Training & Skills Development Manager

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Norwich Theatre Royal is East Anglia’s premier theatre, presenting a high quality mix of drama, musicals, opera, dance, comedy, music, children’s and family shows all year round. In an average year it sells some 400,000 tickets for around 410 performances of nearly 100 separate events, averaging 75% of capacity. With 1300 seats, the Theatre Royal is the largest venue in Norfolk, and plays a very active part in the cultural life of the region. The theatre is a registered charity (No. 262259) with education as its focus. Any surplus generated is dedicated to improving the theatre’s facilities and to supporting an extensive Learning & Participation programme. The post holder will be a key member of the theatre’s Learning and Participation Team and will be its primary ambassador for the program of work within drama training and skills development. With particular responsibility for: Young Associates Programme The Young Associates are young people aged 18 – 25 years with an interest in creating theatre. They may join the program as performers, directors, writers, producers or technicians. Young Associates are supported through a variety of opportunities to make, watch and learn more about theatre. They will be able to explore creative leadership and through practical training and hands on experience, will produce and deliver their own creative projects. Courses and Exams Norwich Theatre Royal offers acting courses for children and young people on Saturdays and for adults on weekday evenings. Acting and Allied Theatre Skills exam classes are offered for children and young people in the evenings throughout the week. There is an aspiration to expand the variety of classes and courses offered in the future. Theatre Performance Companies The Youth Theatre Company (YTC) is for young people aged between 16 and 20, and presents between four and six productions each year, which are performed at Stage Two and at other venues in the area. Casting is done each term by audition, with rehearsals on Saturday afternoons or Friday evenings. YTC have taken part in the National Connections Festival in the past, and there are aspirations for developing opportunities for inclusion in other national and international festivals. Norwich Theatre Royal would also like to develop a theatre company for people ages 26 years +.

CPD and Practitioner Training Adult training programmes are to be developed through a variety of strands of work, including training and sharing opportunities for amateur theatre makers, continued professional development opportunities for practitioners, teachers and other professionals. Transform Transform is a training and skills programme for businesses. This is a unique, progressive programme that has been developed with our partners National Theatre Theatreworks, Olivier Mythodrama and Ideas Centre – all leaders in their fields. The transform programme is designed for business leaders, emerging leaders and rising stars, and has 3 programme strands alongside a range of key business benefits: Leadership, Creativity & Innovation and Communication

JOB DESCRIPTION Job title:

Training and Skills Development Manager

Reporting to:

Learning and Participation Director

Salary:

£ 26-30k per annum

Hours:

37.5 hours per week

Holiday Entitlement:

4 weeks p.a. plus statutory holidays rising to 5 weeks after five years

Pension:

Auto enrolment to Personal Pension scheme with up to 5% employer matched contribution

Notice:

8 weeks

OBJECTIVE The Training and Skills Development Manager will facilitate the strategic direction, development and delivery of the Norwich Theatre Royal’s training and skills development programs and partnerships. This includes developing strategic relationships with arts organisations across the region; delivering theatre based training projects; using creative learning to deliver skills development for children, young people and adults; working with the Learning and Participation Director to ensure that the department’s quality principles are met to the highest standard; and always seeking new ways of working within the sector.

Key Responsibilities • •

Ensure that programs are delivered with and for participants with a focus on personal, social, artistic and cultural development. Select, in collaboration with participants and the Learning and Participation Director activities and themes for activities and performances which reflect the Artistic Policy of the Learning and Participation Department.

Acting and Theatre Courses • Maintain an overall vision for artistic and operational element of the courses appropriate to each age group within it, including a syllabus for each age group. • Manage acting and theatre courses and exams for children, young people and adults during term and holiday times; Including management of associated resources, scheduling, staffing, and supervision and assessment of students. • Develop and increase a broad and diverse range of courses. Including but not limited to drama skills such as technical theatre, stage management, theatre make-up and costumes, directing, and theatre genres. • Coordinate sharing of learning, informally and formally at the end of each course. • Deliver courses, and where not possible, recruit, contract and manage suitably experienced practitioners. • Manage pastoral care of participants. • Undertake academic monitoring and administration with specific assessment responsibilities. • Effectively share the artistic vision of courses with participants, parents and prospective participants.

Youth Theatre and Adult Theatre Companies • Produce the Youth Theatre and Adult Theatre Company productions, appointing creative staffing as appropriate. • Direct Youth Theatre and Adult Theatre Company productions occasionally. • Facilitate opportunities for the Youth Theatre and Adult Theatre Companies to participate in local, regional, national, and international sharing opportunities. For example, NT Connections, International Youth Theatre Festival. • Responsibility for chaperones at performances where required. • Ensuring compliance with regulations and legislation for public performances, including health and safety, first aid and theatre licenses. • Where appropriate, utilise digital arts with in performances. • Liaise with the Access Manager to ensure accessibility of performances.

