THE ARTS EMERGENCY SERVICE

Community Manager Application Pack

January 2026

About us

Arts Emergency is a mentoring charity and support network. Since 2013,

we have worked to address the inequalities in the creative and cultural

sectors. Founded in Hackney by two friends, activist Neil Griffiths and

comedian Josie Long, we now support over 2,200 brilliant young people

across the UK. We provide guidance so they can chart their own course.

We create connections to help them get ahead.

Our vision

The future is a place where young people face no closed doors to

creativity and the creative industries.

Our mission

We open doors by connecting young people to each other and to creative

professionals within communities of care based on shared values,

interests, and practice. Through the transformative power of this mutual

support, young people are empowered to live out their creative ambitions.

Our core beliefs

In 2011, when Neil and Josie first dreamed up the project that would

become Arts Emergency, they wrote (on a tablecloth) the core statements

of belief and intention for the national movement they would go on to

build. This became our founding manifesto. Ten years later, inspired by

this manifesto and their own experiences in the arts, our Youth Collective

created their own. You can read both manifestos on our website.

Both manifestos are powerful guiding forces in everything we do. In the

words of our Youth Collective, "we are far more powerful when we come

together. Share resources. Pay it forward”.

Who we support

We currently support 1,800 young people aged 16-25 who encounter

systemic barriers to achieving their creative ambitions.

Among our young people:

●  78% are from a lower socioeconomic background

●  70% are from an ethnic minority background

●  17% have a disability or special educational need

Importantly, 61% have intersecting identities that compound the

challenges they experience within the sector.

Our young people live in 115 local authorities across London, Greater

Manchester, Merseyside, and wider England.

We recruit young people through a network of 57 long-standing referral

partnerships with schools, colleges, local authority services, and

community organisations working in areas of deprivation.

“Arts Emergency has done more for me than I ever thought possible,

it has opened doors I thought were closed. It has given me hope.”

- Deji, former mentee

What we do

Arts Emergency empowers, connects and develops under-resourced

young people to be their best, most aspirational selves through 1:1

mentoring and up to ten-years’ worth of tailored assistance, real-life

opportunities, connection to our Network - thousands of cultural

professionals - and peer support.

Our three main programme strands are:

●  Mentoring: Through a year-long mentoring relationship with a

trained volunteer who is experienced in their creative area of

interest, young people aged 16-18 receive information, advice, and

guidance that supports them to make decisions and take steps

toward their creative ambitions as they move beyond compulsory

education.

●  Young Community: Every young person who takes part in our

programmes becomes a member of our Young Community, a

national community of 1,800 young people aged 16-25 from

underrepresented backgrounds, with shared creative interests and

practices. Through bringing people together in person and online,

our Young Community programme fosters authentic connections.

●  Youth Collective: A representative group of 10 young people who

provide leadership for the Young Community, ensuring that young

people’s views and voices are at the heart of everything we do.

This is an exciting time to join Arts Emergency and help shape the future

of a growing, mission-driven organisation.

See some of the results of our work in our Impact Report 2024.

Our team

The Arts Emergency team is a group of passionate and dedicated staff

and trustees who bring together a wealth of experience from the charity

and cultural sectors.

Meet our team

Commitment to equality and diversity

Arts Emergency is a grassroots movement that is entirely and

authentically powered by people. We believe that lasting social

change can only happen when we all come together.

Our programmes serve young people who are under-represented in

the creative and cultural industries, including people from lower

socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnic minorities, and people with

disabilities.

Arts Emergency is committed to taking steps to be reflective of the

young people we serve, and being a welcoming and inclusive

organisation. We therefore particularly encourage applications from

candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in the UK’s

cultural workforce. This includes people of colour, disabled people,

LGBTQIA+ people, and other equity deserving groups. 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 specific

qualification is required for a role).

“Our future cultural landscape is in danger of being populated

exclusively by the children of the wealthy and well-connected. I love

Arts Emergency because it works to bridge this gap. To create the

opportunities that have been taken away.”

