Are you our new Creative Producer?

We have been awarded £155,850 over two years by the National Lottery Community Fund to:

• develop a community-led arts strategy through significant engagement with people across Carrick
• run monthly events in the Town Hall that are open to all and help to bring the arts strategy to life. 

This work is led by two Creative Producers sharing a full-time role. We are currently recruiting for one Creative Producer to share this role with our existing part-time Creative Producer who has been in post since November 2022.

• Who this role reports to: Positive Carrickfergus Board – Lee Robb, the founder of Positive Carrickfergus will provide support, development and guidance as line manager
• Hours per week: 17.5 hrs per week 
• Working days: The successful candidate should be available to work on a Thursday or Friday with the existing Creative Producer, as well as another day and a half each week, preferably on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
• Salary:  £17,500
• Holidays: 25 days per annum and 12 public holidays 
• Pension: 5%
• Contract Term: Permanent, subject to funding – initially for until September 2024. Probationary period of 6 months.
• Location: Positive Carrickfergus Talking Shop with some home working  
• How this role is funded: National Lottery Community Fund

This role is not a traditional community development or arts producer role. 

Positive Carrickfergus has been developed in an emergent way, deeply immersed in the context of our town and community. We listen carefully, working with what is emerging through the relationships we build to engage people and build confidence that the community can deliver changes that we want to see, rather than waiting for others to do it for us. 

Other people’s work that inspires and informs us

We are inspired and energised regularly by the work and thinking that we see happening across the world. It’s important to us that we acknowledge those people who have inspired us, and it will be vital that the successful candidate connects with this work. 

You do not need to understand this work in detail to apply for this role, but you might like to do some further reading to understand what we’re about, what will be expected of the successful candidate as they deliver this project, and whether we are the right organisation for you.

We have been strongly influenced by the work of the International Futures Forum in how we have defined this role and, if you are interested in applying, we recommend that you read what they say about the Creative Producer competencies.

We have also been influenced by the following writers and these specific books in how we do things and what we do:

• Adrienne Maree Brown – Emergent Strategy
• Rob Hopkins – From What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want
• Jon Yates – Fractured: How We Learn to Live Together

We are part of a wider movement of organisations and initiatives that are helping to build the ‘Citizen Story’ outlined by Jon Alexander in his book, Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us.

Our approach to creating the conditions for positive change in Carrick is underpinned by systems thinking and practice and Cormac Russell’s work on Asset Based Community Development.

Role purpose 

We are excited and grateful to have received funding for this role from the National Lottery Community Fund and believe it presents an amazing opportunity to prioritise community and creativity in Carrickfergus and make a real difference to how we see ourselves and what we believe is possible. 

Specifically, the purpose of this role is to work with the current part-time Creative Producer and the Positive Carrickfergus Board and the community to lead on:

• building strong, trusting relationships with people and organisations so that all our work is led by what people want for Carrick, and invites people to get involved and take the lead where they can 
• the development of an arts strategy for Carrickfergus that is community-led, seeking expert input when necessary 
• programming and managing events in the Town Hall and our Talking Shop ensuring that they are showcasing the talent in Carrickfergus as well as demonstrating what is possible in a future Carrickfergus 
• setting up and facilitating a steering group of artists and representatives of arts and community organisation to support event programming
• communications including creating digital and physical content that demonstrates transparency about what we are doing and why we are doing it, creates connections and builds confidence in the community to lead on making Carrick a great place to live and work
• developing new projects that emerge from our relationships and from opportunities that we help to create
• fundraising, monitoring, and evaluation including managing tenders and contracts
• managing our premises in The Courtyard, Scotch Quarter
• managing our finances including the budget for this project alongside the Board, in particular, our Treasurer.
• reporting regularly on progress, issues, risks, and opportunities to our Board
• representing Positive Carrickfergus at meetings and events.

Your approach to working with people and your behaviours will be essential to the success of this project and role. We are looking for someone who:

• Is self-aware – you understand your strengths and make space for others to support you when you need help
• Demonstrates humility – you know you don’t have all the answers – and that is an opportunity to connect with others who might
• Has faith in the future and can inspire others who may be despairing
• Has the capacity to lead within a system and wants to contribute to building a system where leadership is shared
• Is careful and responsible with their power and influence
• Prioritises context – you respond to context with appropriate and relevant ideas and proposals rather than focusing on models or ideas which are less likely to make sense or thrive in Carrick 
• Is rigorous in their planning and delivery, doing things to a high standard and taking care of themselves and others, understanding that rigour is vital in building trust and confidence.

All applications will be assessed to determine the extent to which the applicant demonstrates and evidences the following essential criteria. The desirable criteria will be used to select those candidates we will interview should more than four people meet the essential criteria.  

Essential skills and strengths:  

If you have these skills and strengths, you are more likely to enjoy the day to day demands of this role: 

• Significant experience of working with people in a relational way as part of a wider community
• A strong understanding of the context in Carrickfergus 
• A heart for building community, the arts and Carrickfergus
• Experience of programming arts events
• Excellent communication skills
• Willingness and ability to work outside normal office hours to deliver events
• Creative, with the capacity to turn ideas into action
• Strong planning and organising/project management/event management skills and experience
• IT literate
• Experience of managing budgets

Desirable criteria

If you also have the following understanding and experience, you will do well from the very beginning: 

• Existing connections with the community and key stakeholders in Carrickfergus that can be built on as part of this project
• Experience of working with freelancers and contractors
• Experience of monitoring and evaluation
• Experience of fundraising and managing grants
• Experience of creating digital content and communicating through Mailchimp and social media channels
• Experience of writing press releases and working with traditional media
• Strategy development

Ready to apply? 

• Send the following to positivecarrickfergus@gmail.com by midnight on 2 June 2023.  
• A covering statement (no more than two sides of A4) that clearly demonstrates how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the essential criteria (and the desirable criteria, if relevant) listed above.  
• An up-to-date CV. 
• Contact details for two referees. 
• We may approach your referees before the process has concluded. If you’d rather we didn’t let us know when you apply.

 What about the interview format?

• We expect interviews to take place on/around 16 June 2023.   
• We may ask you to deliver a short presentation as part of the interview process.
• We hope to be able to do face to face interviews in our premises on The Courtyard, Scotch Quarter. We can also do interviews online and will ask what you prefer if you are invited to interview.