Job details

Job title: Head of Festivals

Directorate: Programmes

Reporting to: Director of Programmes

Responsible for: Two direct reports plus team leadership

Based: Our Head Office is based in London, but all staff are currently working from home. Requests for permanent remote working will be considered and we welcome applications from people based in other parts of the UK.

Terms: Part time (24.5 hours/week), permanent. Requests for flexible working will be considered.

Salary: £37,378-£47,466 FTE (£26,164 - £33,226 pro rata)

About the role

The Head of Festivals is responsible for setting the strategy and overseeing the development and delivery of the British Science Festival and managing the UK Science Festivals Network and associated projects.

The British Science Festival is Europe’s longest standing science festival which connects people with researchers from across the scientific spectrum.  It offers an inspiring programme of free events to the public over four or five days, attracting around 15,000 visitors. The talks, workshops and drop-in events span a diverse range of subjects that encompass science in the broadest sense.

It is hosted by a different university in the United Kingdom each year. It is funded by both the university and corporate partners secured by the host university. The 2021 Festival will be hosted by Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford from 7 – 11 September 2021.

Our vision for the Festival is to create a programme of events of particular interest to audiences who are underrepresented in science and who either see science as not for them or who are interested in science but make no particular effort to engage. 

The role will involve frequent travel to the Festival location plus a week on-site during the Festival itself.

The university hosts for 2021 (Anglia Ruskin) and 2022 have been confirmed. The Head of Festivals will be expected to review the future model for the Festival beyond 2022 in collaboration with stakeholders.

The UK Science Festivals Network (UKSFN) was established to unite, celebrate and develop science festivals in the UK. It meets several times a year to share best practice and discuss the future of the science festivals sector.  The UKSFN is managed by the BSA and we advocate for the importance of science festivals in conversation with funding bodies and decision makers.

Key responsibilities 

The main responsibilities will be to: 

For the British Science Festival:

• Set the strategy for the British Science Festival and provide overall oversight for its delivery.
• Oversee the development of a programme to attract a range of audiences, particularly those that are underrepresented in science.
• Develop local partnerships that reach under-served audiences.
• Oversee the budget, delegating to managers where appropriate.
• Manage key relationships with the host University, local stakeholders and funders.
• Secure headline speakers in line with Festival aims and within budget.
• Oversee the creation of the programme content including award lecturers, host academics, BSA content and the open call.
• Chair the Festival Programme Group and work closely with the Chair of the Festival Steering Committee.
• Manage and develop the BSA Science Festival team and work effectively with colleagues in marketing and fundraising.

 For the UKSFN:

• Manage the UKSFN and chair the meetings.
• Oversee the delivery of associated projects including a programme to bring together researchers with young people from low socioeconomic and minority ethnic backgrounds.
• Work with the UKSFN members to set the strategy and identify areas of common interest for collective working.
• Seek funding of projects that will benefit the UKSFN membership.

 In addition, the post-holder will be expected to:

• Pro-actively strengthen the BSA’s profile and reputation among external stakeholders.
• Work closely with the other Heads to develop new programmes and improve existing ones.
• Develop excellent relationships with key stakeholders in the areas of cultural events and science festivals.
• Support colleagues across the organisation especially at busy times or on specific areas of expertise.
• Other duties as reasonably required by the line manager.

Key working relationships

The post holder will be expected to liaise with colleagues across the organisation and its partners, but is likely to develop significant working relationships with the following people:  

• External stakeholders including University Vice Chancellors and Festival members of the UKSFN
• Director of Programmes
• Director of External Relations
• Head of Communications
• Engagement Managers
• Events & Festival Operations Manager
• Engagement Officers

Person Specification

Below is a summary of essential and desirable criteria needed for this role, as well as how we will assess a candidate’s suitability.

Essential criteria 

Criteria	CV or cover letter	Interview	Task at 2nd interview
Expertise in engagement/communication with public audiences, either in science or other disciplines	Y	Y
Understanding of how festivals can benefit the communities they serve	Y	Y	Y
Understanding of how to engage under-served or disengaged audiences	Y	Y	Y
Track record of developing & implementing successful, innovative projects & partnerships in engagement/communication	Y	Y	Y
Passion for science		Y
Experience of managing a high performing team	Y	Y
Track record of fundraising for projects	Y
Excellent senior stakeholder communication and influencing skills	Y	Y
Experience of managing budgets	Y
Public speaking & presentation expertise	Y	Y
Strong leadership skills	Y	Y
Resilience, the ability to remain calm and effective when working on fast-moving, high pressure projects		Y
A good team player with a positive and flexible approach to work		Y
Willing to travel throughout the UK		Y

Desirable criteria

Criteria	CV or cover letter	Interview	Task at 2nd interview
Festival management experience	Y	Y
Understanding of the informal learning or science communication sectors	Y	Y
Experience of developing & delivering collaborative projects with a wide range of stakeholders	Y	Y
Events production and management	Y	Y

Benefits 

• 27 days holiday per annum plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time employees);
• Up to two days paid leave per year for significant voluntary commitments in support of professional and personal development, such as being a trustee of a charity or a school governor;
• Auto-enrolment pension scheme (currently 5% of salary from employee plus 3% from BSA);
• Up to five days’ unpaid leave per year (this is down to the Manager’s decision and ensuring it does not affect work);
• Life insurance from your first day;
• Occupational sick pay: up to six weeks’ full pay per year (pro-rata for part-time employees);
• Interest-free loan for season ticket, bike to work, and assisted study.

To apply

Please send a CV and covering letter (each of no more than two A4 pages) that summarises your interest in the role and details your ability to match the criteria.

Applications should be made via this link: https://recruit.smb.co.uk/vacancy.aspx?id=SdDj6BxxwaHy7bpP

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 17 January 2021.

First interviews are due to take place on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 January 2021. Second interviews are likely to take place on Monday 1 February 2021.

You will be informed as soon as possible after the application deadline whether you have been selected for interview.

As part of the British Science Association’s commitment to being a Disability Confident employer, all disabled* applicants who meet the ‘essential criteria’ for this vacancy will be offered an interview under our guaranteed interview scheme.

If you wish to apply under the guaranteed interview scheme, you will be asked to indicate this when you submit your application by selecting ‘yes’ in the relevant box when asked during the application process. Applicants do not need to state any further information or declare their disability at the application stage.

Whether you are applying under the scheme or not, if you are successful in being shortlisted, we will ask candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions to let us know if they need any adjustments during the recruitment process.

If you have further questions or would like this information in a different format, please contact: [email protected]  

Download the candidate pack for this role as a pdf or view our text-only version of the pack here.

Terms & conditions

From time to time the job entails working extended hours and occasional weekends, for which no overtime payments are made. The BSA operates a time off in lieu policy for weekend working and some other out-of-hours instances.

Only applicants who have a legal right to work within the UK will be considered. You will be asked to bring along proof of nationality and/or proof of ability to work in the UK.

You will also be asked to declare any previous convictions in line with your rights under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) order 1975.

This is a description of the job as it is presently constituted. It is the practice of the Association to examine job descriptions from time to time and to update them to ensure they relate to the job as then being performed, or to incorporate whatever changes are reasonably required, in discussion with the postholder.

It is the policy of the BSA to offer starting salaries at the bottom end of the salary band where appropriate.

A copy of our Privacy Notice is available on the vacancies page of our website.

*The Disability Confident scheme’s definition of disability is in line with the Equalities Act 2010: “a physical or mental condition which has a long-term and substantial effect on your daily life”. Further information about our Disability Confident commitments can be found on the Disability Confident page of our website.