June 2011
Dear Applicant,
INFORMATION FOR APPLICATION:
COORDINATOR
ACTION RESEARCH – PROJECT
Thank you for requesting the information about the position of Action Research
Project Coordinator at West Yorkshire Playhouse.
Please find enclosed:
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A Job Description
A person specification
Background information
An Equal Opportunities monitoring form
To apply for the post, please return a short letter of application outlining your
suitability for the role and relevant previous experience, together with an up to
date copy of your C.V. Please include the monitoring form; this will be processed
separately and bear no relation to the consideration of your application.
The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Monday 11 July 2011.
Interviews will be held on Tuesday 19 July 2011; candidates for interview will be
contacted by telephone. If you do not hear from us 15 July, please assume that
you have not been successful on this occasion.
Please address your application:
Action Research – Project Coordinator
c/o Dara Romaniw
West Yorkshire Playhouse
Playhouse Square
Quarry Hill
Leeds, LS2 7UP
Or submit by email to: dara.romaniw@wyp.org.uk
Thank you for your interest in the Playhouse.
With kind regards
Sheena Wrigley
General Director & Joint Chief Executive
ACTION RESEARCH – PROJECT COORDINATOR
JOB DESCRIPTION
West Yorkshire Playhouse is looking for a brilliant project coordinator to play a
central role in delivering the Arts Council funded Action Research programme
over the next two years.
In December 2010 the Arts Council awarded West Yorkshire Playhouse
£1.4million to support a programme of artistic refreshment and organisational
change. The resulting programme will involve all the theatre’s departments. A
series of investigations, experiments and pilot projects will be tested and help us
to transform the West Yorkshire Playhouse’s with a reconfigured programme and
operating model.
The plan is to engage staff and board in an ambitious multi layered programme
of exploration and experimentation, setting up a number of working groups and
studies simultaneously. We will be using specialists and consultants, sending
staff on fact finding trips and aiming to build on our own and others best practice.
In order to connect the change process to as many people as possible and to
make sure we capture the skill and experience within the staff body programme
coordination is essential.
The Action Research Coordinator will work at the heart of the Playhouse acting
as a conduit between different work streams and groups. They will have a
detailed project overview and be responsible for the logistics that make the
Action Research programme happen.
We are looking for someone with experience in project management and
coordination, who loves logistics, scheduling and progress chasing. We want to
work with someone who can motivate and engage a wide range of staff and will
make their involvement with the Action Research Programme as stimulating and
satisfying as possible. The Action Research Coordinator will have an
understanding of change management processes and will be able to evidence
their contribution to previous successful change programme/s.
The post reports directly to the General Director and Joint Chief Executive and
will work with staff and managers across the theatre and be part of the Change
Team.
We are offering the post on 2-year contract. Salary will be in the region of £2125,000 per annum.
POST OVERVIEW
The Action Research Coordinator will support the General Director in
coordinating the financial and human resources of the Playhouse to realise the
Action Research programme.
SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES
o To be guardian of the project action plan, to progress chase and to update
as required.
o To act as conduit between different project work streams and groups,
maximising connectivity between all parts of the programme.
o To set up and coordinate meetings of all working groups, to coordinate
external visits and consultancy input required to deliver the programme.
o To provide administrative support to the programme, managing external
contracts and payments
o With the General Director and Finance Director to monitor the programme
budget and draw down schedule.
o With the communication team/officer to put an internal communications
plan in place to ensure clear and timely communications between staff
working groups, change team, management and Board of Directors.
o To collate statistical information and undertake desk research in support of
the project.
o To attend monitoring meetings with ACE or Action Research Peer
Organisation meetings as required.
o To undertake other duties as directed by the Joint Chief Executives
(General Director and Artistic Director)
RESPONSIBILITIES OF ALL STAFF MEMBERS
To be aware of the work of other departments in the achievement of West
Yorkshire Playhouse's aims
To take an active part in communicating and co-operating with other staff and
departments
To follow guidelines, procedures and policies provided by the company in relation
to financial management and personnel records
To work in accordance with the Equal Opportunities policy of West Yorkshire
Playhouse
To be aware of, and comply with, rules and legislation pertaining to Health and
Safety at work
To take part in such working groups and committees as might from time to time
be required for the fulfilment of departmental or company aims
Employment Terms
Salary
Range: £21,000 - £25,000
(by negotiation upon experience)
Holiday Entitlement
4 weeks per annum
Contract Period
20 Month contract to April 2013.
40 Hours Monday to Friday but may include
evening or weekend working on occasion.
