Job Title: Director, Creative and Digital Communities
Department: Innovation Group
Responsible to: Director of Innovation (David Plumb)
Job Purpose:
The key purpose of the role is to provide strategic direction and connection between the local creative and digital community and Warwick’s creative students, education programmes and events centres.
The Post Holder will utilise their industry knowledge, expertise, experience and contacts to enable the development of internal activity. This pivotal role will influence key strategy stakeholders internally and externally at senior organisational, industrial, regional and national levels to meet engagement, educational and employment needs within the creative and digital industries, delivering on diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Working with business is at the heart of what we do. From our inception, Warwick has always had strong connections with industry. The present is no different.
We currently have an opening for a well-connected Director, Creative and Digital communities to work with us on an average of a day a week. The key purpose of the role is to provide strategic direction and connection between the local and national creative and digital community, and Warwick’s students, education programmes, innovation and enterprise.
The successful leader will utilise their industry knowledge, expertise, and contacts to provide insight and influence the development of our provision and networks. This pivotal role will negotiate and advise key strategy stakeholders internally and externally at senior organisational, industrial, regional and national levels to meet engagement, educational and employment needs within the creative and digital industries.
Warwick support for engagement with Creative & Digital Communities
The University of Warwick recognises the importance of the creative, media and cultural industries, economically, socially and digitally, to the region and the UK. The University sits at the centre of a vibrant creative industries cluster and makes a significant contribution through its staff, students, alumni and through Warwick Arts Centre.
The role of the university in supporting these diverse industries is currently being reframed within the new University Strategy, a new Faculty of Arts building, an extension and redevelopment of Warwick Arts Centre, the regional opportunities around Leamington Creative Quarter and Coventry’s City of Culture 2021, and the launch of a new undergraduate programme. Central to all of these is the role of our students and their potential as future leaders in these diverse industries; creating new businesses and driving social and cultural change.
Warwick welcomes applications from highly experienced directors in the sector who would like to spend some of their time (around a day a week) helping to shape the future of the industry through education, in a challenging and rewarding role.
Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy
As an organisation using the (DBS) Disclosure and Barring Service to assess applicants’ suitability for positions of trust, the University of Warwick complies with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed. More information is available on the University’s Vacancy pages and applicants may request a copy of the DBS Code of Practice.
Other Information
The University of Warwick provides an inclusive working and learning environment, recognising and respecting every individual’s differences. We welcome applications from individuals who identify with any of the protected characteristics defined by the Equality Act 2010.
Right to work in the UK
If you do not yet have the right to work in the UK and/ or are seeking sponsorship under Tier 2 of the UK points-based immigration system
please click on this link which contains further information about obtaining right to work in the UK and details about eligibility for sponsorship under Tier 2.
Warwick University has engaged the services of SearchHigher to manage this recruitment. If you wish to apply for this role, please submit a CV and covering letter directly by email to Kaye Matthews, Search Higher, Recruitment Manager (k.matthews@searchhigher.com) or for an informal conversation and full job description please call on 02476 528936.
Principal Accountabilities This section contains the same information as the ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ of the Job Description
1. Strategy Development and integration in the community
• Provide ideas, challenge, support and insight in order to build a strategy that offers student, academic and business value.
• Critically assess the current Warwick approach to creative industries to help us align to the needs of the LCDC.
• Support the University by acting as an ambassador at events in the LCDC to ensure the community is considering Warwick student for internships, innovation projects and careers. Helping to showcase the creativity of Warwick students.
• Share specialist knowledge, expertise and technical innovation with the University to ensure the Warwick team have a head start on new developments in the regional creative industries.
• Contribute to the effective development of a creative community, through interactions with local councils and interested parties such as the LEP.
2. Engagement with external creative, media and cultural partners both nationally and regionally to:
• Build connections with local schools and centres/sectors of excellence/innovation, engaging with Widening Participation and Faculty of Arts objectives to encourage talented young people into these careers.
• Connect with regional creative businesses to build a shared understanding and develop opportunities for students and graduates.
• Support the relationships between the University and key regional organisations (including Councils, CWLEP and WMCA).
3. Education. Influencing the University’s approach to the creative and digital industries and its own curricula by:
• Working with existing University leads (The Steering Group) to develop a clear view of the university’s relevant strengths.
• Developing an internal profile of creative, digital, media and cultural industries and bringing an external context to discussions within the University.
• Enhancing curricula to ensure relevance of Warwick courses (undergraduate and postgraduate) to these sectors.
• Running events to bridge between the university and external partners.
4. Employability. Supporting the university to maximise opportunities for Warwick students and graduates including:
• Building connections with external partners for placements, internships, student projects, creative briefs and graduate positions – in particular, supporting Warwick graduates to build their careers in these sectors in the region.
• Supporting the development of new courses in creative industries.
• Building networks of Warwick graduates within the creative industries and supporting the longer-term engagement of creative alumni with the Faculty of Arts.
• Supporting the leadership potential of Warwick students to become job creators and ensuring that the future leadership of the creative industries is diverse and inclusive.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
This section contains the same information as the Person Specification
Qualifications
• The post holder will be operating / have operated at a senior strategic level in their field. If there were to be an equivalent LEVEL of qualification through experience, it would be at a PG level.
• Credibility and reach within the area of creative business is more important in this role than qualifications, but it is intended that the role will operate at a truly strategic and influential level within both the University and the wider region
Previous Experience
• The Director will have a proven track record of operating at a senior level in a regional creative business of appropriate scale and complexity.
• Demonstrable experience of transforming or growing a creative business into an organisation with a leading-edge digital proposition would be a distinct advantage.
• Evidence of strong intellect with ability, through experience, to focus on matters in hand, and promote discussion to ensure the quality of decisions
• A track record of demonstrating impartiality, objectivity and independence in the best interest of all stakeholders.
• Evidence of successfully developing relationships, brokering new partnerships and mentoring others in their roles.
• Strong personal style with the ability to work alongside other professionals and form an effective team of independently minded, talented and informed people.
Knowledge and Skills
• Strategic skills, including an ability to analyse complex issues and to think clearly and laterally to reach balanced and independent judgments.
• Strong interpersonal skills; listening, enquiring and curious, with confident, calm, practical approach. High personal impact and credibility.
• The successful individual will have in depth understanding of the latest developments in creative, media, cultural and digital sectors, and the role it plays in improving lives, employability and place-making.
•Pragmatic and informed, with a solutions-minded approach that is collaborative.
• Passionate about creative, cultural, media and digital developments and the positive impact they can have.
• An ability to understand the concerns of all stakeholders, and an ability to offer constructive challenge when appropriate.