Senior Officer, Communications and Place Policy (ARTCF248)

Senior Officer, Communications and Place Policy (ARTCF248)

Contract: Fixed term until 31 March 2027, working 17.5 hours per week (Arts Council also recognises the benefit of flexible working as a valued part of the way we work, and welcome applications from individuals who require flexibility)

Salary: £38,689 (pro rata) per annum Grade C plus benefits including a final salary pension scheme, generous annual leave, and flexible and hybrid working. 

Location: Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham, Bristol, Cambridge or Brighton. (The role will be based in any of the locations listed; however, we are operating a hybrid way of working and support our staff to make use of remote working options when combined with regular on-site contact days with other members of the team, normally 1-2 days a week) 

Introduction:

This role will be based in the National Partnerships and Place team. Our work contributes to Arts Council’s Strategic Framework. Arts Council England investment should support everybody in every community, village, town and city to connect with excellent art and culture. We recognise culture’s power to drive economic growth, social cohesion and good health. We work with investment partners, including other National Lottery distributors, local government, schools, further and higher education, health and care organisations, trusts and foundations, and businesses to maximise culture’s impact in place.

This role will be part of the national team engaged with place policy and the political environment within which the Arts Council operates, specifically how we engage with Local Government parters such as Mayoral Strategic Authorities and Local Authorities. This is a dynamic and fast paced landscape, and we are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Senior Officer to provide comms support for the team and our place-led tools such as the Culture and Place Data Explorer.

Role Details:

• As a skilled communications and engagement officer you will be supporting the arts and culture sector and Arts Council England by developing and delivery of communication and engagement plans around place policy and tools that support place-based working such as the Culture and Place Data Explorer. We are seeking support in communicating our response to local government reorganisation and our work with mayoral strategic authorities alongside creating, drafting and editing content around place policy, the Culture and Place Data Explorer, our work with cultural compacts and culture priority places for different channels and audiences, both externally and internally.

• We're looking for a highly organised and collaborative individual with excellent communication skills; you should be highly organised and able to prioritise and juggle multiple priorities and exercise effective judgement when managing complex tasks. We are also seeking strong interpersonal and communication skills – both speaking and in writing – and the ability to present and advocate for place, communicate in a confident and engaging manner and influence individuals.

• This is a fixed term role until 31 March 2027. If you’d like to discuss the role, please contact Ria Ryan, Senior Manager, Place  
  ria.ryan@artscouncil.org.uk

Equality Diversity and Inclusion Statement: Arts Council are committed to being an inclusive employer, building an inclusive workplace, and recruiting a workforce that is as diverse as the communities we serve. However, you identify, and whatever background you bring with you, we welcome you to apply for a role at Arts Council.

If there are any adjustments that would support you in your application, please do let us know when you apply. If you are disabled, Evenbreak are able to provide support with your application. For further information please visit their website here

We participate in the ‘Offer an Interview’ scheme which means that we offer an interview to any disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role they’re applying to, subject to the volume of applications received.  Disabled candidates, those living with a long-term condition and/ or neurodivergent candidates may be eligible for this scheme. The scheme uses the definition of disability from the Equality Act 2010 to determine eligibility.  More information is included in the application guidance.

About us: Arts Council offers a range of benefits to our employees including hybrid and flexible working, a generous annual leave allowance and the Arts Council Retirement Plan - a final salary scheme. To find out more, click here.

Our Code of Ethics requires that employees of the Arts Council are not able to receive an Arts Council grant, investment or loan funding - either in person, as a member of a partnership, or for any organisation they own. There are also limitations on board or CEO positions employees can hold in organisations we fund. For more information on this, please talk to the recruiting manager or contact recruitment@artscouncil.org.uk

We believe our recruitment process should be inclusive and transparent. Find out what to expect with our application Guidance: How to apply and recruitment selection process | Arts Council England and more about our commitment to diversity on our website here. 

To view the job description please click here

To view the recruitment pack which outlines more details about working for Arts Council please click here  

Job ref: ARTCF248

Closing date: 09:00am, Monday 21 September 2026

Interviews: (virtual) Friday 02 October 2026

Please note: We do NOT accept CVs or cover letters as part of our recruitment process. If you require any documentation in an alternative format, please contact recruitment@artscouncil.org.uk