Customer Service Representative jobs in United Kingdom

Employment Type Full time Permanent working 35 hours a week

Location Hybrid ·Manchester, UK

Salary £50,468 (GBP) final salary pension scheme, generous annual leave, and flexible and hybrid working

Team North Area

Seniority Mid-level

• Closing:11:55pm, 11th Jan 2026 GMT

Overall Purpose of the role

You will contribute to the Arts Council’s role as the national development agency for creativity and culture. You will do this by managing a group of Relationship Managers to carry out cultural development work. You will lead on key strategic priorities in Area or nationally to contribute the development and delivery of our programmes and investments.

Your sector expertise in one or more of the following specialisms will ensure our work benefits more people and enriches lives across the country as part of the delivery of our strategy for 2020-2030, Let’s Create.

Specialisms: Business Innovation, Children and Young People, Combined Arts, Dance, Diversity, Engagement and Communities, Environmental Responsibility, Health and Wellbeing, International, Libraries, Literature, Museums and Cultural Property, Music, Music Education, New Technology and Innovation, Philanthropy, Theatre, Touring, Strategic Partnerships, Skills and Workforce, and Visual Arts.

For this vacancy we particularly welcome applications from candidates with a strong working knowledge and experience of strategic partnership development and its applicability to cultural development and the growth of creative and cultural industries in the North.

As part of your role, you may be asked to contribute to the following:

• Be a member of the Area management team, contributing to the development, delivery and evaluation of the Arts Council’s strategy.
• Manage a group of Relationship Managers. You will lead on recruitment, mentoring and coaching of your team to support their development and performance against agreed objectives.
• Act as an advocate for the Arts Council. This may include representing Arts Council England in engaging with the media, public events, and external meetings.
• Oversee cultural development work in a relevant specialism and share learning from the sector to inform future investment, equalities, or strategic priorities.
• Lead and co-ordinate a place‑based, creativity‑led approach to cultural development in partnership with local stakeholders.
• Monitor funded organisations and programmes where there is a strategic need, or financial, institutional or governance risk.
• Participate in decision making panels on a range of funding programmes, and chair panels that consider applications up to £100,000.
• Contribute to the assessment of applications across our investment and development programmes for individuals, arts organisations, libraries, and museums. This will include providing comments and moderating assessments.
• Use data tools effectively to track impact and identify trends. You will manage data in line with data protection regulations and internal policies.
• Contribute to a positive working culture in the organisation by taking a proactive approach to learning, responding to change, inclusive practice, and environmental responsibility.
• Reflect the Nolan Principles of Public Life and the Arts Council's values with a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

• Directors, Senior Relationship Managers, other Relationship Managers Communications and Operations colleagues to make recommendations to Area management team and National colleagues.
• National teams, working with the relevant National Director(s) and Senior Manager(s) on the development and delivery of national priorities.
• External partners at a senior level including local authorities, other funders and stakeholders.
• Senior Manager (Operations) to lead on the management and delivery of one or more investment programmes at an area level.
• The Investment Centre and other teams to collaborate on the design and operation of investment programmes.

• You will have knowledge, work or voluntary experience in at least one of the specialisms we support. This may be from the creative and cultural sector or in related sectors such as local government, educational, health or similar.
• You will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the needs, challenges, and opportunities of place‑based cultural development work.
• You will be able to demonstrate an understanding of leading, coaching, and mentoring teams to deliver agreed objectives.
• You will have experience in developing credible partnerships with a range of external stakeholders at a senior level in one or more of the cultural, voluntary, public and commercial sectors.
• You will have experience using a variety of analytical, communication and numeracy skills.
• You will be able to demonstrate a knowledge the Arts Council’s duty as an arm's length public body. This includes an understanding of equality, diversity, and inclusion with a commitment to challenging discrimination of all kinds.

• The ability to lead and collaborate effectively across teams where individuals have dual roles and a range of accountabilities.
• A good understanding of organisational dynamics and freelance practice including business models, strategic planning, financial management, agile working and governance.
• Knowledge or experience of grant giving and monitoring.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and we participate in the ‘Offer an Interview’ scheme, which means that we offer an interview to any disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role they’re applying to, subject to the volume of applications received. Disabled candidates, those living with a long‑term condition and/ or neurodivergent candidates may be eligible for this scheme.

Our Code of Ethics requires that employees of the Arts Council are not able to receive an Arts Council grant, investment or loan funding - either in person, as a member of a partnership, or for any organisation they own. There are also limitations on board or CEO positions employees can hold in organisations we fund. For more information on this, please talk to the recruiting manager or contact recruitment@artscouncil.org.uk