Head of Learning and Engagement - The Barber Institute of Fine Arts - 59922Z24 - Grade 7

The Barber is home to the principal art gallery, collection and original concert hall for the University of Birmingham. Our mission is directed by the vision of our founder, Lady Barber, who established a museum for "the study and encouragement of art and music" with an art collection that was to be "of that standard of quality required by the National Gallery or the Wallace Collection". Today, its internationally significant collection - cared for in a Grade-1 listed Art Deco building - includes masterpieces by Sandro Botticelli, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, Gwen John, Käthe Kollwitz, René Magritte, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Auguste Rodin, JMW Turner, Vincent van Gogh and Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun - among others. Our programme centres on world-class, research-focused temporary loan exhibitions and ground breaking Learning and Engagement activities and projects.

Our vision is for the Barber to be a welcoming and responsive museum, whose collections and innovative art and music programmes inspire creativity and curiosity. The Barber also strives to manifest Lady Barber's vision of a hub for the social life of the University - a space that can connect people - and our mission today extends beyond the campus to local, national and international communities.

You can read more about our mission and purpose, our vision and our values, on our website .

About the Team

Learning & Engagement is at the heart of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, delivering on the Barber Institute's mission to engage people with the arts and music.

The Learning & Engagement (L&E) team designs, organises and delivers the L&E programme for the Barber's audiences and implements policies that support engagement with our collections and exhibitions. Through our L&E programmes the Barber aims to enhance learning, facilitate the big conversations and change lives.

The programme continues to grow and evolve - for example, in 2019 the team launched Barber Lates, a programme of cross-disciplinary, experimental evening events designed to attract new audiences to the Barber. In response to the Covid lockdown and closure of the Barber's physical building the team launched the innovative digital programme Barber Home in April 2020. Since then the team have built an experimental and creative programme that responds to the experiences of the past few years, developing its audience engagement to include a supportive programme for UoB students and further programmes that embody arts, health and wellbeing. Over the past two years the team have developed the innovative Barber Health project. Working closely with the Barber's L&E team, community and artist partners have shaped the design of creative and innovative Barber Health activities, events and resources that utilise and share the Barber's collection.

Our post covid journey has centred the development of programmes that specifically support children and young people, offering free and creative activities and resources that support accessing culture, inspiring opportunities and connection with other people. This has led to reframing our schools work with Barber Schools and Barber Family work which has resulted recently in the Barber Family Festival August 2023, engaging nearly 1,500 people with a dynamic programme of artist led events.

Being part of the University of Birmingham (UoB) offers a wealth of exciting possibilities for the Barber, and the L&E team in particular. A strategic priority is to strengthen, grow and explore our relationships with the University community through academic, extracurricular or staff engagement. Our University engagement sits holistically alongside our public engagement, with the two informing each other to facilitate unique interpretations and conversations.

Role Summary

The Head of Learning and Engagement leads the Barber's Learning and Engagement team, its strategic development and its activities. This team and the Barber's Visitor Services team embody the Barber's strategic commitment to visitor experience, learning and public engagement. Working closely with the Director and other members of the Senior Management team, the post holder develops, leads and implements new and revised strategies for the development of Learning and Engagement at the Barber.

The post holder is responsible for developing and managing the delivery of a dynamic and critically-engaged Learning and Engagement programme that will enable the Barber to achieve its mission and both retain and extend its reputation for excellence and innovation in this area. The role requires an ability to understand, articulate and apply the big ideas whilst day-to-day maintaining attention to detail and excellent organisational skills to ensure the efficient and effective running of the department.

Inspiring and motivational leadership, alongside delivery of best-practice line management, are essential for the role as the post holder will be managing the Learning and Engagement team and the Barber's team of freelance learning practitioners, including artists, and volunteers.

The post holder will be working closely with colleagues across the Barber, being the keystone for communication and collaboration between Learning and Engagement and the Visitor Services, Curatorial and Communications and Marketing teams. The role is line managed by the Director and the post holder will work closely with the wider Barber team. Beyond the Barber, the post holder will play an active part in institutional, city-wide and regional conversations, collaborations and initiatives, being a key representative and advocate.

From 2023, the Barber team have undertaken significant work to look towards the Barber's future. A new Forward Plan supports our mission, aims and values , reflecting on our role and significance within the University of Birmingham, wider city and our place internationally. Through consultation with our key audiences and internal stakeholders we have developed new Audience Development and Access Plans and Policies to support this. We believe that the arts matter because of the positive impact that they can have upon people's lives. Our vision is for the Barber to be a welcoming and responsive museum, whose collections and innovative art and music programmes inspire creativity and curiosity.

This post holder will cover an exciting transitional time at the Barber. They will support the continuation of the Barber's Learning and Engagement programmes, entering the gallery's Tranche 2 building works in 2025-2026. During this period, they will develop outreach initiatives, facilitate inspiring leadership, and project manage development projects including fundraising, strategic visioning and project delivery.

Main Duties

Strategy and Leadership:

• Lead on, develop and oversee the delivery of a dynamic and critically-engaged Learning and Engagement programme and strategy that support the Barber's wider mission and strategic aims.


As part of the Barber's Senior Management Team (SMT) contribute to the creation and development of the Barber wider organisation policies to support the organisation's mission and strategic aims.

Play an active role within the Barber's Senior Management Team (SMT).

• Deliver effective management of all Learning and Engagement operations.


• Be responsible for developing productive working relationships and communication channels across the organisation, to effectively plan, deliver and communicate the work of Learning & Engagement.


• Proactively and positively contribute to Barber staff and project meetings, representing Learning and Engagement appropriately and effectively.


