Overall Purpose of the role

You will be responsible for delivery of communication activity with Members of Parliament and other stakeholders. You will also deliver on communication activity falling out of the national communication strategy and you will work on a range of projects within that. In addition, you will be expected to contribute operationally to reputation management and reactive situations as required.

You will be employed for a core specialism in public affairs and stakeholder engagement.

Using different digital tools and channels, you will create engaging content that is clear and has impact with audiences. You will also help with planning and running events.

Main day to day responsibilities

You will be responding to enquiries from MPs and Ministers about the work of the Arts Council and contributing to the Arts Council’s efforts to proactively brief MPs and Ministers about our work.

You will be responsible for the day-to-day delivery of activity falling out of the national communication strategy. You will deliver operationally on a range of projects within the strategy.

You will help with planning and running events.

You hold a core specialism which will be in public affairs and stakeholder engagement.

Working within the brief set out by your manager and the communication strategy, you will contribute to planning and evaluation for your area of specialism, as well as providing creative ideas in the day-to-day implementation of this work. You will

also play a tactical role in channel and audience development for your area of expertise.

You will keep yourself informed of the main external issues that affect the Arts Council, develop significant knowledge of our core business and carry out operational tasks relevant to reputation management associated with your specialism e.g., creating briefings for stakeholders, or preparing newsletters for MPs.

You will be a confident advocate for the Arts Council with external stakeholders and you will build a network of external contacts relevant to your area of specialism and associated audiences.

You will be required to engage with the most senior members of the organisation in fulfilling operational tasks e.g., preparing a briefing note for the CEO or accompanying the Chair at an MP meeting.

In discussion with your line manager, you will be expected over your time at the Arts Council to broaden your skills to include Arts Council’s core skills and you will also have the opportunity to develop another core specialism. You will be supported appropriately in this task.

This role requires regular travel throughout England, such as visits to regional offices and out of hours working.

You will contribute to the organisation’s commitment to diversity and its implications for the arts and culture, promoting a diversity perspective in all aspects of the post’s objectives and activities.

 You will contribute to a positive working culture in the organisation by taking a proactive approach to learning, responding to change, inclusive practice, and environmental responsibility.

You will reflect the Nolan Principles of Public Life and the Arts Council's values with a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Key relationships

You will work closely with advocacy and communications colleagues across the country in the national and area teams to co-ordinate media activity across the organisation, liaising with regional colleagues.

Steered by your line manager, you will form strong relationships with staff across the arts council, feeding intelligence back into the Advocacy and Communication team.

What do I need to bring to the role?

Essential (Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours)

You will hold skills, experience and knowledge of the Public Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement core specialism:

Skills: particularly in the production of briefings, reports and speeches. Also, in event management and in use of evaluation, monitoring and measurement of stakeholder engagement.

Experience: of working in a busy public affairs or stakeholder team or organisation, preferably within a policy-based environment. Experience of building support in Parliament and Government, and strategically engaging at least one major group of stakeholders on behalf of an organisation. Able to use a wide range of channels and tools including Customer Relationship Management.

Knowledge: of the institutions that make up the government of the UK at a national and local level. An active and demonstrable interest in public policy, in particular in relation to the arts and culture. Knowledge, understanding and networks within at least one stakeholder group relevant to Arts Council England. (This will likely include government, Whitehall and parliament, local government, the cultural sector and creative industries, education sector.) Knowledge of the principles of reputation and crisis management.

You will have experience of working in a communication team or similar environment. You will have significant ‘on the job experience’ and/or a recognised professional qualification in public affairs and stakeholder engagement.

You will also be familiar with core principles of communication - including strategic planning, audience insight, messaging, reputation management and evaluation.

You will be an excellent writer and understand different forms of content from an audience perspective, ensuring it is clear and has impact. You will have well-developed skills in planning, influencing and judgement.

You will have basic project management skills and be comfortable working in matrix teams.

You will have a good understanding of the social, economic and political environment in which the Arts Council operates.

You will have strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and make judgements about levels of risk.

You will have the ability to think creatively and remain calm under pressure.

You will also have experience of building strong working relationships and wider networks within and external to your organisation.

You will have knowledge of the Data Protection Act and how it applies to your role.

You will also have a good understanding of the Arts Council’s duty as a public body under current diversity legislation, the current diversity agenda and its relationship to the arts.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and 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.

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

Interviews: (virtual) w/c 01 December 2025