Coventry is the ninth biggest city in England and has ambitious plans to grow its economy, profile and quality of life.  Culture, sport, and events are at the heart of city life and our growing visitor economy.

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

The Culture, Sport, Events and Destination Service is part of the Council’s Regeneration and Economy Directorate. The team supports the development of the culture, creative economy, heritage, sport, events, and visitor economy sectors in the city – through partnerships, strategies, investment, and programmes. The team takes a lead role in securing external funding and overseeing local grants, contracts, and development programmes. We lead and oversee an ambitious cultural capital investment programme, commission a range of sports and physical activity programmes and deliver festivals and a wide range of events.

In line with our One Coventry Values we strive to have a workforce that reflects our local communities and welcome applicants from all sections of the community. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic backgrounds, applicants who have a disability and applicants who are from the LGBTQ+ community to apply for our senior leadership roles. 

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

The Head of Culture and Creative Economy is an exciting new role, jointly funded by Coventry City Council, Coventry University and the University of Warwick.

The role will be varied, challenging, and rewarding, as the city grows its Culture Works partnership and focuses on a refreshed Action Plan for the remaining three years of the Coventry Cultural Strategy 2017-2027. As Head of Culture and Creative Economy, you will lead and manage relationships and initiatives with national, regional, and local partners, and oversee contracts and grant programmes supporting local priorities.

You will drive forward cultural and creative sector strategies, partnerships and projects, including acting as the Service lead for projects within the cultural capital investment programme – in support of developing attractive, functional and sustainable performance, production and creative spaces in the city.

We are looking for leader who can work strategically, build inclusive partnerships, think commercially and effectively manage a small team of people working across multiple settings with a wide range of partners. You will be:   

A Leader – an inclusive leader who values diversity and promotes a culture of respect with the knowledge and ability to provide policy advice; the skills to effectively manage a small team and to lead partnerships and initiatives for sector development and growth

An Advocate – with the ability to advocate for culture and creativity in delivering city priorities and better outcomes for local people

Strategic – able to shape and connect Council policy and partnership strategies to raise the profile of Coventry as a cultural and creative city and centre for innovation, investment and growth 

A Collaborator and Enabler – with a good understanding of place-based working; able to translate vision and policy into inclusive partnerships and practical action; with the ability to inspire confidence and create change

An Organiser and Manager – with sound financial management skills; able to successfully coordinate complex funding applications and manage local grant programmes and contracts with sector partnerships

You should have:

• Comprehensive knowledge of the structure and funding of culture and creative economy sectors in the UK
• Experience of managing a diverse, multi-functional team with responsibility for financial and human resources
• Experience of managing complex partnerships, projects, and programmes to produce successful outcomes
• Experience of raising funds to develop and support local infrastructure and services. Experience of managing funding programmes and commercial relationships.
• An education to degree level or equivalent, with a record of continuing professional development

People from minority ethnic backgrounds are currently under-represented in our senior management team, and as a result we would particularly like to encourage people from minority ethnic backgrounds to apply for this post. This does not prevent any other applicants with a protected characteristic or a non-protected characteristic from applying.

If this sounds like the perfect next step in your career, then we would love to hear from you.

Working Patterns and Posts

This is a full-time post, 37 hours per week, with a requirement to work flexibly in relation to hours, including unsociable hours, evenings, weekends and occasional overnight stays.  The role involves attending meetings and events in the Coventry area, with occasional travel within the region and nationally.

For an informal conversation about this challenging and rewarding role, please contact David Nuttall, Strategic Lead – Culture, Sport, Events and Destination at david.nuttall@coventry.gov.uk

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'

Dates for interviews are Wednesday 15th May 2024 and Thursday 16th May 2024

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies