Community Officer

Community OfficerApplication PackMarch 2026Heila on work experience at Output ArtsPhoto: Tishon NicholsonArts Emergency is a mentoring charity and support network. Since 2013,we have worked to address the inequalities in the creative and culturalsectors. Founded in Hackney by two friends, activist Neil Griffiths andcomedian Josie Long, we now support over 2,200 brilliant young peopleacross the UK. We provide guidance so they can chart their own course.We create connections to help them get ahead. The future is a place where young people face no closed doors tocreativity and the creative industries.We open doors by connecting young people to each other and to creativeprofessionals within communities of care based on shared values,interests, and practice. Through the transformative power of this mutualsupport, young people are empowered to live out their creative ambitions.In 2011, when Neil and Josie first dreamed up the project that wouldbecome Arts Emergency, they wrote (on a tablecloth) the core statementsof belief and intention for the national movement they would go on tobuild. This became our founding manifesto. Ten years later, inspired bythis manifesto and their own experiences in the arts, our Youth Collectivecreated their own. You can read both manifestos on our website.Both manifestos are powerful guiding forces in everything we do. In thewords of our Youth Collective, "we are far more powerful when we cometogether. Share resources. Pay it forward”.About usGamze on work experience at Mother London. Photo: Hannah Daisy.Our visionOur missionOur core beliefsWe currently support 1,800 young people aged 16-25 who encountersystemic barriers to achieving their creative ambitions. Among our young people:78% are from a lower socioeconomic background70% are from an ethnic minority background17% have a disability or special educational needImportantly, 61% have intersecting identities that compound the challengesthey experience within the sector. Our young people live in 115 local authorities across London, GreaterManchester, Merseyside, and wider England. We recruit young people through a network of 57 long-standing referralpartnerships with schools, colleges, local authority services, and communityorganisations working in areas of deprivation.Who we supportOlamide reads her poem at a Celebration eventPhoto: Lilla Nyeki Arts Emergency has done more for me thanI ever thought possible, it has opened doorsI thought were closed. It has given mehope.Deji, former menteeMentor Georgia and mentee Christelle at the Arts Emergency celebration eventPhoto: Rob Greig98%of mentees showed improvedknowledge of routes intoindustry, experiences of theindustry, and confidence andself-beliefArts Emergency empowers, connects and develops under-resourced youngpeople to be their best, most aspirational selves through 1:1 mentoring andup to ten-years’ worth of tailored assistance, real-life opportunities,connection to our Network - thousands of cultural professionals - and peersupport.Our three main programme strands are:Mentoring: Through a year-long mentoring relationship with a trainedvolunteer who is experienced in their creative area of interest, youngpeople aged 16-18 receive information, advice, and guidance thatsupports them to make decisions and take steps toward their creativeambitions as they move beyond compulsory education. Young Community: Every young person who takes part in ourprogrammes becomes a member of our Young Community, a nationalcommunity of 1,800 young people aged 16-25 from underrepresentedbackgrounds, with shared creative interests and practices. Throughbringing people together in person and online, our Young Communityprogramme fosters authentic connections.Youth Collective: A representative group of 10 young people who provideleadership for the Young Community, ensuring that young people’s viewsand voices are at the heart of everything we do. This is an exciting time to join Arts Emergency and help shape the future of agrowing, mission-driven organisation. See some of the results of our work in our Impact Report 2024.What we doThe Arts Emergency team is a group of passionate and dedicated staff andtrustees who bring together a wealth of experience from the charity andcultural sectors. Our teamMeet our teamArts Emergency is a grassroots movement that is entirely and authenticallypowered by people. We believe that lasting social change can only happenwhen we all come together.Our programmes serve young people who are under-represented in thecreative and cultural industries, including people from lower socioeconomicbackgrounds, ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities.Arts Emergency is committed to taking steps to be reflective of the youngpeople we serve, and being a welcoming and inclusive organisation. Wetherefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likelyto be underrepresented in the UK’s cultural workforce. This includes peopleof colour, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ people, and other equity deservinggroups. When we recruit we will always: show the salary, pay a living wage,and won’t demand a degree as an essential criteria (unless a specificqualification is required for a role).Commitment to equality anddiversityOur future cultural landscape is in danger of being populated exclusively bythe children of the wealthy and well-connected. I love Arts Emergency becauseit works to bridge this gap. To create theopportunities that have been taken away.Julie Hesmondalgh, Arts Emergency Bursar, actor, writer, and theatre makerLondon Mentoring Introduction EventPhoto: Rob GreigWe are committed to the employment and development of disabledpeople. We guarantee to interview anyone who identifies as disabled andwhose application meets the person specification for a post. To be invitedto interview, you must show in your application that you meet the personspecification for the role. If you tell us that you have access requirementsor any requests to make you comfortable, we can make reasonableadjustments to the interview process, and, if you join us, to your workarrangements.CommunityOfficer1.The Community programme is delivered in linewith activity plans, timelines, and budgets, withincreasing engagement over time2.Evaluations from both Young Communitymembers and the Youth Collective are largelypositive and show positive impact3.The Community inbox is monitored andqueries are responded to within agreedtimeframes4.One-off connection requests of young peoplewith each-other and the Network are facilitatedwithin agreed timeframes, and there isconsistent high quality support5.The opportunities board is maintained anddeveloped, sharing vetted opportunities fromthe Network with the Young Community6.The Youth Collective are supported to deliver aseries of in-person and