Job Advert
Head of Operations and Administration
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Contract: Fixed term (24 months), continuing as permanent subject to funding.
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Hours: Full time (37.5 hours per week); we are open to negotiation regarding a shorter working week.
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Salary: Circa £43,000-45,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience.
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Benefits: Contributory pension; 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays; family friendly culture; weekly wellbeing time; birthday day off; remote working by agreement.
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Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
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Line management: Studios Operations Manager; Property and Studio Communities Manager; Programmes Curators (x2).
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Location: Flexible working from home with at least one day (Wednesday) coworking in central LB Camden (Gospel Oak). It is expected that you will also visit and attend meetings at various other ACAVA sites as required.
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Closing date: Please apply by midnight on Sunday 16 August. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the recruitment process. We reserve the right to close this vacancy and stop accepting applications before the advertised closing date if a suitable candidate is identified. Early application is recommended.
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Interviews: In person between 24 and 28 August at a London location.
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Start date: As soon as possible and ideally by the end of September 2026.
Purpose of the role
The Head of Operations and Administration will work alongside the Chief Executive, taking shared responsibility for steering the organisation and will support ACAVA through a period of strategic transition, helping to build an organisation that is resilient, efficient, and well-positioned for the future.
Working closely with and guiding the operations team across the full breadth of our operations, the Head of Operations and Administration will provide hands-on operational and occasional project management, financial oversight (liaising regularly with our outsourced accountants), help maintain our human-centred work culture, and support governance administration and delivery that enables ACAVA to deliver with confidence and consistency.
This is a senior role reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, with organisation-wide reach, a degree of autonomy, and close, day-to-day involvement with the team. It has the potential to become more senior and grow with the organisation over time.
The Head of Operations and Administration will be responsible for the coherent functioning of ACAVA: ensuring its operations run effectively across a geographically dispersed portfolio, finances are well stewarded and clearly reported, its people are well supported and cared for, and its governance meets the standards expected of a registered charity, and since 2023, an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (ACE NPO).
Key areas of responsibility:
Creative workspaces and company operations
ACAVA currently manages a portfolio of 15 studio buildings and community spaces across London (13), Essex and Stoke-on-Trent, supported by a small, established and well-organised operations team. The Head of Operations and Administration will provide close oversight of this function – working alongside and supporting the Studios Operations Manager and the Property and Studio Communities Manager – as we seek to identify more efficient systems and processes and ensure that operational decisions are thoughtful, well-coordinated, and aligned with ACAVA’s strategic priorities. The role also carries oversight of ACAVA’s IT and digital systems, supported by our established remote IT specialist. A significant proportion of our operations revolve around buildings and facilities management. While this is not primarily an estates brief, the Head of Operations and Administration will be engaged with the studios and property team every day, providing the leadership and support that enables them to do great work.
Finance
Supported by external accountants who have served ACAVA for eight years, the Head of Operations and Administration will be our key connector with them, maintaining strong internal controls and ensuring financial information is accurate, timely, and clearly presented. Day-to-day work includes budget and cash flow oversight, expenditure approval, payroll administration, and audit support. The Head of Operations and Administration will also work with the CEO and colleagues to prepare budgets for funding applications and new business tenders as needed.
People, culture and HR
The Head of Operations and Administration will take responsibility for ACAVA’s employer obligations – keeping contracts, terms and conditions, HR records, and policies in good order, overseeing recruitment and onboarding, and ensuring our approach to people is legally compliant. This practical foundation supports our positive working culture – collaborative, equitable, caring, honest, and supportive of our creative mission. People-directed and consultative processes have helped us build it, and this role will play an active part in sustaining it.
Governance and compliance
ACAVA is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee, and an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, with the associated compliance and reporting obligations. The Head of Operations and Administration will ensure that governance meets our expectations of best practice – supporting the CEO so that board papers are produced to a high standard and circulated in good time, board meetings and sub-committees are organised and managed professionally, and statutory filings, trustee records, and regulatory requirements are kept consistently up to date. The role also carries responsibility for organisational insurance arrangements, supported by external advisers where needed. The Head of Operations and Administration will also maintain oversight of ACAVA’s existing policy framework – covering data protection, safeguarding, health and safety, and equality and inclusion – collaborating with colleagues to ensure that policies remain fit for purpose, are regularly reviewed, and are embedded in practice.
