Kickstart Gateway Assistant

Creative & Cultural Skills

Creative & Cultural Skills works to create a fair and skilled cultural sector by shaping skills, education and employment best practice.

Creative & Cultural Skills works to create fair access opportunities for young people within the creative and cultural sectors by raising awareness and shaping skills, education and employment best practice.

We provoke action and enable learning opportunities that drive change and help to build an all-encompassing skilled sector by improving awareness of careers and options across the cultural sector; working to remove barriers to entry and progression for young people from underrepresented groups and disadvantaged communities; informing and helping the sector react to changes in the technical education system; helping employers see the benefits of a diverse workforce, in turn feeding new talent into the workforce; and advocating and campaigning for systemic and policy changes that will improve the opportunities for young people within the sector.

For further information, please visit www.ccskills.org.uk

Role overview

This role is fundamental to the delivery of our strategic objectives to enable the Kickstart and other job creations projects and programmes to provide clear, robust and high-quality grant management.

Key duties

• ·    Ensure the smooth running of our Kickstart Gateway programme

• ·    Assist in the day to day running of Creative Kickstart.

• ·    Assisting in the relationship with the DWP and other stakeholders

• ·    Customer relationship management.

Ensure the smooth running of our Kickstart Gateway programme

• ·Assist with project management activities, resources and information ensuring all deadlines are met and assessments are delivered to a high standard.

• Action tasks and assist with schedule management.

• ·Assist with the grant monitoring process, providing clear guidance and advice to guarantee high levels of customer service to recipients.

• Assist with the co-ordination and issue of all appropriate legal paperwork (e.g., contracts and terms)

• Raise and address issues surrounding the application, assessment, and grant management systems.

• ·Assist the project manager in delivery of tasks

• ·Help inform budgets, forecasts, and verification of payments.

• ·Maintain comprehensive project documentation, plans and reports.

• ·Monitor own working hours and plans.

Assist the day to day running of Creative Kickstart

• Ensure process guidance and timeframes are adhered to.

• Act as a key contact and report project status to all stakeholders

• Assist the Director, Partnerships and Delivery in managing the grant between Creative & Cultural Skills and stakeholders eliminating blockers

• Monitor progress against milestone, including budget management and handle any issues that arise.

• Investigate risks and opportunities

Assisting in the relationship with the DWP and other stakeholders

• Ensure all relevant recipients complete necessary DWP paperwork in line with guidance.

• ·Monitor monthly payments and manage all necessary paperwork with the payroll company

• Ensure we meet all targets and requirements for the DWP funding as set out in our contract.

• Maintain relationships with senior colleagues at DWP to ensure smooth running of funded job creation projects.

• Ensure our management system is compatible with DWP needs and can assist with data capture.

Communications, PR and customer relationship management    

• Assist with the promotion of Creative Kickstart and other relevant programmes

• Contribute to Creative & Cultural Skills wider communications and media

• Ensure sound communications with the partners through newsletters, events and online media.

Other requirements:

• Able to travel within the UK, and to work occasional unsocial hours

This job profile provides a general description and is not intended to be comprehensive. It may be altered from time to time as required for business reasons, to meet the changing needs of Creative & Cultural Skills and its sector.

 Person profile

Job Title: Kickstart Gateway Assistant

 Experience

Essential

•  Experience of project administration and co-ordination

Desirable

• Experience of working in a grant giving organisation

• Experience of working in the creative and cultural sectors

• Experience of managing contracts

Attainments

Essential

• Ability to use MS Office particularly Excel and Word

Desirable

• Ability to work with grant management processes

Special Aptitudes

Essential

• Excellent communication skills

• Good written English

• Attention to detail

• Able to use basic business finance systems

• Strong ability to work to tight deadlines

 Desirable

• Previous experience of relationship management

• Ability to use social media

• Knowledge of quality assurance, funding and/or job creation programmes

Disposition

• Tactful; diplomatic; and fair.

• A persuasive negotiator and advocate

• A team player with ability to work on own initiative to a high-level brief

• A ‘can do’ approach with an ability to be flexible

• Ability to manage and work with high level stakeholders and partners 

 Thinking Style

• Calm and logical approach to problem solving

• Ability to think strategically, keeping the overview to the forefront.

Circumstances

• Home based, but some travel within the UK may be required on occasion.

• Ability to work extended hours on occasion