Jobs in Carlisle, United Kingdom

Disability Arts Online (DAO) is recruiting for the newly created role of Artistic Director. This is a rare opportunity to guide the artistic direction of a nationally respected, disabled-led organisation based in Brighton.

As DAO celebrates over two decades of championing disability arts, we’re looking for a disabled creative leader who’s excited to play a pivotal part in shaping the next chapter of our story.

This is a rare opportunity to guide the artistic direction of a nationally respected, disabled-led organisation – one that continually pushes for better access, richer representation and a bold, caring future for disabled creatives. If you thrive on big ideas, collaborative working and nurturing creative communities, we’d be delighted to hear from you.

This pivotal part‑time role involves working closely with the Chief Executive to create and implement a bold artistic and creative strategy. You will use your lived experience as a disabled person to ensure our work is authentic, ambitious, and aligned with our mission.

• Salary (FTE): £45,000 – £48,000 per annum
• Hours: Part‑Time (21 hours per week)
• Location: Work from Home (with some required travel for work)
• Reports to: Chief Executive

This role is only open to disabled applicants due to the experience necessary to carry out the work authentically, representing the DAO community from a position of personal lived experience. The successful candidate will have proven experience in artistic direction, strategy development, and talent development within the arts sector.

We acknowledge that institutional racism, discrimination and inequality exist in our sector and understand that disability is an intersectional experience. As such, we are strongly committed to ensuring that people from global majority backgrounds and all protected characteristics are part of our organisation, across our staff and board, as well as the freelancers we work with.

You must be passionate about creating opportunities and advocating for the rights and increased representation of disabled creatives. If you don’t meet every requirement in the person specification detailed in the job pack (on the DAO website), please don’t let that hold you back. We’re genuinely interested in your potential as well as your experience, and can offer on‑the‑job training and support where needed.

The role is designed to be part‑time (21 hours per week) to offer better access and flexibility for candidates. If you wish to maintain a creative practice alongside this job, we will do everything we can to accommodate this through Time Off in Lieu, flexible working and in our organisational planning.

Before applying for the role, please access the Artistic Director Job Pack. This includes the full list of responsibilities, person specification and information about Disability Arts Online. The pack is available in the following formats: PDF, easy read, plain text, BSL video and audio.

To apply, please complete a short online application form via the job listing on the DAO website.
The form will ask you for the following:
– A CV
– Letter / audio / video application.
– Any additional materials – ideas, drawings, video to support your application. Not essential, but if you prefer to express your ideas in a different format, this is the space to do that.
Please also complete the equal opportunities form.

You can also send your application by email.

The deadline for applications is 19 January 2026.