Position Details

Barber Institute of Fine Art

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £23,373 to £24,947

From 1 November 2023 the salary range will increase to £25,866 to £27,518, with potential progression once in post to £30,820

Band: 400

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 15th November 2023

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

About the Barber and Role

The Barber Institute is an art gallery and concert hall on the University of Birmingham’s campus. It houses a world-class collection of fine art paintings, decorative objects, coins and prints, within a purpose built Grade-1-listed building.

We are looking for a Learning & Engagement Coordinator to devise programmes for schools and families, creating inspiring content and collaborating with the Barber’s local communities in line with our new Audience Development Plan.

The role will be responsible for developing and delivering innovative and inclusive learning programmes for school children, including children with SEND, and delivering co-production projects and interpretation across families and young people. They will coordinate and deliver collaborative projects and programmes with these audiences. As part of the wider Barber and Learning & Engagement team, this role will work collaboratively with colleagues, providing expertise to make the Barber friendly, accessible and inclusive for these audiences.

We invite applications from all areas of the community, for those who see themselves as a great communicator, a team player, with a strong interest in working creatively with children and young people.

About the Learning & Engagement Team

Learning & Engagement is at the heart of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, delivering on the Barber Institute’s mission to creatively engage people with the arts and music.

The Learning & Engagement (L&E) team designs, organises and delivers the L&E programme for the Barber’s audiences and implements policies that support engagement with our collections and exhibitions. Our programme aims to engage with our audiences, providing opportunities to connect, inspire and create meaningful interactions with our collection. This role provides support to the Head of Learning and Engagement and is key to underpinning and progressing the Learning and Engagement team’s ambitious and forward-thinking work.

Through our L&E programmes the Barber aims to enhance learning, facilitate the big conversations and change lives.

The programme continues to grow and evolve – for example, in 2019 the team launched Barber Lates, a programme of cross-disciplinary, experimental evening events designed to attract new audiences to the Barber. In response to the Covid lockdown and closure of the Barber’s physical building the team launched the innovative digital programme Barber Home in April 2020. Since then the team have built an experimental and creative programme that responds to the experiences of the past few years, developing its audience engagement to include a supportive programme for UoB students and further programmes that embody arts, health and wellbeing. Over the past two years the team have developed the innovative Barber Health project. Working closely with the Barber’s L&E team, community and artist partners have shaped the design of creative and innovative Barber Health activities, events and resources that utilise and share the Barber’s collection.

Our post pandemic journey has centred the development of programmes that specifically support children and young people, offering free and creative activities and resources that support accessing culture, inspiring opportunities and connection with other people. This has led to reframing our schools work with Barber Schools and Barber Family work which has resulted recently in the Barber Family Festival August 2023, engaging nearly 1,500 people with a dynamic programme of artist led events.

Being part of the University of Birmingham (UoB) offers a wealth of exciting possibilities for the Barber, and the L&E team in particular. A strategic priority is to strengthen, grow and explore our relationships with the University community through academic, extracurricular or staff engagement. Our University engagement sits holistically alongside our public engagement, with the two informing each other to facilitate unique interpretations and conversations.

Main Duties

Programme design and delivery:

• Work with the Head of Learning & Engagement to design and deliver the family and schools programme, including artist led workshops, drop-in activities and bespoke projects.
• Deliver the family programme’s regular weekend workshops, early year’s workshops and drop in holiday activities.
• Deliver a school’s programme of creative workshops and guided tours, including bespoke sessions for SEND groups.
• Research and implement partnership and programme opportunities to grow and sustain our Barber Schools offer.
• Develop creative learning programmes that are responsive to the Barber’s collection and current interests and issues facing children and young people.
• Work with artists collaborators freelancers and external partners to collaborate with on the Learning & Engagement programme, as requested with the Head of Learning & Engagement, and coordinate their contribution to the programme effectively.
• Produce engaging and accessible resources and interpretation to support the Barber programme, linking to the gallery collection and temporary exhibition programme.
• Work with the L&E administrator to provide administrative support for all aspects of the programme – including scheduling, planning and workshop preparation.
• Work with the Barber’s Visitor Services Teams to ensure smooth delivery and planning of the Learning & Engagement programmes.

