Hereford Cultural Partnership is seeking a Programme Manager to deliver a transformative cultural programme in one of the UK’s most rural counties. If you have the skills and passion to make a difference, we encourage you to apply.

Employment Type: Freelance contract.

Contract Length: September 2024 to May 2027.

Remuneration: £350 /day for 47 days per year, x3 years, with inflation (to include travel and expenses).

Reporting to: Directors Herefordshire Cultural Partnership and Our Place Working Group.

Required: Access to a car for work use. DBS Certificate. Public Liability Insurance.

Location: Herefordshire-based, with frequent travel across the county and the option to hot desk with lead partners in Hereford, Leominster and Hay-on-Wye.

Start Date: September 2024 (ideally).

About Our Place
Over 3 years, the Our Place programme will establish a new model for community based socially engaged art practice in Herefordshire, one of the UK’s most rural counties, improving quality of life through enhanced cultural opportunities. The project is led by the Hereford Cultural Partnership and delivered by three established local cultural organisations, Leominster Cultural Consortium, Rural Media Charity, and Meadow Arts. They will collaborate with local communities in Leominster, South Wye and the Golden Valley to create and showcase live performances, digital content, and visual art.

The Our Place programme is generously supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and match funding from Herefordshire Council under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Public Health.

About the role
The Programme Manager will play a pivotal role in coordinating the Our Place programme, working closely with the three delivery partners to ensure the successful and timely implementation of the activity plan.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Programme Coordination: Manage the delivery of the Our Place programme from initiation to closure.
2. Project Controls: Establish consistent and appropriate project and programme controls, including performance monitoring and reporting.
3. Financial Management: Collaborate with delivery partners and the Programme Finance Manager/accountant to ensure quarterly financial reporting to the steering group, overseeing income, expenditure, and variance. Adhere to all funder financial reporting requirements and ensure timely and accurate draw-down of funds from Arts Council England, Herefordshire Council and others.
4. Stakeholder Relationships: Develop and maintain strong relationships and effective communication with internal and external programme stakeholders.
5. Meetings and Networking: Initiate and chair regular cross-programme meetings, site visits, and annual skills sharing, networking, and CPD training opportunities.
6. Marketing & Comms: Oversee management of a junior marketing and comms officer (whose role will include social media posts and coordination across programme partners); manage content for updates to The Shire website; develop a programme logo and branding style; ensure consistent quality messaging that includes and adheres to funders branding requirements.
7. Training Activities: Contribute to the design and delivery of both internal and external training activities.
8. Peer Learning and Community Exchange: Oversee 12 peer learning sessions, focusing on cultural sector impact on health and wellbeing, social prescribing, and skills from community engagement.
9. Programme Link: Act as the central link between delivery organisations to ensure coherent activity and learning dissemination.
10. Alignment with Health Programmes: Ensure all delivery partners are aligned and includes Herefordshire Council Public Health, Talk Community and Community Wellbeing services, Healthwatch Herefordshire, NHS partners and Taurus Healthcare Social Prescribing teams.
11. Evaluation Plan: Develop an evaluation plan to measure the programme’s impact, working with an independent evaluator or partner to evidence positive community change throughout the project duration.
12. Tender Processes: Produce tender documents and lead tender processes and negotiations for the recruitment of an Evaluation Consultant or partner.
13. Flexible Support: Provide expert programme management support to the delivery partners, working flexibly and creatively.

Skills and Experience:

Essential

• Demonstrable experience in planning and managing complex, partnership programmes while maintaining a focus on delivery and quality.
• Proven track record in delivering publicly funded projects, including comprehensive monitoring and evaluation.
• Strong financial and budgeting skills, with the ability to manage budgets, forecast expenses, and ensure financial compliance.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to build and sustain positive working relationships with colleagues, stakeholders, and external partners.
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills, capable of working across diverse functional and stakeholder groups.
• Knowledge of best practices in co-creation and place-based initiatives, with experience in community empowerment projects.
• Proficiency in written communication, including drafting website content, press releases, and comprehensive report writing.
• Demonstrated ability to plan workloads efficiently to meet tight deadlines, coupled with a flexible and proactive approach to problem-solving and prioritisation.
• Effective ICT skills across a range of common applications, including Microsoft Office and Google Drive.
• Ability to work independently without regular supervision, demonstrating initiative and self-motivation.
• Willingness and ability to travel across Herefordshire, including to rural areas with limited public transport.

Desirable

• Experience in delivering projects aligned with Arts Council England’s Let’s Create strategy and Investment Principles.
• Experience working within a health and wellbeing setting, understanding the intersection between cultural and health initiatives.
• Recognised Programme/Project management qualification (e.g., PRINCE2, MSP, APM, Agile).
• Knowledge of the target areas (Golden Valley, South Wye, and Leominster) to inform culturally sensitive and relevant project delivery.