Forward Prizes Manager – Maternity cover

PURPOSE

This is an opportunity for an efficient and highly organised project manager to join the Forward Arts Foundation’s creative and dynamic team. The Forward Prizes Manager oversees the Prizes from identification of judges through to the Awards and the creation of the annual Forward Book of Poetry. The Forward Prizes Manager is accountable for delivering the strategy to reach organisational targets and ensuring that the Forward Prizes are administered fairly, thoughtfully and successfully. The Forward Prizes Manager additionally supports communications to ensure that work celebrated is promoted to the widest possible audiences.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Forward Arts Foundation, you will manage

the prizes selection process, support promotion and outreach, deliver the Prize ceremony and other poetry projects as requested. We seek someone with proven project management, campaign, communications, literature and/or education sector experience, and a passion for poetry.

This is a part-time role (28 hours/week) that requires some flexible hours as needed to deliver the project.

CLOSING DATE: 9 May 2021

About Forward Arts Foundation

Forward Arts Foundation is the national charity that promotes knowledge and enjoyment of poetry. We strive toward a society where everyone regardless of cultural, background, gender, sexual identity of physical ability can develop creativity and agency by making, experiencing and sharing new poetry.

As a national poetry organisation, we champion excellence in new poetry and create opportunities for all to develop our creativity and agency. Through this, we aim to build a society where anyone’s voice can open new ways of navigating into our collective future.

We do this through partnerships and collaborations with our network of poets, educators, young people, broadcasters, funders, communities and cultural institutions. By bringing together our professional and lived experiences, we will create a vital nerve system for poetry that is relevant and representative.

Our flagship initiatives are National Poetry Day – a mass celebration on the first Thursday of October – and the annual Forward Prizes for Poetry, with associated anthology and education programmes. The Prizes mark their 30^th anniversary in October 2021. 

Forward Arts Foundation has a highly motivated Board of Trustees and a small staff team based in London and Manchester. We are a National Portfolio Organisation funded by Arts Council England. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Main aims of the post:

• Manage the Forward Prizes for Poetry and Forward Prize education projects.
   
• Liaise with sponsors Bookmark and manage delivery of the annual Forward Book of Poetry.
   
• Manage comms relating to the Forward Prizes and books.
   
• Support Forward Arts Foundation fundraising and reporting.
   
• Coordinate additional poetry projects and partnerships as requested by the Executive Director.

DUTIES

Forward Prizes

1. To set out the strategy for Forward Prizes in keeping with Forward’s annual targets and deliver said strategy (managing submissions, timelines, rules and eligibility, selection process, promoting the Prizes and events, managing event venue logistics and scripts).
    
2. Maintain Forward Prizes budgets and monitor books sales and ticket income.
    
3. Manage production of the annual Forward Book of Poetry and the Poems of the Decade volume liaising with freelance production team and distributors (Faber).
    
4. Organize the Forward Prizes ceremony and other associated events in consultation with venue, partners, the Executive Director and funders.

1. Coordinate Forward Prize communications including social media, ebulletins and webpages, working in collaboration with the team on content and branding.
    
2. Manage key stakeholder relationships (sponsors, presses, poets, arts organisations and partners, freelancers, designers, photographers) and manage the prize ceremony guest list.
    
3. Coordinate associated education projects (Creative Critics) and other poetry projects as requested by the Executive Director, such as special anthologies,  and Forward Prizes student animation projects.
    
4. Maintain good office systems in collaboration with the Forward Arts Foundation team.
    
5. Additional duties as required by the Executive Director.

SKILLS SPECIFICATION

Essential skills & experience

• Meticulous, efficient, highly organised.
• Experience managing project budgets.
• Excellent knowledge of the UK literature sector, including poets, publishers and cultural organisations.
• Project management experience, delivering a project from idea stage to evaluation and using findings to develop and enhance projects.
• Track record of delivering projects to budget, and experience of financial reporting.
• Track record in building and leveraging partnerships.
• A demonstrated practical approach to solving problems and making decisions: ability to work on own initiative.
• Ability to communicate, write and copy-edit to an outstanding standard.
• Experience of organising events.

Desirable skills & experience

• Experience of playing a key role in a senior management team. 
• An extensive network in the arts/literature field.
• A love of poetry and its power to inspire, engage, and empower.
• Reporting to ACE and/or other funders.
• Experience in marketing and/or audience development.

RELATIONSHIPS

• FAF Executive Director, Finance Committee and Board of Trustees.
• FAF’s other senior managers (National Poetry Day Manager, Office Manager, and Development Manager).
• External PR Agency.
• Freelance marketing and event-production support.
• Education partners such as the English and Media Centre.
• National Poetry Day partner organisations.
• Line-management responsibility of freelance producers and ad hoc contracted support to deliver the project.

TERMS

Hours: Part time, 28 hours a week (schedule to be agreed with Executive Director)

Location: Home until further notice, but regular office is located at Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA

Salary: £30,000 per annum, pro-rated to £24,000 for 4 days

Holiday entitlement: 20 days per annum, pro rata (plus bank holidays)

Pension: Provided by NEST

Contract: Up to one year, fixed-term

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

We particularly welcome applications from black and minority ethnic candidates, as they are under-represented within the arts. We believe poetry is for everyone, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marital status, maternity and pregnancy, race, religion, class and sexual orientation. Forward Arts Foundation is an equal opportunities employer.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your CV with a concise personal statement, setting out your reasons for applying for this post and drawing attention to particularly relevant qualifications that match the profile and skills specification. Please do not include identifiable details such as your name, email or home address on your personal statement as applications will be reviewed anonymously.

Two referees’ names should be included but references will only be taken up in the event of your being selected for the post.

Please say how you found out about this job. 

Applications should be addressed to Mónica Parle, and emailed to jobs@forwardartsfoundation.org. You should receive an email confirming receipt of your email application within 2 working days. 

CLOSING DATE: 9 May 2021