Dance Base, Scotland's National Centre for Dance, is recruiting for the post of Head of Marketing & Development.

About the job

Reporting to the Chief Executive, you’ll ensure Dance Base and the Scottish dance artists we support reach audiences and customers effectively alongside raising income for Dance Base’s work from government, organisations and individuals.

Specifically:

As one of the organisation’s senior managers, you will play an active role in setting the strategy and delivery plans for the whole organisation with lead responsibility for the fundraising and marketing strategy and targets.

As marketing lead for the organisation, you will build increased interest in dance across Scotland for the benefit of Dance Base itself and Scottish dance artists more broadly, in particular through building and serving online communities of dancers and dance fans across the country. You’ll be responsible for the Dance Base brand, and how it is reflected and used for the benefit of the organisation and the Scottish dance sector, including the development of an effective online presence across the web and social media. You’ll support the public, professional, and health & wellbeing teams to design and deliver effective marketing activity for their work, in particular ensuring that our public class offer maximises reach, income and impact, and that our Edinburgh Festival Fringe Programme retains its global reputation.

As development lead for the organisation you’ll work closely with the Board’s Development Committee to set strategy and targets for fundraising across all sources. You’ll lead on fundraising from individuals and corporates and provide support to others who lead on fundraising from trusts and foundations and the public sector.

You’ll be a resource for Scottish dance artists to develop their own marketing and fundraising skills, delivering scheduled training and ad-hoc advice as possible.

As a senior representative of the organisation you’ll be expected to represent Dance Base and advocate for Scotland’s dance sector far and wide.

 

About you

An experienced professional across marketing & development. You’ll have a track record, preferably in an arts and cultural context, in both developing audiences and customers and bringing in funding from government, organisations and individuals.

A passion for dance. You’ll love dance in many forms, and and understand the ways in which it can bring joy, health and wellbeing to so many.

A real interest in others as individuals. You’ll work best when collaborating with others and have demonstrated how you have built long term relationships with individuals to deliver results.

Experience with digital tools and technology. You’ll know how digital tools and technology can help in marketing and relationship management and have enough experience of these to know what would work in our context.

An understanding of the benefits that diversity and difference bring. You’ll actively seek out new perspectives and ideas and have a track record of removing the barriers that people and groups face.

Ambitious and keen to learn more. You’ll be excited by the opportunity to contribute to the success of a national organisation and the sector it serves, and through contributing seek to develop your own skills further.

We particularly encourage people from underrepresented communities to apply, including but not limited to disabled people, those who are D/deaf, Black/+ People of Colour, those from minority ethnic communities, those who are part of the LGBT+ community, and all those who feel their voices are not commonly represented.

 

Main Duties

Setting Strategy

• As a senior manager and member of the Strategy Group, contribute to the setting and delivery of Dance Base’s overall strategy
• Lead the development of marketing and fundraising strategy and targets, working with the Strategy Group and the Board’s Development Committee
• Lead the Dance Base brand strategy

Building networks and platforms

• Develop networks of dance artists, dance lovers, potential individual supporters and organisational funders across Scotland, working with the public, programme and health & wellbeing teams to build appropriate online platforms, drive membership growth and develop strategies for engaging with them
• Develop website, social media and other online tools that serve the whole of Dance Base effectively and ensure that they are managed effectively
• Ensure that our networks and platforms are being used for the broader benefit of the Scottish dance sector

Fundraising

• Deliver agreed fundraising targets for individual giving and corporate support
• Support others leading fundraising with trusts and foundations and the public sector to identify opportunities and develop successful bids

Marketing

• Support the public programme team to design and effectively market a programme of paid public classes, both face to face and online
• Support professional and health & wellbeing teams to design and effectively market activity to deliver strategy
• Lead the design and delivery of marketing for Dance Base’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme

Consultancy

• Work with the professional programme team to deliver scheduled training and development opportunities throughout the year to support Scottish dance artists to raise funds and market their work
• Work with the professional programme team to provide ad-hoc advice (within agreed limits) to Scottish dance artists requesting help with specific marketing and fundraising challenges

 

Line Management Responsibilities include:

• Marketing & Development Coordinator
  Project Development Officer

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

This role is a rare opportunity for someone to take a lead role in marketing & development in a national arts organisation. We’re looking for candidates who can demonstrate all of the essential requirements but understand that some candidates may be stronger in marketing than development or vice versa and will be willing to support the right candidate to develop further as required.  

Essential

• Experience of raising significant sums in a not-for-profit context, especially from individuals and corporates
• Experience of developing and delivering marketing plans in a range of contexts
• Awareness of and enthusiasm for dance
• Experience of developing online networks and tools that support marketing and fundraising
• Experience of strategy development
• Copywriting and editorial experience

Desirable

• Experience of developing partnerships between organisations
• Skilled at financial management
• Experience of managing people
• Experience of representing an organisation in public
• Familiarity with customer relationship management (CRM) software and reporting suites

This Job Description is intended as a guide to the nature of the work required of this position; it is neither comprehensive nor restricted and is subject to review.

Terms and conditions

Salary: £34,000 per annum
Contract: Full time
Hours: 40 hours per week. Some evening and weekend working will be required.
Place of Work: The Dance Base office in Edinburgh. Working from home will be expected and encouraged in accordance with government safety restrictions. Occasional work in other locations as required.
Holidays: 32 days per calendar year, inclusive of 10 designated public holidays
Overtime: No overtime is payable but will be given as Time off in Lieu with the agreement of your Line Manager

How to Apply

To apply for the post, please complete the application form and Equal Opportunity form and send via email to:

recruitment@dancebase.co.uk with your name and ‘MD21’ in the subject line.

Hard copy applications for the role will not be accepted because of pandemic-related postal disruption and temporary closure of the Dance Base office.

If you require the application form or job description in a different format (e.g. printed, large print, plain text etc.) please contact recruitment@dancebase.co.uk.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 3 February 2021 at 5pm and interviews will be held on week commencing Monday 8 February 2021.

Please note, CVs will not be accepted.

Dance Base is an equal opportunities employer and we are committed to promoting diverse, equal and inclusive spaces and welcome applications from people of all sectors of the community.  

We look forward to receiving your application and thank you for your interest in Dance Base.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.