ACTION RESEARCH COORDINATOR Person Specification
Essential Experience and Qualifications
At least 2 years experience in project coordination, management or project
administration
Proven contribution to delivering a successful multi-layered change programme
Excellent IT skills including experience of project management software
Experience of setting up and implementing administrative systems and
processes
Clear confident written and verbal communication skills
Experience of monitoring expenditure budgets
Proven ability to write succinct and accurate reports and briefing papers
Experience of handling confidential and sensitive issues
Desirable Experience and Qualifications
A Project Management qualification or training
Experience of managing and coordinating arts projects
Personal Characteristics
Highly motivated with a commitment to excellence
Demonstrating a love of systems and processes
Prioritises consistency and attention to detail
Empathetic and interested in people
Solutions orientated
Financially literate
Excellent written communication and interpersonal skills
Commitment to equality and diversity
Flexible, self-motivated and positive
Stamina, energy and sense of humour
Interest in theatre and the arts
Application deadline: Monday 11 July (12 noon)
Interviews: Tuesday 19 July
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES MONITORING
West Yorkshire Playhouse is committed to promoting equality of opportunity in its
employment practices. In particular, the Company aims to ensure that no potential or
actual employee receives more or less favourable treatment on the grounds of race,
colour, ethnic or national origins, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability or
religious beliefs.
In order to monitor our policy and to assist in its development, we would be most grateful
if you would complete this form and return it with your application. Completion of the
form is strictly voluntary. Returned forms will be separated from job applications and
used solely for monitoring purposes.
The information collected will be treated in the strictest confidence and will only be used
for the purpose of furthering and improving West Yorkshire Playhouse’s equal
opportunities policy.
NAME:
(You do not have to fill in your name)
POST:
GENDER:
MALE
FEMALE
AGE:
18 – 24
25 – 34
55 - 64
65+
35 – 44
ETHNIC ORIGIN:
White British
English
Irish
Welsh
Scottish
Any other white background, please state
Asian or Asian British
Asian Bangladeshi
Asian Indian
45 - 54
Asian Pakistani
Any other Asian background, please state
Black or Black British
Black African
Black Caribbean
Any other Black background, please state
Chinese or other ethnic group
Chinese
Any other, please state
Dual Heritage
Dual Asian and White
Dual Black African and White
Dual Black Caribbean and White
Dual Chinese and White
Any other Dual heritage background, please state
Any other background, please state
DISABILITY:
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 defines disability as a physical or mental
impairment that has a substantial and long term adverse effect on a person’s
ability to carry out normal day to day activities. This can include not just people
with obvious disabilities, but people with hidden disabilities such as dyslexia,
diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, severe disfigurements, multiple sclerosis, m.e,
depression, liver disease and speech impairment etc.
Do you consider yourself to have a disability?
YES
If yes could you please state the nature of the disability?
Do you consider yourself to have a hidden disability?
YES
If yes could you please state the nature of the disability?
Thank you for completing this form
Please return this form with your application.
West Yorkshire Playhouse – Background Information
The West Yorkshire Playhouse opened in 1990 and is one of the largest, most
exciting and active producing theatres in the UK. It successfully balances a firm
commitment to serving the communities in its region alongside maintaining a
national profile for the quality of its work. Ian Brown, appointed Artistic Director
and Chief Executive in 2002, following Jude Kelly, has continued to develop the
theatre’s innovative, diverse and vibrant artistic policies. In September, 2008 Ian
Brown was joined by Sheena Wrigley in the new role of General Director and
Joint Chief Executive. The appointment reflects a new emphasis on strategic
planning and on developing the operational, financial and human resources of
the Playhouse.
The Playhouse has two theatres, the Quarry with 750 seats and the smaller,
more flexible Courtyard with 350 seats. It produces up to 14 of its own shows
each year, including an increasing number of co-productions, in addition to
presenting a broad touring programme. These performances are supported by
readings, workshops and community events.
Alongside its work on stage, the Playhouse continues to lead the theatre industry
in the ambition and scope of its education and community work. These activities
ensure that, in total, over 300,000 people engage with the Playhouse and its
participatory programmes each year.
