Contract: 12 months fixed term, 35 hours per week. We recognise flexible working as a valued part of the way we work, and welcome applications from people who require flexibility.

Salary: £59,474 per annum, plus a final salary pension scheme, generous annual leave, and flexible and hybrid working. 

Location: London. We operate hybrid working, with regular on-site contact days with other members of the team, normally 1-2 days a week.

Overview:

We are looking for a talented and experienced person to join our busy and friendly Advocacy and Communication team for 12 months as our Head of Stakeholder Engagement. In this senior role you will help to build awareness of Arts Council England’s work, driving advocacy across the political, creative and cultural sectors.

You will implement our stakeholder engagement strategy, using creative ideas that can cut through and effectively advocate. You’ll also advise the Chair, Chief Executive and Executive Board, and keep them up to date on key developments in the sectors we work with.

About you:

To succeed in this role, you will have a strong track record of working in a political environment, with a sound understanding of the policy making process, including Whitehall and Westminster. 

You will be an excellent communicator who enjoys making new connections and building up key stakeholder relationships and networks.

You will be confident at providing expert, well-evidenced advice for senior colleagues on how we respond to cultural, political and public sector policy developments.

You’ll be a confident leader – able to manage people directly, along with providing project groups with direction and support, connecting with internal and external colleagues to get results for our campaigns.

What to expect in post: 

In this role, you will deliver the following work in any given day:

• Lead our key stakeholder strategy ensuring there is appropriate interaction and visibility with key political and sector stakeholders.

• Design creative ideas that can cut through and effectively advocate for the benefit of arts and culture to individuals, communities and country.

• Keep the Chair, Chief Executive and Executive Board informed of key developments in Government and Parliament, advising them on how they should respond.

• Oversee and support the team as they deliver work including: Select Committee and APPG preparation, manage constituency and parliamentary engagement, respond to parliamentary questions, and prepare stakeholder briefings.

Benefits:

In return for your skill and commitment, you'll receive a salary of £59,474. Our benefits include:

• A final salary pension scheme, 25 days plus bank holidays and annual winter closure (three days between Christmas and New Year) plus one additional day for each year of service up to 30 days

• We also offer a buy/ sell annual leave option and flexible and hybrid working and well-being support

• We also offer exclusive savings on the high street and online, as well as holidays, cinema tickets, gym membership, dining out and much more.

If you believe you can make a success of this role, and the prospect motivates and inspires you, please consider applying. 

Equality Diversity and Inclusion Statement: Arts Council are committed to being an inclusive employer, building an inclusive workplace, and recruiting a workforce that is as diverse as the communities we serve. However, you identify, and whatever background you bring with you, we welcome you to apply for a role at Arts Council.

If there are any adjustments that would support you in your application, please do let us know when you apply. If you are disabled, Evenbreak are able to provide support with your application. For further information please visit their website here

We participate in the ‘Offer an Interview’ scheme which means that we offer an interview to any disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role they’re applying to, subject to the volume of applications received.  Disabled candidates, those living with a long-term condition and/ or neurodivergent candidates may be eligible for this scheme. The scheme uses the definition of disability from the Equality Act 2010 to determine eligibility.  More information is included in the application guidance.

About us: Arts Council offers a range of benefits to our employees including hybrid and flexible working, a generous annual leave allowance and the Arts Council Retirement Plan - a final salary scheme. To find out more, click here.

Our Code of Ethics requires that employees of the Arts Council are not able to receive an Arts Council grant, investment or loan funding - either in person, as a member of a partnership, or for any organisation they own. There are also limitations on board or CEO positions employees can hold in organisations we fund. For more information on this, please talk to the recruiting manager or contact recruitment@artscouncil.org.uk

We believe our recruitment process should be inclusive and transparent. Find out what to expect with our application Guidance: How to apply and recruitment selection process | Arts Council England and more about our commitment to diversity on our website here. 

To view the job description please click here

To view the recruitment pack which outlines more details about working for Arts Council please click here  

1st Interviews:  W/C 09 February 2026

2nd Interviews:  W/C 16 February 2026

If you require any documentation in an alternative format, please contact recruitment@artscouncil.org.uk