The Tetbury Rail Lands Regeneration Trust has been operating the Goods Shed Arts Centre and its in-house Whistlestop Cafe since 2017, both from a formerly-derelict Victorian railway goods shed in this Cotswolds market town. In early 2024, the Board of Trustees carried out a comprehensive review of capability and direction, and will now appoint a General Manager to take forward the three-way strategy that was developed in response.
The three key elements of the Board’s 2024 strategy are i) Artistic Ambition, ii) Community Obligations, and iii) Financial Sustainability. These elements, with their differing measures of success, must be kept in balance, and when taken together constitute our ‘triple bottom line’.
The Role
The General Manager, reporting to the Chair of Trustees, will be responsible for maintaining the long-term balance of the elements of the 3-way strategy, and also for overseeing the operations and use of resources that support their delivery.
i) Artistic Ambition
The core business of the combined-arts Goods Shed is the year-round staging of a deliberately eclectic mix of events, with the historical prominence in the classical repertoire now extended to jazz, folk, rock, tribute, theatre, and more. Our philosophy is that whatever the category, the event should be of the highest possible standard.
You will, in collaboration with the events and marketing teams:
- oversee the planning of an annual programme that delivers against the three-way strategy
- contribute your knowledge of the arts and culture sector to introduce both new performance categories, and new performers in already well-established categories
- work with the marketing team to develop sponsorship opportunities
- contribute content to fundraising activities
- coordinate permanent staff, volunteers, and contractors to ensure the main events programme calendar is always fully populated 6 months in advance
ii) Community Obligations
The Trust is required by its founding charter “…through activities and performances, to promote, and to advance education in the Arts through inclusion, social engagement and wellbeing”.
You will, in partnership with the Community-facing champions:
- develop an overall structure for the activities and performances within the Community programme
- ensure the Shed is meeting the terms of its community charter on socially-priced activities and amenities while recognising the need for financial sustainability
- identify opportunities for new participatory activities
- develop relationships with other charitable organisations
iii) Financial Sustainability
The trust’s key income sources are café sales, event ticket sales, and space hire, totalling around £500,000 per annum. In common with most community arts centres, additional income from donations and grants is also required to maintain the enterprise for the long term.
You will, in collaboration with treasurer and bookkeeper, oversee the financial management of the Goods Shed, including:
- Set annual event income targets by category
- Adjust the medium-term mix of socially- and commercially-priced events in response to conditions
- Set and monitor operating expenditure budgets
- Provide long-term financial projections to support Board decision-making
Resources and Operations
A substantial proportion of both market-facing and internal processes at the Goods Shed is enabled and executed by a network of trustees and volunteers. This distributed model requires that, in addition to specific duties, the General Manager coordinates activities across the enterprise.
You will:
- Maintain oversight of the arts centre activities and act as moderator where and when necessary
- Schedule the maintenance of the Goods Shed estate and equipment so that it is fit for purpose
- Direct a 2-person staff team supporting cross-enterprise duties and tasks
- Act as authority and representative for the volunteer event production teams
Key experience
You will be able to demonstrate:
- Leadership, or substantial deputy leadership, within a cultural or performing arts organisation
- Experience in service and/or estate management
- Management of artistic initiatives and projects
- Personal ownership of enterprise financial planning and management
Person Specification
- A keen interest across the performing arts
- Ability to motivate mixed staff and non-staff teams to get results
- Ability to set and manage quite different, multiple priorities
- Comfortably hands-on with office applications such as Google or Microsoft
- Readiness to work on occasion in the evening and at weekends
- Readiness to reach out to, and collaborate with other charitable bodies
Job Facts
- The role is part time at FTE of 0.6, equivalent to 22.5 hours, or 3 days per week
- The salary is in the range £36,000 to £39,000 per annum, at FTE pro rata, depending on experience
- The role is primarily office-based, and normal office hours are between 9.00am to 5.30pm, Wednesday to Friday
- The General Manager will be expected to act as event duty manager on one weekend and one midweek evening per month
How to Apply
Please email your CV with a covering letter stating how you meet the job requirements to joseph.durning@tetburygoodsshed.co.uk