Job Description

Job Title: Head of Interdisciplinary Practice
Department: Drama Department
Grade: G
Location: Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Responsible to: Vice Principal & Director of Drama
Responsible for: Teaching and delivery staff, including visiting tutors and artists, and
freelance practitioners.

Appointed Candidates Signature:
Please sign and date here upon receiving your offer of employment
I confirm I have read the Job Description below:

Full Name: ………………………………………………………….

Signature ………………………..………. Date: …………………

Purpose of Post

•  To  lead  on  and  advocate  for  the  creation,  management  and  delivery  of  the  highest

quality cross-artform practice.

•  To be Festival Director of the School’s annual Making It Festival, a celebration of new

work made by Guildhall students.

•  With  the  Director  of  Enterprise,  to  Co-Lead  the  Making  It  programme  –  a  rolling
programme  of  extra-curricular  artistic  development  opportunities  and  events  for
students and alumni.

•  To be Module Leader of the Self-Led Practice strand within the BA (Hons) Acting

programme.

•  To lead, manage and develop the annual Cross School Project, ensuring that the
project is structurally and pedagogically robust, embedded and collaborative.
•  To develop and successfully implement new interdisciplinary, socially engaged,
collaborative undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and pathways.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

1.  Manage  the  Self-Led  Practice  module  within  the  BA  (Hons)  Acting  programme,
ensuring  compliance  with  all  relevant  academic  frameworks  and  maintaining  the
module’s high standard of delivery.

2.  Forge  dynamic  industry  relationships,  ensuring the  continued  relevance  of  the  Self-
Led Practice module, and providing high level opportunities for students to work with
industry professionals during their training.

3.  Provide  leadership  and  vision  in  developing  new,  progressive,  socially-engaged

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undergraduate  and  postgraduate  programmes  and  pathways,  including  financial
modelling,  curriculum  design,  market  research  and  consideration  of  wider
organisational strategic priorities.

4.  Lead  the  annual  Making  It  Festival  as  Festival  Director.  This  includes  curating  the
programme; overseeing the budget and expenditure; liaising with relevant Programme
Leaders  and  operations  colleagues  across  the  School;  managing  the  Festival
producing team; overseeing all Festival marketing, press and audience evaluation in
collaboration with the Marketing Department; working with the Development Team to
create  and  attend  associated  development  events  and  being  a  vocal  and  present
champion of the Festival across the School.

5.  With the Director of Enterprise, co-lead the School’s Making It Programme, a rolling
programme of artistic development events and opportunities for students and alumni.
6.  Lead and develop the annual Cross School Project. This includes working with relevant
colleagues  to  set  the  project  brief  and  structure,  leading  the  briefing  session  and
managing the team of staff tasked with delivering the project.

7.  Chair  the  cross-School  Interdisciplinary  Working  Group,  ensuring  that  the  School
continues to meet its objectives in developing interdisciplinary provision and delivering
effective and timely reporting to all relevant stakeholders.

8.  Proactively identify further opportunities for Cross School activity as applicable.
9.  Participate  in  the  work  of  the  Drama  Department  Heads  of  Department,  School
committees  (e.g.  Drama  Programme  Board,  DEI  Committee,  Education  Strategy
Committee,  Academic  Board  etc.)  and  School  activities  and,  where  appropriate,
represent the Department and extend its influence throughout the school.

10. Lead  on  developing  internal  and  external  partnerships,  networks  and  advocacy  for
relevant programmes and projects, representing the School with appropriate external
bodies.

11. Oversee programme and project delivery and public performance ensuring the student

experience is inclusive, representative and accessible.

Quality Assurance

12. Lead on the monitoring and moderating of the aims, learning outcomes and

assessment of the Self-Led Practice module in accordance with appropriate Higher
Education benchmarking and quality assurance processes  as they continue to meet
industry needs and best practice.

13. Ensure that assessment criteria and marking schemes on the module are clear and
explicitly communicated to, and explored with, students through appropriate use of
course handbooks etc.