Skills Development • Develop and manage opportunities for engaging learners in leadership of their own learning; including but not limited to, a Young Associates Program for 18 to 25-year-olds. • Develop and manage an annual program of networking and skill sharing opportunities for amateur theatre makers in Norfolk. • Manage a program of accredited training and qualifications across the department. • Be responsible for maintaining and developing Norwich Theatre Royal as an accreditation centre. Practitioner and CPD Training • Develop and manage an annual program of training and skills development masterclasses and workshops for practitioners and artists. • Manage, in collaboration with the Development Department, an annual program of creative leadership training for businesses. Finance/fundraising • Maximise membership and income of the training and skills development program. • Meet KPI targets in relation to training and skills development outcomes, financial income and expenditure, and funder specific outcomes. • Take responsibility for managing the training and skills development budget, ensuring accurate cost control. • Investigate ways of further developing opportunities for the training and skills development program through working with visiting practitioners, exchanges, tours and partnerships and to inform funding applications where appropriate. Quality assurance, evaluation and data • Ensure the quality and compliance of all projects, including checking that thorough risk assessments are in place and ensuring the preparation of detailed workshop plans. • Lead the evaluation of all training and skills development activities, ensuring that accurate statistical information is recorded, qualitative assessments are implemented and that activities are fully documented for the purposes of reporting to funders and other stakeholders. • Design and evaluate projects in line with L&P Quality Principles. • Record participation figures and collect feedback from activities; writing and/or contributing to reports and evaluations as required.

Communications • Liaise with all other departments to ensure the smooth running of activities, and enabling the whole organisation to understand the purpose of the learning and participation program and engage with activities. • Work with the Communications department to ensure relevant information is provided about the theatre’s training and skills development work. Staff Management • Provide line management for Training and Skills Development Assistant. • Liaise with the Learning and Participation Director when recruiting freelance practitioners, associate artists and directors. • Ensure freelance practitioners, associate artists and directors maintain the same high standards, and maintain a high degree of retention and consistency of practitioners for the training and skills development program. • Support freelancers, associate artists and directors administratively and artistically to enable them to deliver projects to the highest standard. • Recruit, train and support workshop assistants in the basic principles and ethos of the training and skills development program. Advocacy and Networking • Share practice with peers in other organisations to achieve increased awareness of the theatre’s work and keep up to date with developments in the sector. • Represent Norwich Theatre Royal at events, conferences and meetings as the post requires. • Be an advocate and assist the theatre’s management team in promoting the wider critical understanding of the performing arts as a vehicle for social change to a wide range of audiences including sponsors and donors, public bodies, our own employees, the media and the general public. Diversity • Ensure opportunities with the learning and participation activities are maximised to promote inclusivity and diversity. • Along with the rest of the learning and participation team, contribute to initiatives to remove barriers to accessing our work and to increase the diversity of participants and audiences. General • Take an active role in your continuing professional development, identifying relevant training and professional development opportunities. • Actively contribute to the development and creation of training and skills development activities and programs for both current and prospective participants in line with the strategic vision.

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Take responsibility for ensuring that training and skills development activities are delivered safely and in accordance with thetare company policies. Act as Duty Manager within Stage Two where required. Support all learning and participation activities and act at all times in the best interest of the theatre and the participants.

This list of responsibilities is not exhaustive and may change as the strategic vision for the department and organisation evolves. Therefore the post holder may be required to perform duties outside of this as operationally required, but within reasonable scope of this role at the request of the Learning and Participation Manager. PERSON SPECIFICATION Knowledge and Experience • Knowledge of the learning and participation practice within British theatre, with regards to leaders in the field and key influencers. • Up to date knowledge of the skills required for people entering the industry. • Good understanding of the trends within the industry and how they are influenced by external factors. • Experience of the production process and working with directors, designers, technicians and production management staff. • Experience of delivering creative courses involving partner organisations. • Experience of delivering acting courses and drama sessions for people of all ages. • Understanding of the differing needs of diverse groups of people, and the potential barriers to learning. • Experience of managing a creative arts syllabus for all ages. • Up-to-date child protection/safeguarding training. • Experience of recruiting, supporting and managing freelance practitioners. • Experience of line managing direct reports and leading a team. • Experience of monitoring and evaluating arts activities. • Experience of managing and delivering qualifications and other types of accredited learning. • Understanding of the national Qualification and Credit Framework Skills and Attributes • Ability to provide excellent pastoral care for participants. • Commitment to embracing and encouraging diversity across all activities. • Ability to build positive co-operative working relationships with internal and external colleagues. • Positivity, flexibility and enthusiasm with a desire to engage and inspire participants. • Excellent team working skills with ability to act on own initiative.

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Good written and spoken communication skills. Excellent organisational, planning, project and budget management skills. Computer skills, including Microsoft Office, specifically Word, Powerpoint and Excel. Ability to work under pressure, to prioritise tasks and to meet demanding deadlines. Respectful of the need to maintain confidentially. Willingness to encourage participant led facilitation programs.

Personal • Ability to set personal and organisational goals. • Willingness to work flexible hours (weekends and evenings) when required. Qualifications • Vocational or similar training in teaching, acting or allied theatre discipline, at degree level. • Internal verifier qualification preferred • Arts Awards Advisor preferred Please note that due to the nature of this post the successful candidate will require a DBS check.