Eva Sajovic, #endofempire for British Textiles Biennial
Image: Diane Muldowney
Programme and Practice
35 hrs per week
Fixed term contract (up until end of current NPO period March 2026 with possible extension to March 2027)
Salary: £30,686 (In-Situ flat rate)
Location: The Garage, Northlight, Brierfield, Pendle, East Lancashire
Hours of work: flexible including evening and weekends
Application deadline: 12 noon on Monday 20th May
Interviews: Tuesday 4th June at The Garage
In-Situ is recruiting a new team member to co-ordinate and deliver our programme. This is an exciting time to join the organisation and you will have scope to collaboratively shape the future programme with an eye on the sustainable future development of the organisation in line with its mission, values and methodology. We are seeking an ethically motivated person, who is currently engaged in and knowledgeable about contemporary art practice, community embedded art and social justice and is experienced in commissioning and delivering projects, budget management and fundraising.
In-Situ operates with a fluid leadership structure and equal pay: all team members are paid the same salary*, and all team members are equally involved in decision-making and the development of the organization. As such it is imperative that the new recruit is a team worker who openly contributes and shares ideas, knowledge and information. The shaping of the programme should influence the shaping of the organisation and visa versa. A creative approach is essential, as is enthusiasm and commitment. We encourage experimentation and the development of new approaches, unique to our organisation, its local context and ethos.
* with the exception of the internship, which is paid at the voluntary living wage
In-Situ is embedded in Pendle, which benefits from a multicultural community and we encourage applications from people based in the region and applications from diverse backgrounds.
To apply, please submit:
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A letter of application (max 500 words or 2 sides of A4 max), outlining your relevant experience and why you are interest in working at In-Situ.
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CV (max 2 sides) including the contact details of 2 referees including past employer. We will only contact these if you accept the offer of a position.
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An access rider if relevant
Email to: paul@in-situ.org.uk, titled ‘Programme and Practice Application’
By 12 noon on Monday 20th May
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If you would like to discuss the role in advance of making an application, please email paul@in-situ.org.uk to arrange a conversation.
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Shortlisted applicants will be emailed on Friday 24th May
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We are unable to provide feedback to unshortlisted applicants, but we will let you know by email if you have not been selected for interview on this occasion.
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We will reimburse any travel costs to attend an interview - please email a receipt and bank details to paul@in-situ.org.uk
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Please let us know in advance of any requirements you have to enable you to join us for interview
About In-Situ
In-Situ is an artist led organisation embedding art into everyday life in Pendle.
In-Situ’s Vision is:
For art to be part of everyday life
For our art to challenge current thinking about environment, people, place and culture
For our art to be an art of action
For our art to contribute to society as a whole
In-Situ create the infrastructure and conditions for art, artists, and culture to be a valued and relevant aspect to the everyday life of Pendle’s people and places.
The term ‘embedded practice’ describes the work In-Situ does as an organisation, enables and advocates. Working closely and responsively with local communities, partner organisations, artists, stakeholders, and experts from other disciplines In-Situ produces art that addresses local issues with the aim to make a positive difference to people’s lives and the environment.
In-Situ’s business plan has three main programme themes:
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Where we are (at)
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Future Economies and Ecologies
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Natural environments and the non-human
In-Situ enables the exploration of these themes through creative and critical approaches that transverse art practice and community engagement. Collaboration, co-production, interdisciplinary working and shared learning underpin the creative activity that In-Situ nurtures and allows to flourish.
In-Situ embraces the slow, attentive and exploratory nature of this embedded practice: taking responsibility to build, grow and sustain conditions that enable fresh perspectives and collective action that positively transforms people’s lives.
In 2023 we were awarded our second Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio Organsiation (NPO) funding taking us up until 2026, with an extension to 2027.
Programme and Practice
Job description
The Programme Coordinator will be responsible for commissioning, producing and delivering our NPO funded programme of artist projects and residencies and continuing to build best standards in practice around ethics and policy.
The roleholder will be best placed to have a background in contemporary art practice with a view of national and international networks and be lead by research interests which intersect with In-Situ’s programme strands, code of ethics or way of working. An enquiring mind, ability to form meaningful relationships and a sense of possibility, motivated around questions of equality and social justice and a holistic approach to supporting the work of the organisation as a whole.
You will ideally be adept at managing finance, have proven track record with funding bids and seek out opportunities for public speaking and disseminating our practice to sector and academic fields. You will come with a network of artists and peers which will be of relevance to our programme and communities. If not based locally, you will be committed to extending this network to include (East) Lancashire.