Teaching, Research and Related Duties

14. Teach, supervise and assess students as necessary at all academic levels, and

ensure that comprehensive feedback is provided to students on all assessed work.
15. Support students from across the BA (Hons) Acting programme as required, including
leading Tutorial Groups and providing pastoral and pedagogical support to individual
students.

16. Develop  a  relevant  research  portfolio  and  contribute  to  Research  related  activities

within the Department and across the School.

17. Act as Departmental Safeguarding Lead for the Drama Department, ensuring that all
Departmental  Safeguarding  issues  are  communicated  to  the  Head  of  Safeguarding
sensitively and efficiently.

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18. Actively  maintain  skills  and  knowledge  of  contemporary  cross-artform  and  socially-
engaged arts practice through relationships with industry contacts, regularly attending
a broad range of work and by undertaking appropriate training where necessary.
19. Ensure training is delivered in line with best practice guidelines for mental health and

well-being of both staff and students.

Other duties

20. To carry out all other appropriate duties, as directed by the Vice Principal and

Director of Drama.

21. Actively seek to implement the City of London’s Occupational Health and Safety Policy
in relation to the duties of the post, and at all times give due regard to the health and
safety of both themselves and others when carrying out their duties.

22. Actively  seek  to  implement  the  City  of  London’s  Equal  Opportunity  Policy  and  the

objective to promote equality of opportunity in relation to the duties of the post.

23. To undertake any other duties that may reasonably be requested appropriate to the

grade

24. [Budget  Holders  Only]  Comply  with  the  City  Of  London  Financial  Regulations  and
properly monitor and report budget outturn positions on a regular basis as required,
including alerting the Line Manager and Chamberlains representative of any significant
budget variance in a timely manner and taking appropriate corrective action

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Person Specification

Job Title: Head of Interdisciplinary Practice
Department: Drama
Grade: G
Trent Position number: 19C0023/001
DBS Criterion:
No DBS
Security Vetting Criterion:
No security vetting is required
Politically Restricted Post Criterion:
This post is not politically restricted

Please find below the qualifications, experience and technical skills required to undertake this
post. Each criterion will be assessed at application (A), interview (I) or test (T) as indicated
below.

Professional Qualifications / Relevant Education & Training

1.  Degree qualified or the ability to demonstrate an equivalent body of industry knowledge.

(A,I)

2.  PGCE  or  equivalent  teaching  experience  and/or  Fellowship  of  the  Higher  Education

Academy. (A,I)

3.  Significant understanding of the Higher Education landscape especially as it relates to

creative enterprise and socially engaged arts practice. (A,I)

4.  Substantial  knowledge  of  contemporary  arts  practice  including  in  socially  engaged

contexts. (A,I)

5.  A  wide-ranging  knowledge  and  understanding  of  performing  arts  and  of  the  key

challenges around learning and teaching in the different art forms. (A,I)
6.  Excellent knowledge of widening participation, equality and diversity. (A,I)
7.  Extensive  knowledge  of  academic,  curriculum  design/planning  and  course

development. (A,I)

8.  In-depth  up  to  date  knowledge  of  the  teaching  environment  in  HE  and  ability  to

continuously update this and lead developments in teaching. (A,I)

9.  Working knowledge of regulatory requirements, guidelines and policies relating to all

aspects of quality assurance of the Interdisciplinary Performance & Creative Enterprise
learning programme. (A,I)

10. Extensive knowledge of national and international work in Higher Education relating to

the field of Performing Arts (Drama, Music, Dance, Technical Theatre). (A,I)

11. Substantial understanding of programme leadership and strategic development of
new programmes to postgraduate level within an HE Setting and interdisciplinary
contexts. (A,I)

Experience Required
1.  Significant  experience  of  innovative  curriculum  design  and  development  at  both
undergraduate and postgraduate levels, in line with appropriate validation processes and
QAA benchmarks. (A,I)

