Interim Head of Engagement

MAIN

LOCATION:

Based at Contact and some homeworking

RESPONSIBLE TO: Creative Director (until Creative Director is recruited this role will report to the CEO)

RESPONSIBLE FOR: The Agency Project Manager, Engagement and Agency Alumni Coordinator

WORKS WITH: All departments

HOURS: Full Time. As we work to 100:80:100 full time equates to 28 hours per week Tuesday - Friday. Some evening, weekend and Monday work may be required as part of this role.

STATUS: Fixed Term contract to cover maternity leave. 6 month contract initially with potential to extend

Final date to receive applications: Sunday 18th January 2026

Interviews will be held at the end of January 2026, dates TBC

As a member of a wider management team within Contact, work with the CEO and the Creative Director to develop and deliver Contact’s engagement strategy and activity. This role will drive forward Contact’s focus on young people and participatory and community focussed work as well as being an active member of the wider senior management team.

• Act as main point of contact for all relationships, including high level relationships, with participatory partners
• Ensure that Contact’s creative activity operates within and leads best practice in access, diversity and safeguarding of YP and vulnerable adults, and that Contact is seen as a model nationally for its work with Young People, advising staff and board where appropriate.
• Identify funding initiatives appropriate to the work of the company, its projects and productions, working with the Creative Director, CEO, Development Manager and other relevant staff members.
• Advocate for Contact, and take a leadership role in a wide range of networks for young people and the arts, and keep up to date with creative developments in a range of arts organisations. Attending industry and community events to increase and maintain awareness of Contact’s work.
• Work closely with the senior management team to facilitate and oversee the involvement of young people in all areas of Contact’s work, through programmes such as Re:
  
  Con, Future Fires, Technique and The Agency, refreshing and reviewing projects annually to ensure viability and ongoing relevance to Contact’s core mission.
• Work closely with the Creative Director to maintain an overview of participatory programmes that ensures young people can find progression routes from early outreach projects to advanced activity for young artists.
• Develop and oversee an alumni tracking strategy to ensure Contact is connected the young people as they progress onward from our programmes.
• Maintain an overview of the reach of Contact’s participatory work, and develop the programme in response to goals for reach and engagement set by the organisation including a clearly defined schools engagement strategy.
• Work closely with the Creative Director, Director of Finance and CEO to establish and manage all department budgets, ensuring that the Engagement department operates effectively and to agreed budgets across projects and activities. Ensuring reporting is accurate and within agreed timescales.
• Ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of participatory projects, including evaluation by participants and cross organisational staff members, feeding knowledge gained from evaluation into work of the department and of Contact as a whole.
• Deliver effective liaison with funders and project partners, ensuring that shared aims are established and outputs are met and reported on.
• Work closely with the Creative Director, CEO and relevant managers to ensure that the activities of the Creative Team are planned in line with the resources of other departments, and that other departments effectively deliver resources to projects.
• Ensure that all creative outputs are documented for reporting, and participant data is collected and fed into appropriate systems, databases and reports.
• Be aware of GDPR and intellectual property guidelines and ensure this understanding is passed on your line managers and their teams.
• Actively devise and support marketing activity to reach participants for all engagement activity, with a focus specifically on community engagement.
• De…