As well as overseeing the development and delivery of the programme, the role holder will work with core team members to develop the future vision and ambition for In-Situ as we continue our aims to develop an embedded and sustainable practice based on longterm relationship with communities in our locale. You will be interested in the relationship between policy and practice and the continual re-evaluation of our work and ethos.
We are seeking someone who has the vision to continue inroads in foregrounding contemporary practice by Pakistani heritage artists, building links with the LGBTQIA+ community in Pendle, supporting the development of an artist network for East Lancs artists and working in dialogue with community groups and partners. As well as working in this embedded context, you will also be interested in connecting with national and international audiences for our work.
It would be a benefit to have a commitment to the area, and/or a commitment to residing in or close to the locale. As our programme is shaped by the influence of local communities, a keen awareness of historic and emerging communities is crucial.
Programme and Practice Role
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Overseeing programme development with the core team;
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Project management of specific projects in In-Situ’s programme
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Writing artist briefs and contracts;
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Taking a lead on Activity Plan and Investment Principals reporting with ACE;
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Liaising with our evaluation consultants and working with supplied data;
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Shortlisting and selecting artists and practitioners;
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Proactively engaging in and supporting local arts ecologies;
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Support the delivery of international collaborations and foster opportunities to deepen relationships with artists working in Pakistan;
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Develop a commissioning policy in line with our Business Plan and Equality Policy;
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Supporting commissioned practitioners;
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Coordinating programme logistics;
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Building relationship with community groups, developing new audiences and being present in the locale, including co-facilitation or support of workshops where necessary;
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Support the formation of new programme strands in response to local need where appropriate;
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Liaising with project partners and collaborators;
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Managing the programme budgets;
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Seeking opportunities for future collaborations;
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Writing funding bids;
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Representing In-Situ’s programme and practice at sector and peer-led events;
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Curatorial research to inform the development of programme and organisation.
As part of In-Situ’s Core team
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Collective responsibility for the running, vision and development of the organisation, in accordance with shared aims and values, outlined in the Business Plan, Code of Ethics and Policies;
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Contributing to quarterly Programming and Evaluation meetings and providing updates to core team and Board;
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Maintaining data records and reporting for Arts Council England (ACE);
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Budget holder and lead on particular programmes in our ACE NPO Activity Plan;
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Actively engaging with data from Kirsty and implementing changes in your lead area;
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Actively upholding and building the organisational structure in dialogue with the Core Team and Board, identifying areas for decision making and policy writing;
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Continual learning around the practice and relevant subjects;
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Time spent engaging with the community weekly embedded and identifying new groups to work with;
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Commitment to learning and spending time in Brierfield and Pendle;
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Fundraising and writing and supporting the writing of bids;
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Participating in local and national networks;
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Presentations, talks and panel discussions around practice;
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Participate in ongoing conversations about In-Situ planning and org development;
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Supporting trainees, visitors, freelancers and artists working with In-Situ;
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Working closely with the core team, attending and participating in team meetings, ensuring Dropbox files, mailing lists and shared platforms are up to date, sharing information and contacts, contributing ideas and knowledge, and grant/income generation;
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Liaising with Marketing role which may involve drafting copy, sourcing images and support for sharing information online and in real life;
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Support day-to-day running of The Garage: greeting visitors and general housekeeping;
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Budget management and finance - invoices, petty cash, expenses and recording funding/income/donations to the programme;
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Championing In-Situ locally, regionally and nationally.
Role Requirements
Experience:
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At least 3 years of cultural producer experience in developing creative and cultural programmes of work and project management skills, budget management and familiar with monitoring and evaluation methods;
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Working with artists and other creatives; seeing through commissioning artists, supporting artists in their idea development and project delivery;
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Experience of writing project briefs and funding applications.
Knowledge and Skills:
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Critical awareness and knowledge of contemporary art practice, specifically: socially engaged art, environmental/ecological art, non-gallery art, social art practice and art as activism and art in regeneration;
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Knowledge of or interest in self-organising, alternative organisational structures;
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Engagement with theory and practice around social justice;
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Knowledge of current thinking around engagement and participation;
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Critical awareness of the impact of working in communities;
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Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
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Excellent public speaking and presentation skills;
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Proven record of fundraising including successful grant/awards/trust applications;
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Management of budgets over £20k;
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Competent working knowledge MS Office, Apple Mac and ability to work across digital platforms such as Slack and Dropbox.
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Ability to commit to occasional evening and weekend working.
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Current Driving Licence (desirable)
Personal Specifications:
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Pro-active, positive, co-operative and a team worker
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Self-motivated and ability to work under own initiative.
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Excellent communication skills
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Friendly, down to earth, and approachable
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Ability to problem solve.
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Respect for others.