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2.  Substantial  experience  of  teaching  interdisciplinary  practice  in  HE  (performing  arts  or
conservatoire settings) and across a range of Performance Arts programmes at different
levels,  including  undergraduate  and  postgraduate  and  convey  ideas  to students  from  a
wide variety of backgrounds. (A,I)

3.  An accomplished arts practitioner or producer with a significant standing in the profession

and well-developed industry networks both nationally and internationally. (A,I)

4.  Significant  experience  of  reviewing,  developing  and  implementing  long-term  and  short-
term  Interdisciplinary  Arts  programme  strategies  that  support  student  learning,  the
development of new/revised modules and improvements in teaching. (A,I)

5.  Significant experience of quality assurance with the ability to track and monitor student
progress content of teaching and learning and assessment strategies through QAA
Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, Codes of Practice and relevant Subject
and Qualification Benchmarks (A,I)

6.  Proven  ability  to  inspire,  encourage,  empathise  and  motivate  students  and  staff  both
individually and within a team context exercising patience and a high level of emotional
intelligence. (A,I)

7.  Proven ability to anticipate, negotiate and solve complex problems requiring operational

knowledge of creative enterprise and contemporary arts practice. (A,I)

8.  Highly developed written communication skills with the ability to write and develop teaching
materials and course documentation, draft and present complex subject-specific reports
and  papers  to  Academic  Boards  and  Committees  and  create  academic  policies  and
strategies for the BA Interdisciplinary Arts programme. (A,I)

9.  Exceptional oral communication skills with the ability to deliver lectures to students and to
disseminate  complex  information  to  a  wide  variety  of  audiences to  include,  Drama  and
Academic Boards, academic staff and external stakeholders using appropriate media and
methods  to  promote  understanding  of  the  Interdisciplinary  nature  of  the  BA  Performing
Arts work.  (A,I)

10. Extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office with excellent word processing skills to include: MS

Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook and MS Power Point (A)

11. Significant experience of developing Recruitment strategies, processes and techniques for
both staff and a range of different students, including international, at both undergraduate
and postgraduate levels. (A,I)

12.  Extensive  experience  of  developing  marketing  educational  programmes  and
implementing communications and event activities to support student recruitment. (A,I)

13. Extensive experience of managing large teams of teaching staff providing strong

leadership through times of change, challenge and opportunity. (A,I)

14. Ability  to  develop  strong  networks  in  the  contemporary  arts  industry  with  external
educational/academic  bodies  and  participate  in  subject-specific  research  seminars,
conferences and colloquia. (A,I)

15. Ability to keep abreast of and lead  developments in contemporary arts and teaching. (A,I)
16. A persuasive communicator, able to lead and build teams effectively, with sensitivity, flair

and imagination. (A,I)

17. A high level of financial acumen with experience of managing budgets. (A,I)

Professional attributes

18. Self-motivated with an entrepreneurial and professional approach. (A,I)
19. Excellent time management skills. (A,I)
20. Excellent interpersonal skills with a strong ability to broker effective and mutually

beneficial relationships with all departments at a senior level. (A,I)

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21. Meticulous attention to details. (A,I)
22. Able to use initiative and make decisions. (A,I)
23. Significant experience of implementing and improving systems. (A,I)
24. Significant experience of performing to a high professional level. (A,I)
25. Demonstrates strong student-centric approach to ways of working and commitment to

high quality standards (A,I)

Recruitment – Note to Applicants

The qualifications, experience and technical skills will be used in the decision-making
process for recruitment. Please give examples of how you have exhibited these
behaviours in your previous role(s) and experience.  It is essential you address the
criterion marked as (A) on your application form in the section for supporting
information, this will be the minimum criteria for shortlisting.

Be as specific as possible, we cannot guess or make assumptions, but will assess your
application solely on the information provided.   Try to provide evidence, by examples,
where  possible,  of  skills,  knowledge  and  experience  contained  in  this  person
specification.

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Summary of Terms and Conditions of
Employment

This summary is given as a guide and is not intended to form part of an individual’s
contract of employment.

