Public Programmes Manager - 3 days a week

Soane intended the Museum to be an ‘academy’ of architecture, sculpture and painting. Today, we maintain this vision through an inspiring, diverse and high-impact programme of exhibitions, events and collaborations. The programme embraces both historic and contemporary inquiry and debate about architecture, art and design to appeal to a broad online audience and a targeted physical audience.
Reporting to the Head of Exhibitions, the Public Programmes Manager is responsible for a range of events and activities which attract new audiences and encourage audiences to engage deeply with the Museum and its themes. These include events relating to exhibitions and collections and talks featuring leading artists, designers and architects. The post-holder will be joining the Museum at an exciting time as we reimagine the public programme under a new Director.

The Public Programmes Manager is responsible for the delivery of the programme including planning, budget management, on-the-day event management and evaluation.

Job Purpose:

To organise and deliver the Museum’s programmes of events for adult audiences

1. Under the direction of the Head of Exhibitions, organise and deliver an innovative and engaging programme of events including, but not limited to talks, tours, symposia and masterclasses.
2. Take the lead on all areas of logistics and planning, for events on-site, off-site and online
3. Administer events and special projects budgets accurately and efficiently, and support as required the Development Department in securing charitable donations and corporate sponsorship

1. Key Responsibilities

1. Contribute to strategic planning and manage a programme of around 25 events a year.
2. Lead on all aspects of public programme organisation and delivery, including:
• Overseeing the programme schedule
• Helping create event guest lists (working with the CRM database)
• Inviting contributors and collaborators, and arranging travel and accommodation when necessary
• Research and book external venues and suppliers when necessary
• Working closely with internal stakeholders, external partners and collaborators
• Writing copy and sourcing images for publicity
• Preparing event briefs, attending relevant meetings and liaising with internal teams, including curatorial, conservation and operations
• Manage events: oversee venue set up, AV provision, guest lists, etc.
• Manage the production of publications, film and online content in connection with the Public Programme
• Occasionally manage the work of Public Programmes focused volunteers
3. Manage Casual Public Events Assistant(s):
• Organise working schedules
• Assign duties and oversee at events
4. Work with Museum’s Development Team and Digital Communications Manager on inviting the appropriate stakeholders and publicising events and other special projects and maximising reach of the programme.
5. Ensure internal teams are fully briefed and up to date on programme and project development
6. Budget tracking and invoice management to ensure events and special projects are delivered within budget
7. Occasionally provide practical support to the wider Exhibitions team during exhibition installations and deinstallations








Person specification

Essential
• A BA or equivalent experience in Architecture, Architectural History, Art History, Museum Studies or a closely related subject
• Experience of organising public events
• Experience of writing copy for publicity purposes
• Collaborative working style
• An understanding of key issues and trends in contemporary architecture, design and visual culture
• Ability to use audio-visual technology (including projector systems, audio delivery, online and hybrid event management, event recording etc.)
• Strong research skills
• Excellent general IT, administrative and organisational skills with the ability to work on multiple projects concurrently
• Knowledge of CRM databases
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills and the ability to effectively communicate with stakeholders at all levels

Desirable
• Knowledge of British architecture, art and design from the 18th century to the present
• Experience of Introducing and chairing events
• Experience of organising revenue-generating events
• Good working knowledge of programme evaluation
• Awareness of Sir John Soane and the Soane Museum
• Experience of event promotion using digital and social media
• The ability to write for a wide range of audiences
• Project management experience
• Experience of devising and delivering events aimed at targeting specific audience groups

Benefits
3 days (21 hours) a week permanent contract with hybrid working one day a week after the 6 month probation period.
Our standard working hours are 9.30-5.30pm but we also offer flexible start and finish times between 8.30 and 10.00 am and 4.30 and 6.30 pm.
There will be some evening and weekend work for which time-off-in-lieu (TOIL) is offered.
There is a generous annual leave allowance of 16 days (FTE 26.5 days) and all bank holidays (pro-rata)

Applications
The Museum is an Equal Opportunities Employer committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from all backgrounds.

Applications in the form of a CV and supporting letter, together with the names and addresses of two referees, should be emailed to [email protected]

The closing date for applications is 9.00am on 8 July 2024
Interviews will be held on 15 July 2024

Sir John Soane’s Museum is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) whose prime sponsor is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Website: www.soane.org

Museum Website: http://www.soane.org/jobs