Appointment Brief Appointment of Director - August 2021 Reference: CARALA - Saxton Bampfylde
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Appointment Brief Appointment of Director August 2021 Reference: CARALA
SB Chair’s Welcome The Guardian newspaper recently described Collective as ‘Edinburgh’s most dramatically situated gallery’. With panoramic views over Edinburgh’s spectacular skyline from its home on Calton Hill, Collective is indeed a most special place at the heart of an amazing European capital and World Heritage site. During the pandemic, Calton Hill, with its stunning views and rich heritage, has become a haven for residents of the city to walk, commune, find peace and enjoy the spectacular scenery. As is the case for many arts organisations we face challenges associated with the downturn in international visitors and the impact on our trading income. But our unique position, the power of artists, our engagement with communities and continued investment in our commercial enterprises, will, we believe, enable a strong and sustained recovery. Collective is the perfect place to look with fresh eyes and contemplate art and heritage. We support artists that challenge the existing order and accepted norms, platforming artists, working in Scotland and internationally. We play a unique role both as custodian of Calton Hill’s internationally significant heritage and as mediator of contemporary art for audiences, many of whom are experiencing it for the first time. This is an exciting time to join and lead Collective. Much has already been done to establish it as a vital component of Scotland’s contemporary art, cultural and heritage landscape. The opportunity now is to consolidate our achievements and to build on our success. We are looking for someone with the ambition, confidence, ideas and drive to lead us in the next stage of our development. You will be supported by our talented staff team and our active and expert board. In particular we are looking for a person who can increase our leadership role in civic society, building positive relationships and raising our profile, while at the same time strengthening financial support from private and public sources. We are looking for a leader who is also a team player, expert at dealing with change and passionate about empowering and supporting the team around them. If you would like to be part of our future story, I look forward to hearing from you. Anne Bonnar, Chair COLLECTIVE | DIRECTOR
SB An Introduction Collective was established as a charity in 1984 to support, develop, and nurture artists. Over the past 37 years we have evolved and expanded while staying true to our goal of championing new work by artists who are at a pivotal stage in their development. Collective in 2021 is a platform for artists and a meeting place for ideas. Our programme of exhibitions, walks, and events presents contemporary art in all its diversity. Our mission is to bring people together around new art and we have a vision of a thriving creative society, where artists inspire new ways of looking, questioning and thinking. We aim to embody the following core values in everything that we do: Bold – brave and experimental Collaborative – generous and sharing Inclusive – listening, fair, and open to all Caring – concerned about our society and environment Inventive – supporting new connections and ideas COLLECTIVE | DIRECTOR
SB Our Home In November 2018, following a 5-year capital redevelopment, we opened our spectacular new home on Calton Hill, featuring the restored City Observatory, City Dome, a purpose-built exhibition space and a new restaurant. Our re-imagining of this previously locked and derelict but hugely significant site, has led to a scaling up of our ambitions and our impact – in our first year of operation we welcomed over 400,000 visitors, more than doubling our target. As well as being a centre for contemporary art and workplace to our team of 15 staff, Collective is home to The Lookout, an award-winning restaurant franchised to our business partners The Gardener’s Cottage. Our own retail space and label, Collective Matter, is based inside the Observatory and sells a carefully selected range of gifts and editions which showcase ethical and local makers and suppliers. Later in 2021 we will complete the renovation of the site by launching Observatory House, Edinburgh’s unique hilltop retreat. This characterful house with a rich history sits on the corner of Collective overlooking the city and as a stylish holiday rental it will directly support our charitable work. Artistic Programme Collective work with artists to produce new art focusing on artist development, research, engagement and collaboration. All of our activities are driven by learning for artists and audiences alike by encouraging interaction between artists, specialists, constituencies, audiences, participants and staff. Our site in the City Observatory offers a rich environment to develop and present art that question the dominant narratives of our past in our contemporary context. Collective are committed to producing art work by national and international artists who haven’t had a significant exhibition opportunity in Scotland and supporting emergent artists based in Scotland through our peer development programme Satellites. Satellites Programme is the accelerated development programme which sits at the core of Collective. Selected by open submission by a changing selection panel, this programme supports practitioners individually and as a cohort to produce new work and develop the confidence and critical skills they need to thrive. Satellites is more than an exhibition opportunity and past participants have described it as a pivotal experience, due to the level of support received from Collective and the chance to develop through discursive engagement with a group of peers. Artists including Rachel Maclean, France Lise McGurn, Kathryn Elkin, Hardeep Pandhal, Katie Schwab, Rabiya Choudhry and Christian Newby all participated in the programme (or its predecessor New Work Scotland). In the City Dome, Collective’s unique exhibition space, we have commissioned and presented solo presentations by artists including: Dineo Seshee Bopape, Wendelien van Oldenborgh, Slavs and Tatars, Beatrice Gibson, James Richards and L’Atelier Observatoire. Collective’s programme supports art in all its diversity and through our Constellations Programme we invest in long-term relationships and research processes engaging with our site and local community to create impactful artistic outcomes. We have developed and are currently developing expansive projects by: Petra Bauer, Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa, Annette Kraus, James N Hutchinson, Clara Ursitti and Alexandra Laudo. Learning and local engagement are at the heart of Collective. We develop events as part of exhibition programmes and through Collective PLAY, our free play programme inspired by loose parts play theory, we COLLECTIVE | DIRECTOR