- Julie Hesmondalgh, Arts Emergency Bursar, actor, writer, and theatre

maker

We are committed to the employment and development of disabled

people. We guarantee to interview anyone who identifies as

disabled and whose application meets the person specification for a

post. To be invited to interview, you must show in your application

that you meet the person specification for the role. If you tell us that

you have access requirements or any requests to make you

comfortable, we can make reasonable adjustments to the interview

process, and, if you join us, to your work arrangements.

Community Manager

●  Two year contract, with a view to make permanent

●  Full time, 35 hours per week

●  £36,330 per annum pro rata, plus 3% pension contribution

●  This role can be home or office-based

●  Arts Emergency operates a 35-hour week, we will consider

compressed or annualised hours.

You will be joining Arts Emergency at an exciting time. With a refreshed

vision and a new theory of change, Arts Emergency is putting community

and collective-working at the heart of its operations.

You will be at the centre of Arts Emergency’s mission, coordinating an

emerging programme that connects young people to each other and to

other creative professionals. Critical to this will be facilitation of our Youth

Collective as leaders of community engagement and development.

Key Tasks

Leadership

●  Ensure that robust operational plans, systems, and processes are

in place to support delivery of the community programme

●  Take a listening and learning approach to programme development,

and ensure that there is clear evidence of how input from the Young

Community is considered and utilised

●  Ensure compliance with all relevant policies and procedures,

escalating issues and concerns as appropriate

●  Oversee the implementation of monitoring and evaluation

processes for the Community programme, and work with the Head

of Programmes to learn and share insights across the team

●  Work with the Fundraising team to inform funding applications and

fulfil reporting requirements to funders

●  Support the Head of Programmes to develop the Community

budget

Community facilitation

●  Recruit, facilitate, and support Arts Emergency’s Youth Collective

as leaders of community engagement and development, with

ambitions to grow this programme so that young people can

influence Arts Emergency’s work in other capacities such as as

advisors and ambassadors

●  Provide effective pastoral and administrative support for the Young

Community and Youth Collectives alongside the Community Officer

and other staff members

Management

●  Provide effective day-to-day management of the Community

programme, ensuring it is delivered to budget and timescale, in line

with funding and contractual requirements, and achieves objectives

and targets

●  Manage and motivate the Community Officer, ensuring they have

the support and resources they need to succeed

●  Ensure that the Community programme is high-quality, delivered in

line with Arts Emergency’s values, and with equity, diversity,

inclusion, and accessibility at its core

●  Maintain and continually develop core programme assets

●  Ensure that the capture and utilisation of Community programme

data is accurate, efficient, and up-to-date, in collaboration with the

Head of Systems and Head of Programmes

●  Ensure that risk management measures are followed in relation to

Community programmes

Key Results / Objectives

●  The Community programme is delivered in line with activity plans,

timelines, and budgets, with increasing engagement over time

●  The Community programme is high-quality, delivered in line with

AE’s values, and with equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility at

its core

●  The Community programme is delivered in line with all relevant

policies and procedures, and risks are identified and mitigated

accordingly

●  Effective processes and workflows are in place to make the most of

our resources and ensure the Community programme is delivered

efficiently, consistently, and sustainably

●  The Community Officer feels supported and clear on their role,

outcomes, and the impact they are contributing to young people

●  The Youth Collective are recruited and feel supported, valued and

they are clear on their roles

●  The annual Community and Collective cycle is smooth and

processes are robust

●  Monitoring and evaluation procedures are delivered to plan

●  Evaluations from both Young Community members and the Youth

Collective are largely positive and show positive impact

●  The Community and Collective budgets are spent effectively and

efficiently to support delivery needs, and there are timely and

accurate records of income and expenditure

●  The Fundraising team have the information they need to develop

funding applications and report back to funders

●  The Community programme continually improves in quality and

efficiency

●  The Community team, volunteers, and partners are aware of their

roles and responsibilities for the safeguarding of young people;

safeguarding policies and procedures are followed; and

safeguarding concerns or issues are dealt with efficiently and

effectively

●  The Community team, volunteers, and partners are aware of their

roles and responsibilities for young people’s welfare and wellbeing,

and young people are signposted to appropriate services

●  Accurate information is shared on the website and accurate records

are kept on Salesforce

Working Conditions

This role can be home or office based, and we will consider compressed

or annualised hours should the successful applicant wish. We will also

consider job share applications.

