Overall Purpose of the role

Arts Council England delivers a range of capital investment programmes that contribute to the outcomes of Let’s Create, our 10-year strategy. Capital Investment Programmes are programmes that invest in assets or infrastructure to support the long-term sustainability of creative and cultural organisations across England.

Led by the Director, Capital, the Capital team is made up of 3 sub-teams:

·       Investment – focused on the design of investment programmes and associated assessment and advice giving.

·       Relationships and Monitoring – focused on stakeholder engagement and monitoring of risk, compliance and overall delivery of our Capital investment.

·       Cultural Development Fund – focused on the delivery of this specific fund in conjunction with Area-based colleagues.

You will be part of the Capital Relationships and Monitoring Team, providing administrative support to the delivery of our Capital programmes.

Main day-to-day responsibilities

You will provide administrative assistance to Senior Officers, Senior Managers, and Directors, servicing and event-managing internal and external business meetings, and coordinating administrative processes. This includes collating and distributing agendas and papers, taking notes, following up on actions, and providing support for cross-team working groups and other committees as required.

You will provide personal assistance to the Director of Capital, promoting optimal use of time by coordinating meetings, making travel arrangements, and ensuring that the Director is well-briefed in advance.

You will undertake small research tasks, preparing briefings, gathering and disseminating information, and running administrative support systems for the team: including workload planning, data entry, record filing and archiving.

You will provide support to the team’s administrative procedures, including raising purchase orders and contracts, producing budget reports, reviewing information, and processing payments as requested.

You will monitor the capital inbox and serve as the primary point of contact for the team, following up on requests for information, responding to queries, and liaising with internal and external stakeholders.

You will combine your ability to plan and prioritise with a flexibility and curiosity to work beyond this area of work, contributing to areas outside of your daily responsibilities within the Capital team’s activities.

You will be required to travel on occasion to other Arts Council locations across England.

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, ensuring an inclusive working environment whereby everybody feels respected and valued, reflecting the Nolan Principles of Public Life and the Arts Council's values with a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Key relationships

You will report to a member of the Capital Senior Management team and the delivery of your core objectives will require direct working with all members of the Capital team, offering flexible support as needed. 

You will work closely with the Assistant, Capital Investment, to provide administrative support across the Capital team and with colleagues across the Chief Operating Officer’s team, including our network of Assistants, to ensure the sharing of good working practices.

You will also work closely with the following teams in delivering your responsibilities:

·       Area Teams

·       Business Systems Teams

·       Customer Services

·       Finance

·       Grant Management

·       Information

·       Insight Teams (e.g. Data, Research)

·       Legal

Organisationally, we operate as a fully interconnected structure, and you will be expected to work in an environment that relies on collaboration, flexibility, and the ability to manage both formal and informal reporting relationships.

What do I need to bring to the role?

Essential (Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours)

To succeed in this role, you will have:

·       Experience of providing administrative and programme support, preferably in a similar role.

·       A highly organised approach with the ability to work autonomously and juggle multiple priorities and exercise effective judgement when organising, planning, and managing complex tasks.

·       Excellent IT skills and experience in using databases.

·       Good interpersonal and communication skills – both speaking and in writing – and the ability to communicate in a confident and engaging manner and influence individuals over whom there is no formal line-management relationship.

·       A good understanding of the current diversity agenda and its relationship to the work of the role. 

Desirable (Skills, Knowledge, and Behaviours)

·       Experience in monitoring budgets.