SB have welcomed hundreds of local families to Calton Hill to engage with play through contemporary art. Our new outdoor Play Shelter at Collective represents our commitment to expanding this strand of our work. A Sustainable Future Our trading enterprises are critical to our sustainability and successfully developing the opportunities presented by our unique site will be key to Collective achieving its charitable mission. The impact of the pandemic on our financial turnover since March 2020 has been considerable. We have been successful in attracting emergency funding but face challenges as we move into the recovery phase. We are investing in the development of Observatory House as a holiday let to further diversify our income. We are projecting that trading will recover and that trading turnover will be £815,000 in 2021/22 growing to £1,017,000 by 2024/25. Following the success of our initial capital redevelopment fundraising campaign from 2013 to 2018, we have now entered a new phase where ongoing support will be key. A recent report by Cause 4 indicated that we have significant potential to grow in this area and we anticipate increasing our capacity along with our returns. COLLECTIVE | DIRECTOR
SB COLLECTIVE | DIRECTOR
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The Role
PURPOSE OF POST
To build on Collective’s success in contemporary art, public engagement and trading enterprises and to lead
the organisation in developing and embedding a sustainable business
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Board are seeking a dynamic, creative and entrepreneurial Director who will provide strong strategic
direction and vision and continue to grow and build Collective as an organisation. They will be responsible
for consolidating the business, developing the strategic direction for the organisation and establishing
Collective as a leader in contemporary art and civic society. The new Director will provide excellent
leadership to the organisation and will combine creativity and commercial acumen.
Reporting to the Board and leading a high performing and dynamic team of individuals, the new Director
will be responsible for all aspects of internal and external leadership of Collective.
They will be responsible for the overall planning and ensuring the achievement of objectives for activity,
engagement, finance and profile of Collective. Within this will include board reporting, planning, policies,
activity, enterprise, staff management and finance responsibility and oversight.
Key Priorities at this time include:
• To develop and support management and staff, embedding a skilled and sustainable team of
people
• To develop and extend fundraising and philanthropy, and trading profit to achieve a
sustainable mixed funding model
• To increase Collective’s role and reputation in Edinburgh and internationally, including its civic
role
• To embed strong operational processes and efficient systems supporting Collective’s
development on site including Old Observatory House
COLLECTIVE | DIRECTOR
“Collective's mission
SB
is to bring people
together around new
art.”
COLLECTIVE | DIRECTORSB
Person specification
The successful candidate will be a dynamic and communicative leader, capable
of winning trust, and will bring:
• An extensive knowledge of the contemporary art world and an established network of contacts.
• International mindset and a strong creative vision.
• Strong relationship building skills, adept at developing strong partnerships and collaborations,
especially with potential donors.
• Ability to develop and execute a strong strategic vision and lead a talented team of people in
delivering an excellent visitor experience.
• Experienced leadership skills and responsibilities, a confident and experienced leader
• Commitment to the vision and values of Collective and its artistic and engagement policies and
practice
• Experience in raising income and funds in particular through enterprise, fundraising and
philanthropy
• Knowledge of the arts and cultural sector and its role within wider society, as well as an
understanding of its strategic and political environment.
Relevant Experience
• Senior management experience, preferably including experience in a cultural organisation
• Experience of setting and managing projects of varying size and scale.
• Experience of setting and managing budgets, alongside wider strategic and financial planning, and
generation and diversifying of income streams.
• Knowledge of the contemporary arts world and cultural sector and its role within wider society
• Knowledge of national arts policies and strategies in relation to Scotland and the wider UK.
Personal Attributes
• Entrepreneurial flair and expertise.
• Excellent leadership credentials and team management skills, with the ability to motivate people.
• Strong communicator with a diverse range of audiences including community groups, artists and
funders.
• Strong planning and financial skills and excellent business and commercial acumen and problem-
solving skills.
• Highly motivated, ambitious with the ability to think creatively and strategically.
• Confident networker, with a broad range of contacts, including artists, galleries, curators,
educators and funders, and ability to engage people at all levels and areas of business.
• A good understanding of the Scottish landscape will be desirable, but not essential.
COLLECTIVE | DIRECTORSB COLLECTIVE | DIRECTOR
SB Terms of appointment This is a full-time role with a permanent contract based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Salary will reflect the seniority of the role and will depend on skills and experience. Holiday entitlement: 25 days per annum plus 11 public holidays. Probationary period: six months. Pension: the post holder will be automatically enrolled into the qualifying works pension scheme; contributions are subject to the prevailing rules and eligibility. How to apply Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to The Collective on this appointment. Candidates should apply for this role through our website at www.saxbam.com/appointments using code CARALA. Click on the ‘apply’ button and follow the instructions to upload a CV, cover letter and complete the online equal opportunities monitoring* form. The closing date for applications is noon on Tuesday 21 September 2021. * The equal opportunities monitoring online form will not be shared with anyone involved in assessing your application. Please complete as part of the application process. COLLECTIVE | DIRECTOR
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London WC2E 7EG
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