Relationships and Communication:

• Continue and build long term relationships with schools and family networks.
• Advocate for and raise awareness of the Barber and L&E programmes to its audiences, collaborating partners and stakeholders. Identify and explore national and international relationships as requested by the Head of Learning & Engagement.
• Attend relevant UoB, wider sector and community meetings and be a positive advocate for the Barber Institute.
• Contribute to the planning and delivery of the L&E programme within the given budget, recording and monitoring all expenditure in line with UoB financial systems and procedures.
• Communicate and liaise effectively and clearly with audiences, artists, partners and gallery staff to ensure the successfully delivery of all aspects of L&E work.
• Work proactively and collaboratively with the Barber’s Communications and Marketing team – including copy writing and supporting the team on programme communications.

Administrative duties:

• Adhere to all GDPR, Risk Assessing, Safeguarding and wider Policies (training will be provided).
• Be a First Aider (training will be provided).
• Contribute programme updates to Barber and UoB reports and events, as requested by the Head of L&E.
• Assist in the reporting of outcomes to funders and other stakeholders, including working on data collection, research and evaluation.

CPD and responsibilities to the team:

• Continually research best practice in the sector and proactively make contact with relevant organisations/colleagues to share practice.
• Keep up to date with developments in L&E practice and the school, FE, HE and cultural sectors.
• Contribute to an L&E team culture of sharing practice, critical analysis and reflection by proactively participating in team meetings and CPD.
• Assist the Head of L&E in the supervision of the L&E Intern, placements or volunteers. This may include organising tasks and providing support and guidance when required.

Other requirements:

• Any other duties commensurate with the post, as requested by the Head of L&E.
• The post holder must be prepared to occasional work evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays as agreed by the Head of L&E, for which time can be taken off in lieu.
• The post holder will be required to work onsite at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, and in community settings.
• This role allows for flexible working arrangements. These can be discussed at interview.
• The successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check and to provide proof of their right to work in the UK.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

Essential

• A demonstrable engagement with, and enthusiasm for, arts, heritage, culture and learning
• Experience of working in a museum, gallery, visual arts or community arts setting
• The ability to plan and deliver practical creative events, workshops or activities and ensuring their successful delivery (online and/or in person events)
• Experience of working with a wide range of age groups, including children and young people
• Ability to work with a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Excellent organisation and time management skills
• Ability to coordinate freelance artists, creative practitioners and external partners
• Ability to coordinate resources and to work to a given budget
• Ability to adhere to legislation, policies and procedures (e.g. health and safety legislation, risk assessment procedures, safeguarding policies and procedures, financial protocols and GDPR)
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team and know when each approach is appropriate
• Ability to proactively initiate, develop and sustain productive and effective relationships with colleagues, external partners and stakeholders from a range of settings
• Excellent digital skills, including working knowledge of Word, Excel, Outlook, Zoom and social media platforms
• Ability to approach both challenges and opportunities with a creative, positive and collaborative attitude

Desirable but not essential

• Experience of working with people with SEND (Special education needs and disability)
• Ability to engage diverse audiences with visual art collections
• Experience of working in both a formal and informal learning context
• Experience of working effectively with communications and marketing teams
• Experience designing learning resources using digital software
• Clean driving license

DBS required

The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.

Other Information

Interviews are planning to take place w/c 11th December 2023

Please note that interviews will be held if possible in person at the Barber Institute. This will be confirmed on invite to interview.

Target Start Date: w/c 15th January 2024

Please note that applications and CV’s sent direct to the Learning & Engagement Team will not be considered.

Informal enquiries to the Learning & Engagement Team, email: learning@barber.org.uk

View our staff values and behaviours here

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .