Out of Joint
7 Thane Works
Thane Villas
London N7 7NU
13 July 2011
Dear Applicant,
Application Pack – Office Administrator & PA to Artistic Director
Thank you for your interest in the post of OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR & PA at Out of
Joint. I enclose a job description and person specification.
If you wish to apply for the above position please make your application in the form of
a letter addressed to Panda Cox, accompanied by a Curriculum Vitae. Please also
include the names and addresses of two referees, with phone numbers. You may
email your covering letter and CV to panda@outofjoint.co.uk or send it by post to
the address above.
I also enclose an Equal Opportunities monitoring form. It will not form part of your
application but it would be helpful if you could return it too. Out of Joint is an equal
opportunities employer, and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds.
The closing date for applications is 5pm on Monday 1st August 2011, and
shortlisted applicants will be contacted as soon as possible after this date. Interviews
will be held in early August. If you have not heard from us by 15th August, please
assume that unfortunately this time your application has not been successful.
For further information about Out of Joint please look at our website,
www.outofjoint.co.uk.
Once again, thank you for your interest.
Best wishes,
Panda Cox
Deputy Producer
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR & PA TO ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
APPLICATION PACK – JULY 2011
Background to this appointment
The Office Administrator & PA to the Artistic Director plays an important role in Out of
Joint’s small team, providing vital office and administrative support and having
responsibility for particular areas of the company’s operation while on tour, in this
country and abroad. The Office Administrator will have additional duties as PA to the
Artistic Director of the company, Max Stafford-Clark. As such, any requests made by
the Artistic Director will take precedence over general administrative duties.
Max Stafford-Clark founded Out of Joint in 1993, after 14 years as Artistic Director of
the Royal Court Theatre. Out of Joint’s Producer, Graham Cowley, worked alongside
him at the Royal Court and at Joint Stock in the 1970s. In the last 17 years, the
company has built a reputation for excellence in the development and production of
new plays. Every production tours widely and also plays in London. Many are revived
for further touring, often abroad. Out of Joint is funded by Arts Council England as
part of the National Portfolio and is classed as a ‘flagship’ company by the British
Council. More information on our work can be found at our website:
www.outofjoint.co.uk
JOB DESCRIPTION
Responsibilities and Duties
Personal Assistant to the Director:
 Typing and filing all correspondence
 Producing invoices for internal and external work and liaising with the Finance
Manager and the Director’s accountant
 Booking hotels and travel
 Taking messages
 Handling diary and updating schedule
 Conducting research for the Director when required
 Any other duties as required by the Director
 Max Stafford-Clark has been physically disabled since his stroke in 2006.
This means that there are some minor extra tasks to make his work easier.
Managing office:
 Answering phones and dealing with general enquiries
 Ordering stationery
 Ensuring maintenance of computers, office equipment etc
 Receiving visitors
 Liaising with cleaners and landlord
 Setting up company meetings and disseminating appropriate documents /
information beforehand
 Supporting the Finance Officer with petty cash and company credit card
expenditure
 Keeping overall diary of staff movements
 Organising and overseeing work experience placements.
Administration of touring company for national and international tours:
 Helping the Deputy Producer to organise travel, accommodation, per diems
and visas
 Maintaining digs lists
 Liaising with Producer, Deputy Producer and Company Stage Manager.
The Board:
 Setting up board meetings
 Organising room and refreshments
 Sending out agenda and papers
 Attending board minutes and taking minutes.
Rehearsal room:
 Organising general maintenance eg fire extinguishers, regular cleaning etc
 Contracting room out to other companies, negotiating rental costs, collecting
payments
 Keeping schedule up to date and in line with OjO rehearsals and board
meetings.
Book Shop
 Sending out and recording all book orders that come through via the website
and post
 Liaising with the Marketing Manager about special deals and ordering new
books.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
ESSENTIAL
 Relevant work experience in a theatre or other arts organisation
 Familiarity with Word, Excel and Access, email and the internet
 Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience of
composing letters and documents
 Ability to communicate well with people. There is a good deal of contact with
writers, directors, actors, designers and other artists.
 Ability to work unsupervised and on your own initiative, but also being prepared to
work hard to fulfil the day-to-day requirements of the other staff members, as
detailed in the job description
 Ability to work to tight deadlines
 Ability to juggle several jobs at one time, whilst remaining calm and composed
 The ability and temperament to work in a small team
 A flexible approach to working hours – visits to the company on tour and some
evening work expected.
DESIRABLE




Some knowledge of Out of Joint’s work and place within the theatre industry
Some knowledge of theatre touring
Some knowledge of new theatre writing
Some knowledge and understanding of the arts funding system, with particular
reference to Arts Council England
 Some knowledge and understanding of the British Council.
STRUCTURE
The Administrator reports directly to the Director and Producer. The small team at
Out of Joint includes the Artistic Director, Producer, Deputy Producer, Marketing
Manager and Associate Director as well as part-time Literary Associate and Finance
Officer. Actors, Stage Managers and technical staff, as well as designers, are
contracted show by show.
SALARY
£18,000 per annum. There is an annual review at the beginning of April.
HOURS
As required, though office hours are normally 10.00 am - 6.00 pm Monday to Friday.
It is also necessary to attend Press Nights, performances on tour (including the
occasional overnight stay) and other meetings and special functions as they are
arranged. Overtime is not paid in respect of extra hours worked.
HOLIDAYS
Four weeks per year (holiday year runs from April – March).
HOW TO APPLY
Deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 1st August 2011 and interviews will
take place in early August (dates and times tbc).
To apply, please send a covering letter outlining your suitability for this position along
with a full CV and the names, with telephone numbers, of two referees. One should
be your current or most recent employer.
It would also be helpful if you could return the equal opportunities monitoring form
attached to this application pack, although this will not form part of your application.
You may send your application by email to: panda@outofjoint.co.uk or send it by
post (to arrive by 5pm on Monday 1st August) to:
Panda Cox
Out of Joint
7 Thane Works
Thane Villas
London, N7 7NU
For further information about Out of Joint please look at our website:
www.outofjoint.co.uk
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES MONITORING FORM
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY
Out of Joint Limited is an equal opportunities employer. The aim of its policy is to
ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the
grounds of sex, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, marital status,
sexual orientation, age, trade union activity, political or religious belief. Applications
from disabled persons who have the necessary attributes for the post are welcome.
Selection criteria and procedures will be kept under review to ensure that individuals
are selected, promoted and treated on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities.
All employees will be given equal opportunities and, where appropriate, special
training to progress within the organisation. Out of Joint is committed to a programme
of action to make the policy fully effective.
We would be grateful if you would fill in and return this form with your application - it
will help us to monitor our Equal Opportunities Policy in practice. It is for statistical
purposes only and does not form part of your application.
(please tick where appropriate)
1. What is your sex?
Male
Female
2. How would you describe your ethnic origin?
Black/ African
Black/ UK
Chinese
Other
Black/ Asian
White/ European
Vietnamese
Black/ Afro-Caribbean
White/ UK
Irish
3. In terms of the definition below, do you have any disabilities?
Yes
No
If so, what? (You need not give further details unless you wish to do so)
The following is an internationally recognised definition of disability: "People with
physical, mental or sensory disabilities: with hidden disabilities such as psoriasis,
epilepsy, heart, chest conditions: people with disabilities linked to ageing: people
suffering from a mental illness".
Where did you hear about the job / role / post?