The Poetry Translation Centre is seeking an experienced arts professional to provide maternity cover for our Chief Executive. This is an excellent opportunity for a leader in the arts who has experience of management (personnel and financial), partnership development and fundraising, and who is passionate about the mission of the PTC.
Background
The Poetry Translation Centre was founded in 2004 by the poet Sarah Maguire to introduce extraordinary poetry from around the world to new audiences, live and online. Our mission is to give the best poems from Africa, Asia and Latin America a new life in the English language, to better recognise and celebrate the diverse communities who have made their home in the UK, and to enrich the English poetic tradition through translation. We produce new translations through public workshops which are open to all and free to unwaged and refugee participants. We commission fresh translations for publication by pairing international poets with leading UK poets and bridge-translators. We organise poetry tours around the country, and we forge enduring relations with immigrant communities in the UK for whom poetry is of great importance.
The PTC is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. The Centre has been regularly funded by Arts Council England since 2006, and since April 2012 has been one of the Arts Council’s National Portfolio Organisations. The Chair of our Board is Sandy Balfour.
More information about the PTC can be found here.
The Role
This part-time position will start in April 2019, and in your first month you will work alongside Chief Executive Erica Hesketh, ensuring a thorough handover. You will report to the Board through our Chair, and you will be responsible for the delivery of the PTC’s 2018-22 Business Plan, including artistic programme, audience development, income generation, resourcing and governance – with involvement from all staff and board. You will lead on fundraising for the PTC, and you will line-manage the PTC team to deliver on our ambitious objectives for the year. Our 2019 programme includes three poet tours, the launch of a new publication series, a major symposium on translating poetry from beyond Europe, and the launch of a new prize for poetry in translation in honour of the PTC’s founder Sarah Maguire.
The position is part-time – a total of 3 days per week (0.6 FTE) – and will be based at the PTC’s office at the Albany in Deptford, London (SE8). The salary will be £40,000 pro rata.
Key Responsibilities
• Deliver the PTC’s 2018-22 Business Plan – including artistic programme, audience development, income generation, resourcing and governance
• Line-manage PTC team members
• Develop strategic, creative and business partnerships for the PTC, especially with UK diaspora communities
• Act as Company Secretary and manage the company on a day-to-day basis
• Act as main contact for our key funder Arts Council England
• Lead on applications to trusts/foundations, major donors and other sources of funding
• Ensure the proper financial management of the PTC
Person Specification
Essential
• Demonstrable experience of successful leadership, line-management, budget-management and working with a Board of Trustees
• Track record of leading on strategic planning and delivery to high standards
• Track record of developing and maintaining external partnerships
• Familiarity with UK company and charity law
• Experience of trust and foundation fundraising
• Commitment to the work of the Poetry Translation Centre
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Openness, adaptability and ambition
Desirable
• Experience of running an arts organisation of charity
• Experience of managing funding agreements with Arts Council England
• Interest in contemporary poetry and issues relating to translation
• Experience of and confidence in public speaking
• Experience with MS Office applications and Google Drive
Terms
Salary: £40,000 pro rata
Hours: 21 hours per week
Location: The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford, London SE8 4AG
Line Manager:Chair of Trustees
Line-managing: Commissioning Editor (0.7 FTE); Communications Manager (0.8 FTE); Events and Workshops Manager (0.8 FTE); Office and Publications Manager (0.3 FTE)
Contract terms: Maternity cover (estimated 8 months), starting 1 April 2019
To Apply
Please send a CV and covering letter, together with a PTC Diversity Monitoring Form (which can be downloaded from this page), to maddy@poetrytranslation.org. Please put ‘Application – Chief Executive maternity cover’ in the subject heading of your email.
Deadline:5pm, Monday 4 February 2019
Interviews:Week of 11 February 2019, at the Albany, Deptford