Supporting the Chief Executive
The Head of Operations and Administration is the Chief Executive’s primary operational collaborator. This means supporting the running of a complex organisation, providing a reliable sounding board for key decisions, engaging in governance processes, and representing ACAVA with confidence where required. The right candidate will take meaningful ownership of the organisation’s operational health and bring composed, discreet, capable leadership to whatever the role requires.
Programmes stewardship
ACAVA is actively managing change across its programme portfolio and team. The Head of Operations and Administration will provide operational stewardship of the organisation during this period – supporting continuity across the creative and community programmes function, working with the CEO and programming team to manage change carefully, sensitively and effectively, and ensuring that ACAVA’s work continues to be delivered to the standard that beneficiaries and funders expect.
What you need to be successful in the role
This role calls for a confident, experienced person who is comfortable with a diverse schedule. We expect the successful candidate to bring most, if not all, of the following experience and attributes:
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Operational experience in a property context – an understanding of what it takes to run buildings and facilities well, including familiarity with leases and health and safety compliance.
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Strong financial acumen – able to analyse budgets, interpret management accounts, maintain internal controls, propose ways to improve financial management and present relevant business information clearly and credibly.
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Excellent interpersonal and communication skills – a clear, warm and adaptable communicator who builds trust with colleagues, studio occupiers, trustees, advisers and partners alike.
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Sound judgement and discretion – comfortable handling sensitive matters, working with appropriate confidentiality, and exercising autonomy responsibly.
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Project management – an ability to organise or oversee the delivery of diverse project workflows in a collaborative and flexible way.
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A collaborative, people-centred leadership style – consistent with the culture ACAVA has built and is committed to developing further.
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Organisational and governance literacy – experience of charity or company governance, compliance and board support, or the aptitude to learn it quickly.
Experience in the arts, culture or charity sector is desirable but not essential; what matters most is the attitude, capability and character to be a significant partner in an influential senior role in a small organisation.
How to apply
Please submit:
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An up-to-date CV
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A covering letter that clearly states why you are a strong candidate for the post giving examples of how your experience and attributes meet our requirements as set out above (maximum two sides of A4 at 12-point font).
We welcome video or audio applications in place of a covering letter (maximum ten minutes), shared as a WeTransfer link by emailing [email protected].
If you have a disability that makes it difficult to apply in the ways requested, please contact us at [email protected].
From the Chief Executive Officer
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in the Head of Operations and Administration role at ACAVA. This senior role works with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to ensure effective financial oversight, operational management, and strategic planning in support of the organisation’s growth.
If successful, you will join an organisation with a 50-year history in the cultural sector and a vision – Creativity with Social Purpose – guiding our work across creative practice, community, and place.
The Head of Operations and Administration will play a key role in the organisation, helping to shape how we operate day-to-day and contribute to our future direction. We welcome informal, confidential conversations about the role and your potential impact at ACAVA. To arrange a discussion, please contact us at [email protected].
I very much look forward to receiving your application.
Tom Holley
Chief Executive Officer, ACAVA
About ACAVA
ACAVA is a leading arts education charity that evolved from artist-led initiatives in the early 1970s. For over 50 years, we have been amongst the UK’s most progressive affordable studio and workspace providers. We manage a portfolio of 15 studio buildings, exhibition spaces and workshops across eight London boroughs, one building in Essex, and an industrial heritage building on the site of the old Spode Works pottery in Stoke-on-Trent. Our buildings support a diverse community of over 400 creative practitioners, cultural and community organisations and creative SMEs.
ACAVA has been a pioneer of arts in health and wellbeing for over 30 years. Our programmes bring professional artists together with local communities in co-created programmes that deliver creative, social and economic value.
Our work delivering post-Grenfell Tower fire recovery programmes from our two buildings in North Kensington has been widely recognised: the Grenfell Memorial Community Mosaic, created in partnership with Al Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, was joint winner of the Collective Power Award (2022), and ACAVA was shortlisted for the Award for Civic Arts Organisations (2022) by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and King’s College London.
To learn more about us, please visit our website.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
ACAVA is committed to equality of opportunity, diversity and inclusion, and we are keen to address imbalances in our workforce. We encourage applications from people of all races, religions, genders, national backgrounds and sexual orientations. We particularly encourage applications from disabled people and those from global majority backgrounds, as these groups are currently underrepresented in our organisation.
Please let us know at the point of application if we can make any reasonable adjustments to allow you to participate fully in the recruitment process by contacting [email protected].
