NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
Young People’s Programmes Assistant (3 days per week)
The National Portrait Gallery’s overall aim is…to promote through the medium of portraits the appreciation and understanding of the men and women who have made and are making British history and culture, and…to promote the appreciation and understanding of portraiture in all media.
Learning is central to the work of the National Portrait Gallery. The Learning department is responsible for working with new and existing audiences to increase opportunities for learning and participation with the Gallery’s collection. Opportunities for dialogue, response and debate within the programme are encouraged.
The Department is committed to an approach that is stimulating and inclusive by working with audiences and expertise to develop approaches that represent the diversity of Britain today.
Purpose
To be responsible for programme and administrative support for a range of activity associated with the Young People’s Programme for 14-21 year olds and administrative support for the Family Programme on-site at the Gallery. The post holder will support effective programme delivery by ensuring excellent communication approaches with all key departments and delivery teams is set up and undertaken regularly.
The Young People’s Programmes Assistant is part of the Young People’s team in the Gallery’s Learning department. The team develops innovative onsite and offsite learning approaches for 3-21 year olds through consultative and developmental practice. A team of specialist Learning Freelancers, and guest creative practitioners help deliver sessions and projects for key audiences.
The Young People’s Programme is dedicated to working with 14-21 year olds outside of school hours, in a variety of ways. Programmes and targeted projects are developed with input from the Gallery’s peer-led Youth Forum, enabling the Gallery to embed youth-led practice into its programme of activities which include drop-in and booked creative sessions, special events and increasingly exhibition related project work.
The Family Programme encourages intergenerational family groups to explore the Gallery’s Collection and temporary exhibitions through a range of onsite creative sessions, including regular Art Workshops, Storytelling sessions and drop-in activities. Self-directed resources aimed at encouraging diverse family groups to access the Gallery are an area of current focus, following recent a recent review and audience research.
Regular evening and weekend working is expected as part of the role.
Main duties
1. Programme support services for Young People’s Programme
(up to two days per week)
· Coordinate smooth delivery of Sunday Sessions once per month, ensuring signage is up and marketing materials available, and all paperwork including running orders, risk assessments, payment forms are completed. Liaising with Gallery staff including the Visitor Services team and freelancers onsite on the day.
· Ensure smooth operation of drop-in gallery sessions for Young People.
· Introduce speakers/artists or programmes to session participants.
· Assist the Young People’s Programmes Manager with Youth Forum meetings, once per month, including taking and communicating minutes. Run additional Youth Forum meetings as required, under the guidance of the Young People’s Programmes Manager and Head of Young People.
· Working with Youth Forum and Youth Crew members to ensure that social media updates by Young People are timely, appropriate and effective.
· Supervise Youth Forum Gallery talks, and organise training for talks, as required.
· Email or phone contact to programme participants to ensure they are aware of programme times and contents, and to encourage maximum attendance at sessions.
· To work closely with the Learning Services department to ensure booking procedures are streamlined and effective as part of wider department activity.
2. Administrative support for both Young People’s Programme and Family Programme
(up to one day per week)
· To work closely with both Young People’s Programme Manager and Family Programme Manager to ensure logistical and operational aspects of the relevant programmes are effectively planned, co-ordinated and implemented.
· Working with Gallery freelancers and Learning Services Coordinator to ensure materials and equipment for programmes is in place.
· Liaising with Learning Freelancers and Learning Workshop Assistants during sessions to ensure programmes run smoothly.
· Ensuring email databases for both programmes are updated to ensure e-bulletins and e-flyers reach the appropriate audiences.
· Collection and summarisation of evaluation forms, statistics and other paperwork.
· Management of image databases, and selection of key images for web pages.
· Ensuring Family and Young People’s website pages are updated, working with Learning Services Coordinator and Digital Programmes, and rewrite ‘What’s On’ events to suit the events section on the website.
· Work with Visitor Services team to ensure that the VS Team and the public are informed about events or event changes.
· Booking signage for monthly weekend events through Learning Services Coordinator or Design, and ensuring all signage is onsite.
· Effective photographic documentation of sessions or workshops with digital camera, if required.
As a member of the Learning department the postholder will be involved in all aspects of the department’s activity. They will contribute to quarterly strategic planning meetings shaping the content and approach of key parts of the Young People’s and Family Programmes.
This is not, however, an exhaustive list of duties and the Gallery’s management may, at any time, allocate other tasks which are of a similar nature or level.
Reporting
This post is based within the Learning department and will be line managed by the Young People’s Programmes Manager. They will meet regularly with the Head of Young People to ensure an overview is maintained and directional activity is supported. This reporting structure is intended to ensure the balance of the role is monitored, supported and managed effectively. Day-to-day input will also be given by the Family Programmes Manager to ensure the postholder works across and understands the Family Programmes offer which they will be providing administrative assistance on too.