online events7.The Youth Collective are supported to prepareand publish the monthly Young Communitynewsletter8.The Youth Collective are supported to delivertheir podcast series, The Emergency Room9.Peer networking via Arts Emergency's onlinesocial platforms for Young Communitymembers is monitored and moderated10.Accurate information is shared on the websiteand accurate records are kept on Salesforce11.Reports are produced about Communityactivities, outputs, and impact, as required12.Communication with the wider Arts Emergencyteam is clear and proactive, issues areaddressed quickly, and progress is reported onregularly.Facilitate the one-off connection requests ofyoung people with each-other and theNetwork, and provide high quality support forthese connectionsSupport the management of a CommunityBuddying scheme to pair up members of theCommunityMaintain an opportunities board, vetting andsharing opportunities from the Network with theYoung CommunityMonitor the Community inbox and respond toqueries or offers of support about theCommunity programmeFixed term, Two year contract0.6, 21 hours per week£30,500 per annum pro rata, plus 3%pension contributionThis role can be home or office-basedArts Emergency operates a 35-hourweek, we will consider compressed orannualised hours.As the Community Officer, you will support thedelivery of our Community programme thatconnects young people to each other and to othercreative professionals. You will work closely withthe Community Manager as well as the YouthCollective who act as leaders of communityengagement and development.You will be joining Arts Emergency at an excitingtime as the community and collectives programmeis evolving through experimentation andresponding to the needs of the Young Community. This will be a busy, fun, and rewarding role whereyou’ll get to work with a variety of people in theArts Emergency team as well as the young peoplewe support.About the roleDirect DeliveryUndertake other relevant tasks that may berequested from time to timeMaintain the ethos and values of the charityand positively promote the work and activitiesof the charityGeneral ObligationsKey ResponsibilitiesSupport the Community Manager in facilitationof the evolving Collectives programme, and thedelivery of their activities (including in-personand online events, monthly newsletters, onlinesocial platforms and a regular podcast series)Work with the team to ensure that accurateinformation about the Community offer isshared on the websiteHelp to share regular insights aboutCommunity activities, outputs, and impactSupporting RolesKey Results / ObjectivesA commitment to upholding the values in ourmanifestosEager to learn and try out new thingsEmpathetic, youth-centred, with a genuineenthusiasm for youth voice and leadershipA ‘can-do’ attitude - resourceful and embraceschallenge and change.Positive role modelCommitment to working collaboratively towardshared goalsThe discipline to work independently andcommunicate proactively with the wider teamMotivated, resourceful, and committed to on-going learning and developmentWillingness to work flexibly to meet thedemands of an evolving roleAwareness of issues affecting young peopleaged 16–25Interest in the creative and cultural industriesInterest in youth participation and youth voiceAwareness of barriers to access within arts andcultural sectorsComfortable using standard Google software(e.g. Google Docs, Gmail, Sheets)Confidence in ability to learn technicalprocesses and new platforms (e.g. Salesforce,Discord)Good interpersonal and relationship buildingskills with young people and adultsStrong administrative and organisational skillsGood time management skills - working todeadlines, balancing several priorities at onceGood attention to detail and accuracy inrecording important informationCreative thinking – with the ability to recogniseand capitalise on opportunities for the YoungCommunityPersonal QualitiesPerson SpecificationQualificationsKnowledgeSkills / CompetenciesExperienceExperience of working with young people aged16-25Experience within a youth or arts organisationrunning projects for and with young peopleExperience managing projects, ideally within afrontline delivery contextExperience of working independentlyExperience facilitating diverse groups of youngpeopleExperience of an administrative role andrecord keepingThe role can be home or office based, orhybrid. We have access to Spaces officesacross London, Greater Manchester andMerseyside. Regular travel across theseregions will be essential as part of programmedelivery, and so the Community Officer mustlive in one of the regions, and be comfortablewith travel via public transport (travelexpenses for these will be covered).We will occasionally ask you to travel to otheroffices or locations for training and away days.Travel expenses will be covered for thesedays, and we will offer remote options whennecessary, and ensure accessibilityrequirements are taken into account.Arts Emergency will consider compressed orannualised hours. There may be occasionalevening and weekend work. We operate atime-off-in-lieu system.Working ConditionsNo specific qualifications are required for thisroleIf you have any questions about the role or application, please contact JoeBurton, Head of Programmes, at joe@arts-emergency.orgArts Emergency Spaces,Peter House,Oxford Street, Manchester M1 5ANwww.arts-emergency.orgRegistered Charity Number 1152377Contact usWe will be hosting an optional Q&A on Zoom on Monday 20 April at 6pm forprospective applicants to learn more about the role, the Community team,and Arts Emergency before they apply. Register here.To apply please complete the following steps:Download and fill in the application forms from our jobs webpage. There aretwo parts to the application: Part One asks for your personal information, education, work history,refereesPart Two asks for supporting statements in relation to the job applicationYou can return the application forms as a Word Document or PDF. If youprefer you can talk through the Part Two questions in audio files. To transferaudio files, we suggest uploading to wetransfer.com and use the ‘get transferlink’ option, then share the generated link in your email. Complete our Equality and Diversity Monitoring Survey*.Once completed, please send the Parts One and Two to jobs@arts-emergency.org by 10am on Monday 27 April 2026 with AE-CO in the subjectline.Interviews will be held online the week commencing 4 & 11 May 2026. *The survey is anonymous and not linked in any way to your application. Any information youprovide will be used by Arts Emergency to monitor the demographics of candidates applying forroles and make improvements in line with our diversity and inclusion ambitions. This data will betreated in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018.How to apply