West Yorkshire Playhouse is funded by Arts Council England (£1,533,000),
Leeds City Council (£937,000) and West Yorkshire Grants (£89,000). Current
turnover is just £6,023,000 with ticket sales contributing around £2,500,000
annually.
The Playhouse will face a new challenge during the next few years with the major
redevelopment of the Quarry Hill area of Leeds in which it is located. New
housing, office, retail and possibly also hotel developments will transform the
area. Alongside existing residents including the BBC, Yorkshire Dance and the
Leeds College of Music, the creation of a new home for Northern Ballet Theatre
and Phoenix Dance has the potential to position Quarry Hill as a vibrant new
‘cultural quarter’.
Strategic Planning
Work began in summer 2009 on refreshing the vision and defining long-term
direction for the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Board members and senior staff
took part in a number of exploratory sessions. Some exciting and provocative
discussions brought to the fore key themes and priorities which were then
shaped to form the foundations of a new Business Plan.
Following two years of case making and discussion with the Arts Council, in
December 2010, WYP was awarded £1.4million Action Research Award. These
funds will support a two-year programme of artistic refreshment and
organisational development with the aim of creating a vibrant but sustainable
theatre for the future. New creative relationships and ways of working will be
explored and different business and operating models will be tested to establish
a truly 21st Century Playhouse.
Artistic Programme
The work on stage spans a wide range of genres including new writing, musicals,
classic theatre and family work. In developing the new business plan, the
Playhouse has begun to think about the use of and relationships between its two
spaces. The scale and possibility of the Quarry, plus the necessity to generate
income leads us to see the Quarry as the natural venue for ambitious classic
plays, new musicals and large scale community productions and events.
The smaller Courtyard in its 350/400 seat configuration makes a second viable
middle scale space. However, our latest thinking centres on exploring different
configurations and greater diversity of programme for this space, including
smaller scale works, scratch productions, work with emergent companies and
new voices. We are also interested in bringing the creative life of the theatre into
public areas of the Playhouse and developing artistic partnerships that will enrich
the overall artistic activity within and around the organisation.
We will retain our commitment to: new writing, new musicals, culturally diverse
work and seeking out challenging partnerships across scales.
During the last few years, the Playhouse has developed an increasing number of
co-productions with both commercial and subsidised partners. These include
transfers to the West End of Ying Tong, The Postman Always Rings Twice,
The 39 Steps and Othello with Lenny Henry as well as co-productions with
other regional producing theatres such as Birmingham Rep and Liverpool
Everyman and Playhouse. The West Yorkshire Playhouse has also developed
flexible, creative partnerships with touring companies including Improbable
Theatre, Kneehigh Theatre Company and Northern Broadsides.
During the autumn of 2011 the Playhouse will begin its search for a successor to
Ian Brown, Artistic Director. The contract of the current Artistic Director runs until
summer 2012 when Ian Brown will be leaving WYP to explore new challenges
and direction following a twelve year association with the theatre.
Arts Development and the Community
The Playhouse provides one of the country’s most comprehensive arts education
programmes through its renowned Arts Development Department. First Floor, a
new space dedicated to working with young people, was opened in January
2009. A successful fundraising campaign raised over half a million pounds to
convert an old warehouse space on Quarry Hill into fully accessible, light and airy
spaces for performance workshops and other arts-based activities. Further
fundraising has enabled two full-time posts to be recruited and First Floor
celebrated its first anniversary in January 2010 by announcing six day-a-week
opening.
West Yorkshire Playhouse Touring Company takes productions into Leeds’
Schools, combining high quality performance with often provocative issues.
There are a range of community initiatives running year round such as Heydays,
the weekly arts club for the over 55s with nearly 600 members, The Beautiful
Octopus and Dandy Lion clubs - club nights run by and for people with learning
disabilities and Community Network, a network of community groups across the
Leeds region who enjoy a special relationship with the theatre and a range of
discounts to ensure theatre-going is affordable to the broadest audience.
The Playhouse opens its doors to community groups throughout the year whether as a meeting venue or by working in partnership to create exciting
performances and events. Partners such as I Love West Leeds Festival, Space 2
and Yorkshire Dance have produced lively and memorable occasions.
Audiences & Income
The Playhouse returned a breakeven budget for the fifth consecutive year in
2006/7, a year which saw audiences rising by 12.5% on the previous year.