Other key working relationships in the Learning department include those with freelancers and the Learning Services team. Across the Gallery, the postholder will be expected to develop good working relationships with Visitor Services, Marketing and Digital Programmes.
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NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
Young People’s Programmes Assistant
Person Specification
Qualifications and Experience
Essential
· Educated to degree level (a degree in history, art, art education or a related field would be desirable though not essential).
· Previous experience working with young people aged 14-21, preferably in a cultural institution.
· Knowledge and understanding of innovative creative programming approaches for, and with, young people and family audiences.
· Familiar with working with social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and blogging, and its relevance to youth and family audiences.
· Awareness of Child Protection and Duty of Care issues for children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Desirable
· Previous consultative work with Youth Forums or committees of young people, preferably in a museum, gallery or cultural organisation.
· Experience working with external arts and community partners, and liaising with stakeholders.
· Experience working with intergenerational family groups aged 3+.
· Experience of producing clear and effective copy for a range of audiences would be desirable.
Skills and Attributes
· Excellent administrative, organisational and time management skills are essential, and to be able to work to tight deadlines and prioritise multiple tasks.
· A strong understanding of the Learning sector (formal and informal), especially out-of-school learning initiatives and programming approaches for young people programming and families.
· Practical, proactive and willing to be flexible and adaptable.
· Good knowledge and experience of IT applications, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and be a competent user of e-mail and the Internet.
· Excellent written and verbal communication and inter-personal skills are essential.
· Keen attention to detail in all aspects of activity associated with the programme.
· A commitment to using existing and workable processes and developing associated systems for effective and efficient service delivery.
· Able to work both independently and collaboratively with the Young People’s Programmes Team, and with colleagues across the Department and Gallery.
· Manual handling skills, as some lifting will be required.
Other
· A keen interest in and commitment to learning in museums and galleries.
· A keen interest and general knowledge of British history/art.
· An understanding and interest in the Gallery’s programme of events for families and young people.
NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
Young People’s Programmes Assistant
Details of the post are given below and in the attached job description. You should take care to show in your application how you can fulfil the requirements of the job.
Period of Appointment
This post is fixed for a period of 1 year.
Hours
Your contracted hours of work will be 24 gross (3 days) per week, including a lunch break of one hour per full day worked.
Salary
The salary for this post will be pro-rata £20,637 per annum.
Annual Leave
The annual leave allowance for this post is 25 days, pro-rata, per annum. Annual leave needs are usually agreed. However the nature of the Gallery’s business activities means that it may not always possible to take these during school holidays.
Place of Work
Most of the work is based in the Gallery at St Martin’s Place, but all staff are required to work at other locations if necessary.
Equality
The Gallery believes in the employment and advancement of people solely on their ability to do the job required. When recruiting people, we will therefore disregard their gender, marital status, race, age, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, religion and sexual orientation. There will be no unfair discrimination on the basis of disability. If you would like to submit your application in a different format we are happy to allow this. Please contact us (telephone: 020 7306 0055 email: ) so that we may discuss suitable alternatives.
Pension
Pension benefits are provided under the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS).
Probation and Trial Period
All appointments are subject to satisfactory employment and character references, security clearance and eligibility to work in the UK. There is a probationary period of 1 year for all permanent posts. The probationary period for this post is 6 months.
Data Protection Act
Information provided by you as part of your application will be used in the recruitment process. Any data about you will be held securely with access restricted to those involved in dealing with your application in the recruitment process. Once this process is completed the data relating to unsuccessful applicants will be stored for a maximum of 6 months and then destroyed. If you are the successful candidate, your application form will be retained and form the basis of your personnel record. Information provided by you on the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form will be used to monitor National Portrait Gallery’s equal opportunities policy and practices. By signing and submitting your completed application form you are giving your consent to your data being stored and processed (if you submit your application by e-mail and the application form is un-signed we will assume that consent by you is given) for the purpose of the recruitment process, equal opportunities monitoring and your personnel record if you are the successful candidate.
Season Tickets
Interest free loans are available for the purchase of a season ticket for travel to work.
Please return your completed application form to:
Personnel at:
Or by post
Caroline Wynter
Head of Personnel
National Portrait Gallery
2 St Martin’s Place
London
WC2H 0HE
by 9.00am on Friday 25 May 2012.
We are expecting to hold interviews on Thursday 7 June 2012. Please indicate on the form if you will not be available on this date.
If you are delivering your application by hand, please take it to the reception desk at 39-45 Orange Street.
To ensure the best possible use of our limited resources we are unable to respond to every application. If you have not had a response to your application by 29 June 2012 please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.
We would like to thank you for your time and effort in returning your application form.
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