MPA50 - Project Manager Role - Sept 2015

Project Manager Opportunity at Mid Pennine Arts 50 YEARS OF MPA Mid Pennine Arts is recruiting. For this archive pilot project, we are initially offering a contract to March 2016, with the expectation of extension to May 2016. The contract covers Project Management of the project and preparation for the post-project evaluation. If you have a strong track record of developing and delivering high quality, project-based work, combined with an interest in archiving and cultural heritage and an affinity with MPA’s work, we would love to hear from you.

About MPA MPA is the commissioning agency based in Pennine Lancashire and developing projects across Lancashire and beyond. We commission high quality creative work through a variety of collaborations and in response to the distinctive contexts of our natural, built and social environments. Our projects interrogate and celebrate what is unique about our area, our heritage and our communities. We aim to originate exciting creative work that has lasting impact for participants, audiences and our project partners. MPA brings art, people and places together to transform perceptions and change lives.

Our work is centred on contemporary visual arts but uses a broad creative palette. MPA has developed specialisms in commissioning work in landscape and public spaces and in heritage settings. Our portfolio of recent work has included the Panopticons contemporary landmarks and the Contemporary Heritage series of major new commissions in heritage locations. All of our projects include dimensions of engagement and learning for young people and adults.

MPA attracts funding from a variety of sources, including Arts Council England, Lancashire County Council and lottery distributors including Heritage Lottery Fund, from whom funding has been requested for this project.

MPA was established in 1966 and has a long and proud track record of working in our communities. In 2016 we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary, looking back at that rich cultural heritage and using it to strengthen our role and our resilience for the future.

The Project 2016 marks the 50th birthday of MPA. During its eventful lifetime, this sub-regional arts organisation has amassed a wealth of archive material which taken together presents a rich history of cultural life in Pennine Lancashire over half a century. At present, the fascinating ephemera of posters, leaflets, publications, reports, photos, plans, documents, videos, artworks and memorabilia are somewhat haphazardly stored in the MPA basement at 1 Neptune Street. For the 50th anniversary, we want to initiate a comprehensive archiving programme that secures, organises and digitizes our fascinating records. We plan a pilot archive project to map out a conservation plan and test out how we can do this with help from experts and volunteers.

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We will:        

Work with community volunteers, training them as archivists, digitisers and oral historians.

Engage professional archivists, oral historians and digital specialists.

Produce a conservation plan for all our archive materials.

Commission web developers to help us publish our archive online to gain the widest audience possible.

Tweet and Facebook the treasures as they are uncovered, spreading word of the project far and wide.

Make contact with key individuals involved in MPA over the years, documenting their stories.

Engage local people with a flagship achievement of public art, Burnley’s Singing Ringing Tree Panopticon, through a summer picnic / oral history session.

Share the gems from our collection in a temporary exhibition at Towneley Hall Museum and Gallery.

We will collaborate with: Lancashire Archives, Lancashire County Council’s Cultural Services team, Burnley Leisure Trust, Towneley Hall Museum and Gallery and Burnley College’s Employment Skills team.

The Role The Project Manager will be managed by the Creative Director at MPA. Key tasks:         

Build effective partnerships and maintain regular communications with the range of organisations and individuals participating in the pilot project.

Work with partners including Burnley College to recruit volunteer participants to the archiving group.

Organise efficiently the programme of training, archiving activities and events that is detailed in the activity plan, devolving responsibility for activities to others where appropriate.

Ensure the programme of activity delivers effectively against the aims of the project, and recommend adjustments to activity if necessary.

In conjunction with the Creative Director and Admin Director of MPA, seek additional sources of income where possible, and ensure that the match funding anticipated is confirmed.

Ensure activity is documented and recorded in order to maintain a lasting record of the project and to enable effective evaluation of how well it worked.

Facilitate the steering group that will help guide the progress of the project.

Manage preparation for final evaluation of the project with the participation of a range of stakeholders.

Work with MPA management to ensure that reporting to funders is completed efficiently and on time.

The Opportunity We are offering this contract on an initial basis until March 2016. It is intended to extend beyond that date until the end of the project in May 2016, dependent on raising additional funds. We imagine an average of one day per week during this period.

Terms are negotiable according to experience, but are costed in the project proposal at £120 per day for a relatively experienced and accomplished project manager.

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Person Specification The individual we seek will be able to evidence certain core skills:         

Previous experience of managing complex or extended projects.

Experience of working with a wide variety of people, and the interpersonal skills to engage them effectively.

Accustomed to building partnerships and working collaboratively.

Excellent written communication skills, and ability to produce convincing funding proposals and project reports.

Highly organised, capable of multi-tasking and prioritising a busy workload.

A self-starter able to identify opportunities and realise them.

A team player who will enjoy working collaboratively within the MPA team.

An understanding of our geographical area (social-economic context) or of comparable communities A positive commitment to celebrating diversity.

In addition, you should be able to demonstrate some of these specialisms that will be particularly relevant to this archiving pilot project:      

An interest in MPA’s work over the past half century, and more broadly in the evolving cultural life of Pennine Lancashire.

Interest and skills in archiving, heritage management, conservation and documentation.

Oral history and interview skills.

Interest in digital capture and dissemination.

Experience in volunteer development and management.

Experience/skills in using creative engagement to enhance projects.

How to Apply If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you.

Please apply by sending us a copy of your CV and a covering letter outlining your suitability for the post and why it attracts you. Please submit by email only to: melanie@midpenninearts.org.uk Please submit your application by 12 noon on Friday 18 September 2015. There is no formal timetable for recruitment, but we aim to act without delay. We will acknowledge all applicants. If you are shortlisted, we will invite you for interview as soon as can be arranged.

To find out more about us and our projects look at our website, Facebook page and Vimeo channel. If you have any questions about our work or this opportunity, please contact Melanie Diggle, MPA Finance & Admin Director, as above, or on 01282 421986.

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