2007/08 and 2008/09 proved to be more challenging years, with audiences
decreasing by 11%. Audience research during 2008/9 revealed that whilst there
is demand for new work, some of our audiences believed that the programme
needed a greater emphasis on established drama and the classics.
The effects of the recession and increased competition from other regional
theatres and new spaces, such as The Grand, Howard Assembly Rooms and the
Carriageworks in Leeds and Bradford Alhambra, have begun to impact in the last
18 months. The external environment around the Playhouse has been in a state
of upheaval for two years with the theatre building sandwiched between two very
large building sites. However, strong audiences since spring 2009 show that the
Playhouse still enjoys particular successes with large scale classics, new writing
and its family shows at Christmas.
Business and Finances
West Yorkshire Playhouse experienced a trading deficit on the year in 2008/9. In
spring, 2009 the theatre’s management implemented significant budget cuts,
partly in response to the 08/9 deficit and partly to counter the potential impact of
the recession on audience spending. 2009/10 achieved a significant surplus
partly attributed to incredible sales for The History Boys and other strongly
performing shows between January and March and the savings implemented.
This enabled the accumulated deficit to be cleared and has strengthened the
theatre’s financial position. In December 2009, the Playhouse was awarded
£424k from the Arts Council’s Sustain Fund to 'defray recessionary losses and
maintain the artistic programme'. The award is being used to support the artistic
programme during 2010/11.
Cuts in public grants from Arts Council England and Leeds City Council will
impact during 2011/12. Although the theatre has been relatively well-treated,
comparative to others in the country, the resultant decrease in grant support of
over £300k will necessitate a re-examination of the operating model and place
greater emphasis on earned and fundraised income.
Fundraising
The Fundraising Function at the WYP has been understaffed for a number of
years and the strategy has been relatively adhoc with individual team members
across the organisation applying for funding project by project. There as been
little cohesive fundraising and most activity has been focussed on the short term.
Despite this the WYPH has experienced significant private sector support but has
not had the strategies or initiatives available to build and grow this support year
on year. There is a strong appetite at the WYPH to build its fundraising profile
and an understanding of the real challenges presented by this current climate
and also by significant competition in the city and the region.
West Yorkshire Playhouse Enterprises
West Yorkshire Playhouse Enterprises Ltd is the commercial sister company to
the Leeds Theatre Trust (the charitable company) and comprises all income
generating areas, with the exception of ticket sales – i.e. bars, catering, front of
house merchandising, costume hire, conferences, room hire and development. A
refurbishment of the café and introduction of a new management team was
actioned in summer 2009. The café and bar currently generate around £180k
profit to the theatre annually and the aim is to raise this income contribution over
the next three years.
Customer Care
Recent restructuring within the Front of House Department aims to build on the
existing reputation for customer service, to raise standards and to deliver a more
personalised, proactive and unique customer experience for anyone entering the
Playhouse. A new Box Office system, installed in July 2007, has already enabled
the Box Office team to spend more time on customer care, cross selling shows
and allowing staff to identify and reward the loyalty of the theatre’s most regular
customers. Online booking has increased and fluctuates between 25 and 50% of
total ticket sales. Theatregoers can now select specific seats in real time. A new
Playhouse website is in development with implementation of this more interactive
web presence due to be rolled out during 2011. The position of Head of
Customer Services was created in September 2009 to bring together the work of
all public facing departments and create a shared ethos that strengthens the
theatre's work in this area. The Playhouse will be developing a Customer Charter
and working to achieve a Service Mark award over the next 18 months.
The Board
A governance review by Board members was carried out in spring 2010. This
has resulted in agreement to reduce the size of the Board from twenty two to
twelve, two of whom are appointed by Leeds City Council. A number of long
serving members, who had served for more than nine years, agreed to step
down to make way for some new appointments. Four newer members of the
existing Board and the Chairman continued to serve in order to ensure a smooth
transition to the new Board. New Board members have been appointed through
open recruitment process.
In June 2011 the Board recruited a new Chairman, following the retirement of
Brian Boutell. Sir Rodney Brooke (currently Chairman designate) will take over
the Chairmanship during the summer of 2011.
21st Birthday
West Yorkshire Playhouse was 21 years old in March 2011. Originally founded
as the Leeds Playhouse, the city’s repertory theatre was located on the
University campus. We will be celebrating the move into the building on Quarry
Hill and the birth of WYP in 1990 with a range of special events planned for the
spring and summer.
(June 2011)