Contract

The position is offered on a fixed-term basis to cover paternity leave.

Salary

The  salary  range  for  this  job  is  £68,300  –  £73,600  per  annum  inclusive  of  all
allowances.  This figure will be reviewed annually from 1 July in line with the pay award
for other salaried staff within the City of London Corporation.

Pension

The pension scheme provided by the City of London is the Local Government Pension
Scheme  (LGPS).    The  LGPS  is  a  public  sector,  statutory,  funded,  defined  benefit
pension scheme.  Benefits are accrued based upon scheme member’s salary and the
length of time for which they are a member of the scheme.

You  will  automatically  be  admitted  to  the  City  of  London  Corporation’s  Pension
Scheme.  Member contributions are based upon the rate of pensionable pay received
by  the  scheme  member.  Members  contribute  between  5.5%  and  12.5%  of  their
pensionable  pay  to  the  scheme,  depending  on  salary.  Please  see  here  for  the
contribution bands. There  is also an option  to  join  the 50/50  section  of the  scheme
where members pay half the contribution rate and accrue benefits at half the accrual
rate.

The current employer contribution rate for the City of London is 21%.

Further details can be found on the national LGPS website and/or the City’s pension
website.

If you do not wish to join the Scheme you must make a formal declaration stating you
wish to opt out.  You may contact the Pensions Office directly should you have any
queries  relating  to  the  Local  Government  Pension  scheme  and  your  entitlements
under this scheme.

Hours of Work
Normal  hours  of  work  are  35  hours  per  week  excluding  lunch  breaks,  Monday  to
Friday, inclusive but the post holder shall be expected to work the hours necessary to
carry out the duties of the position.

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Frequency and Method of Payment

This is a  monthly paid  appointment  and  salaries  are  credited to  a Bank  or Building
Society Account on the 11th of each month.

Annual Leave

There  is  an  entitlement  of  28  days  annual  holiday  plus  Bank  Holiday.    There  are
subsequent increases to entitlement to annual holiday according to length of service.

Continuous Service

If you join the City of London Corporation without a break in service (subject to certain
exceptions)  from  another  body  covered  by  the  Redundancy  Payments  (Local
Government) (Modification) Order 1999, your service with that institution will count for
the purpose of continuous service. The amount of continuous service which you have
will affect your entitlement to certain contractual benefits; for example, annual leave,
sick leave and maternity leave. A full explanation of Continuous Service is contained
within the Employee Handbook.

Probationary Period

You will be employed initially on a six month probationary period.  Should either party
wish to terminate the employment during this period, then one week’s notice will be
required on either side, except for summary termination for gross misconduct.

Notice Period

Three months by either party after satisfactory completion of probationary period.

Learning and Employee Development

The  City  of  London  provides  for  financial  support  and  time  off  for  staff  to  study  for
appropriate qualifications which relate to their duties or undertaking professional skills
update training. There is also an in house programme covering more general training
needs.

City Benefits

As an employee of the City Corporation, you have access to exclusive discounts and
privileges  through  a  combination  of  internal  offers  from  our  departments  and  an
external service we have subscribed to from Reward Gateway.

Employee Volunteering Programme

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The City Corporation, in line with its aims to contribute to a flourishing society, shape
outstanding  environments  and  support  a  thriving  economy,  offers  employees  paid
special leave time during normal hours to encourage employees to volunteer their time
and  skills  to  Volunteer  Involving  Organisations  (VIOs)  operating  within  the  Square
Mile, London and beyond.

Full-time employees may take up to 2 days or 14 hours per year in which to volunteer,
between 1 January and 31 December. For temporary and part time employees these
hours are adjusted pro rata. Volunteering time can be taken in smaller bite size e.g. 2
hours a week over 7 weeks, where this can be accommodated by the City Corporation
and meets the requirements of the volunteer organisation

Sickness Absence and Pay

The City of London Corporation has a comprehensive Occupational Sick Pay scheme,
details of which can be found in the Employee Handbook which will be made available
to you upon commencement.

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