects in Nigeria

Digital Communications and Social Media:

• Working with local and regional digital team to edit and create new content for the relevant British Council’s country pages on the country website with the aim of increasing interactive engagement and audience reach.
• Compile monthly reports detailing broadcast, tracking mentions, trends/engagement levels with analysis of data to inform future online presence and approach
• Provide corporate returns as required on our social media / digital reach, channels, audiences and digital engagement figures
• Working with all teams, to develop, implement and maintain an imaginative and comprehensive social media presence for selected projects using a wide variety of tools, setting ambitious targets and monitoring success.
• Actively contribute to developing and delivering British Council Nigeria’s ‘overarching’ online presence, enhancing our external profile.
• To embed these strategies within the culture of the operation and actively support colleagues in using a wide variety of appropriate tools.
• Identifying and developing engaging online campaigns for British Council’s projects and examination services that will enhance the council’s online presence and drive online engagement metric objectives as identified.
• Monitor and identify trends in Nigeria social media, market intelligence and insight to support effective strategies, plans and audience reach
• Identify, build relationships and pro-actively engage with influential bloggers, journalists and on-line commentators and media agencies relevant to our work

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion:

• Ensure that planning, delivery and implementation of managed projects are executed in line with British Council EDI standards

Continuous Professional Development:

• Engage in professional networks and continuous professional development to ensure that knowledge and expertise are kept updated.

Key Relationships Internal:

• Head of Arts West Africa
• Regional arts team: Director Arts SSA, Senior Arts Programme Manager SSA, Business Manager SSA
• All Arts Project and Programme Managers in Nigeria and West Africa, the rest of Sub Saharan Africa and the UK
• Local communications team
• Relevant key colleagues in the SBUs
• Regional and UK communications teams

External:

• Artists and partners in Nigeria and UK, British Council arts partners, vendors and customers
• Suppliers including marketing, communications, PR and events management
• Key partners and customer groups

Role Requirements

• Passport requirements/ Right to work in country - Current Right to live and work in Nigeria

Assessment: Shortlisting

• Direct contact or managing staff working with children?

NB: Some unsocial hours, weekend work and travel will be required. Person Specification

• Fluency in written and spoken English - Shortlisted candidates will either demonstrate they have met the required standard through presentation of an agreed English language certificate, or will be required to take the APTIS test and demonstrate a B2 level of English proficiency

Assessment: APTIS Qualification Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree from a recognised institution or five years’ relevant experience in lieu

Desirable:

• University degree in related area and/or post-graduate courses in areas of Marketing, Digital or Social Media

Assessment: Shortlisting Role Specific Knowledge & Experience Essential: Managing Projects:

• Works with project management systems and procedures and has a track record of compliance with them as a project team member.
• Examines project data and performance, reporting on progress and recommending corrective action as needed.
• Analyses requirements with the sponsor/stakeholders, defining the specification with awareness of equality and diversity impact, planning, revising, implementing and evaluating on small-tomedium scale and/or low risk projects.

Knowledge of the arts:

• An understanding and appreciation of current trends and practice in at least one art form in Nigeria

Experience:

• At least two years’ experience in similar role (covering key elements of this job)
• Proven success in application of social media for business use

Desirable:

• Web site management
• Graphic design skills

Assessment: Shortlisting: Shortlisting and/or interview Role Specific Skills Essential: Project Management:

• At least three years’ recent professional experience of working in a creative, producing, programming or management capacity in the Arts sector in Nigeria, ideally with international links.
• Proven ability to identify, develop, and manage relationships with major partners and stakeholders
• Planning and delivery of events to specific groups of people

Desirable:

• Experience of working on projects between UK and Africa

Assessment: Shortlisting: Shortlisting and/or interview British Council Core Skills:

• Communicating and influencing: Relates communications to circumstances: Level 2
• Managing Risk: Follows good practices - Level 1
• Managing People: Supervises a small team - Level 2
• Managing Accounts and Partnerships: Works with stakeholders and partners - Level 2
• Finance and resource management: Uses financial systems and processes appropriately as part of the job and on behalf of a team. - Level 2
• Commercial and business development: Analyses trends- Level 2
• Managing Projects: Leads smaller projects: Level 2  Managing Finance and Resource Management: Use financial systems and processes: Level 2  Using technology – Level 2  Analysing Data & Problems – Level 2  Planning and organising – Level 2

Assessment: Shortlisting and/or Interview British Council Behaviours:

• Connecting With Others (Essential)
• Making It Happen (More Demanding)
• Working Together (More Demanding)
• Being Accountable (More Demanding)

Other behaviours needed for the job but not evaluated at interview:

• Shaping the future (Essential)
• Creating a Shared Purpose (Essential)

      How to Apply Interested and qualified candidates should: Click here to apply Click here to download Job Details (Pdf) Click here to download BC Behaviour (pdf) Click here to download BC Core Skills (pdf)   Application Deadline 26th July 2019   Note: Candidate should only fill out the application after thoroughly reading through the "Role Profile & Guidance Notes".

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