Arts Emergency head office is based at Peter House, Oxford St,

Manchester M1 5AN. We also have access to Spaces offices around the

country which are used by all staff living outside of Manchester.

Regular travel across Greater Manchester, Merseyside and London is

essential as part of programme delivery. Where off-site working is

required as part of programme delivery, travel expenses and

accommodation will be covered.

We will occasionally ask you to travel to other offices or locations for

training and team or departmental away days. Travel expenses will be

covered, and we’ll offer remote options when necessary and ensure

accessibility requirements are taken into account.

There may occasionally be evening/weekend work, we operate a time off

in lieu system.

Person Specification

Qualifications

●  No specific qualifications are required for this role

Experience

●  Experience of managing or coordinating youth engagement and

community programmes

●  Experience facilitating diverse groups of young people

●  Experience of managing and motivating staff, contractors and

volunteers

●  Experience of designing systems and processes to deliver

programmes efficiently and effectively

●  Experience of managing budgets, monitoring expenditure and

maintaining financial records

●  Experience of developing programmes through listening and

learning cycles

●  Experience of safeguarding young people

Knowledge

●  Understanding of youth participation and co-design principles

●  Knowledge of the context and issues affecting young people aged

16-25

●  Knowledge of best practice and trends for working with young

people aged 16-25, especially in relation to equity, diversity,

inclusion, and accessibility

●  Knowledge of the creative and cultural industries

●  Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation processes to assess

outcomes and inform programme development

Skills

●  Excellent facilitation and communication skills - ability to build trust,

motivate, and inspire young people

●  Strong leadership and people inspiration skills - ability to manage,

motivate, and inspire a team

●  Strong organisational skills - ability to manage a wide-ranging

workload, delegate appropriately, and prioritise effectively to meet

deadlines

●  Strong verbal and written communication skills - ability to

communicate effectively with people at all levels

●  Strong problem-solving skills - ability to take a creative and

analytical approach to understanding problems, generating ideas,

and identifying solutions

●  Critical thinking skills - ability to assess and use evidence to inform

decision-making

●  Interpersonal and relationship-building skills - ability to develop and

maintain productive relationships with external stakeholders at a

strategic level

●  Sound financial acumen and ability to effectively set and manage

budgets

●  Capability in using standard office programmes/apps and ability to

make effective use of an online CRM database

Personal Qualities

●  Alignment with and commitment to Arts Emergency’s values of

equity, access, optimism, justice, care, persistence, creativity,

curiosity, and community

●  Empathetic, youth-centred, with a genuine enthusiasm for youth

voice and leadership

●  Highly organised self-starter

●  Positive leader and role model

●  Motivated, resourceful, and committed to on-going learning and

development

●  Commitment to working collaboratively with others toward shared

goals

●  Willingness to work flexibly to meet the demands of an evolving role

How to apply

We will be hosting an optional Zoom on Tuesday 20 January 2026 at 5pm

for prospective 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

are two parts to the application:

●  Part One asks for your personal information, education, work

history, referees

●  Part Two asks for supporting statements in relation to the job

application

You can return the application forms as a Word Document or PDF. If you

prefer you can talk through the Part Two questions in audio files. To

transfer audio files, we suggest uploading to wetransfer.com and use the

‘get transfer link’ 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 2 February 2026 with

AE-CM in the subject line.

Interviews will be held online the week commencing 9 February 2026.

*The survey is anonymous and not linked in any way to your application.

Any information you provide will be used by Arts Emergency to monitor

the demographics of candidates applying for roles and make

improvements in line with our diversity and inclusion ambitions. This data

will be treated in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation

2018.

Contact us

If you have any questions about the role or application, please contact

Joe Burton, Head of Programmes, at joe@arts-emergency.org

Arts Emergency

Spaces,

Peter House,

Oxford Street,

Manchester

M1 5AN

www.arts-emergency.org

Registered Charity Number 1152377