Programmes, Activities and Partnerships:

• Responsively lead the design, development, planning and management of the Barber's Learning and Engagement programme creating engaging and accessible programmes for the Barber's audiences, in line with its Audience Development Plan (ADP).


• Be responsible for producing supporting copy and plans that support this programme, designing pathways for audiences to access them in liaison with the Communications and Marketing team (eg. print, digital, web)


• Demonstrate a commitment to public-facing Learning and Engagement practice by contributing appropriately to the delivery of the Barber's Learning and Engagement programme,


• Respond creatively and appropriately to wider University of Birmingham (UoB), city, regional and national initiatives to achieve the Barber's audience development and public engagement aims


• Actively and positively contribute to identifying and building new relationships with the University of Birmingham (UoB), including academics, professional services and wider staff to build new initiatives and programmes.


• Contribute to the development, design and delivery of innovative undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and extracurricular projects as an Academic member of staff within UoB.


• Responsibility for overseeing the Barber's public events programme (in close collaboration with the Director and Deputy Director of Collections and Research), working closely with the LEM, ensuring it is critically-engaged, sector-respected, appealing to target audiences, and delivers on the Barber's strategic aims.


• Design and develop high quality, accessible and engaging interpretation and learning resources that support audiences to access permanent displays and temporary exhibitions


• Be responsible for the development of the concept, content and design of the Barber's Learning & Engagement spaces.


• Review, develop and sustain strategic partnerships in the sector (to include University of Birmingham, city, regional and national) to build effective collaborations that maximise resources and deliver on the Barber's strategic aims and objectives.


• Share the Barber's Learning and Engagement practice within the sector and with key UoB and external stakeholders, seeking out opportunities for advocacy and contributing via channels such as presentations, workshops, articles and case studies.


• Be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the Learning and Engagement programme against agreed KPIs and strategic objectives, using quantitative and qualitative data, and report on this as required.


People and Financial Management:

• Line manage members of the Learning & Engagement team of between 4 and 6 people, delivering effective and supportive line-management.


• Conduct constructive regular one to ones and annual reviews for all team members.


• Working with the UoB HR department manage recruitment of new team members, delivering a best practice recruitment process.


• Manage the recruitment, support and development of freelance practitioners, artists and volunteers that support the Learning & Engagement programme.


• Ensure that the Learning and Engagement team maintain up to date knowledge of Learning and Engagement practice, pedagogy, museum practice and working practices.


• Build a Learning and Engagement team culture of sharing practice, critical analysis and self-reflection, leading by example and implementing a framework to enable all staff to engage in this process.


• Plan and monitor Learning and Engagement expenditure and income, to maximise the resources available.


• Report on Learning and Engagement expenditure and income, as required.


• Ensure that the Learning and Engagement department adheres to financial protocols.


• Be responsible for overseeing the efficient administration of the Learning and Engagement department.


• Be responsible for ensuring that Learning and Engagement staff, freelancers and volunteers adhere to health and safety legislation, safeguarding policy and procedure and all other statutory requirements relating to the supervision and participation of children and vulnerable adults at the Barber.


• Proactively identify potential sources of external funding and income as required, leading on and contributing to securing identified funding for the Barber's programmes of activity.


Research:

• Keep abreast of developments in Learning and Engagement practice, the formal education sector and the cultural and creative sectors.


• Develop own research areas in this field including artist-led L&E practices.


• Develop own knowledge of the Barber's collections and suggest new ways in which L&E programmes could connect audiences with these collections (and music).


Other:

• Keep abreast of developments in Learning and Engagement practice, the formal education sector and the cultural and creative sectors.


• Any other duties commensurate with the post.


• The post holder must be prepared to work occasional evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays, for which time can be taken off in lieu.


• The successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check.
  
  Experience working in a museum, gallery, cultural/heritage organisation or creative sector environment


• Strategic and up to date knowledge of the arts and cultural sector and the ability to apply this knowledge to inform planning and decision making


• Experience in a learning/education role, particularly within the creative or cultural sector


• Experience of successfully managing a department and leading a team


• Demonstrable ability to manage a department and oversee programmes of work to deliver agreed objectives and contribute to achieving strategic aims


• Proven and relevant experience of successfully leading, motivating and developing a team to deliver agreed outputs and contribute to achieving strategic aims


• Demonstrable ability to proactively build and sustain productive and effective relationships with colleagues and external partners/stakeholders to achieve agreed aims and objectives


• Proven budget management experience, to include responsively monitoring and effectively reporting income and expenditure


• Demonstrable experience of allocating and utilising a set amount of staff and financial resources to deliver a high quality output that contributes to agreed strategic objectives


• The ability to ensure a team adheres to legislation, policies and procedures (e.g. health and safety legislation, risk assessment procedures, safeguarding policies and procedures, financial protocols and GDPR)


• Excellent communication skills with the proven ability to apply them in a wide range of contexts and settings


• Demonstrable networking and public speaking skills, excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to create and draw upon relevant strategic contacts and networks


• Proven excellent organisational skills including attention to detail, time management and working to deadlines


• Demonstrable high level of motivation to work towards and achieve predetermined goals within specific deadlines


• Proven ability to work quickly and accurately under pressure and to use judgement to inform decision making


• Proven ability to approach both challenges and opportunities with a creative, innovative, positive and collaborative attitude


• A demonstrable engagement with, and enthusiasm for, arts, heritage and culture


• A degree in a creative discipline such as Fine Art, History of Art or a related subject/discipline


Desirable

• Post-graduate qualification in a relevant subject and/or a teaching qualification.
  
  The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.


We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham, We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy . You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .