Director Recruitment Pack 1
November 2014 Dear Applicant Thank you for your interest in the position of Director of The Architecture Foundation. Following this letter you will find an application pack providing an introduction to the Foundation. The closing date for receipt of email applications is Monday 1 December 2014 at 5.00pm To apply, please send a copy of your CV and a covering letter demonstrating how you meet the requirements of the job description and person specification. Please also complete and return with your application our equal opportunities monitoring form. Your application should be addressed to Simon Allford, Chair of Trustees, and emailed to mail@architecturefoundation.org.uk copied to emackenzie@ahmm.co.uk clearly indicating your application in the subject line. Please note that we intend to conduct first interviews during the afternoons of Monday 15 December and Thursday 18 December. If second interviews are required, these will take place during the week of Monday 12 January 2015. Once again, we thank you for the interest you have shown in working with The Architecture Foundation, and look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully Simon Allford Chair 2
Job description Role: Director The role of the Director of The Architecture Foundation is to provide strong, inspirational and high-profile leadership for the cultural, strategic and operational demands of the organisation. The Director will ensure excellence and financial resilience through the development and implementation of a vision and business strategy that further develops the Foundation s reputation and profile within London, nationally and internationally. The Director will hold overall accountability for the success of the organisation, delivering the Foundation s policies through strategic planning and efficient management. The Director will report to the Board of Trustees. The role of the Director is to: o Set and guide the future direction of The Foundation, taking into account mission, audience, funding, budget and delivery; o Lead the development and delivery of The Foundation s programme; o Line management responsibility and leadership of the team chiefly freelance staff o Ensure delivery of business plans and budgets; o Be the public face of The Architecture Foundation; o Lead The Foundation s fundraising and maintain relationships with public and private funders and supporters; o Lead The AF s communications including marketing and PR. The above is to be carried out working in collaboration with the Board of Trustees and The Architecture Foundation team. 3
Responsibilities Vision and Viability o Creating a compelling vision to inspire the architecture sector, wider audiences, staff, board and stakeholders o Developing a profile and reputation which places The Architecture Foundation at the heart of cutting edge and innovative architectural debate within London nationally and internationally o Ensuring the financial viability of the Foundation through sound business planning and income generating activity o Overseeing fundraising, sponsorship, external relations and other activities to identify and maximise potential sources of support o Ensuring that The Foundation s programme is made as widely accessible as possible and that opportunities for architects and other related professions as well as the widest audiences and participants are maximised Leadership and Management o Developing an organisational culture which inspires excellence, innovation and dynamism o Establishing and maintaining a standard of quality in all aspects of The Foundation s work commensurate with its aspirations o Developing and ensuring a management style and structure which maximises the engagement and motivation of staff and is conducive to effective team working o Ensuring that the Board is provided in a timely manner with the information to assist it in making considered decisions on all matters of policy, planning and budgeting Advocacy and External Relations o Developing and maintaining positive and productive partnerships with stakeholders and supporters o Representing The AF as a key member of initiatives such as London Festival of Architecture o Ensuring that The Foundation and its staff play a full part in the architectural, social, cultural and educational life of London o Developing projects and links with architectural, cultural and other relevant organisations across London, nationally and internationally o With the Chair and Trustees, representing the Foundation at conferences and events, etc. Undertaking such other duties as the Board may reasonably require within the remit of the post. 4
Person specification Essential o Demonstrable passion for and knowledge of contemporary architecture o Experience in a strategic role, successfully leading an organisation, team of professionals, or major project o An entrepreneurial approach to developing opportunities o Demonstrable ability to define, communicate and implement vision, policy and strategy o Experience of architectural programming having regard to artistic quality and developing audiences o Experience of strategic thinking, business planning, policy setting and implementation o Experience of financial planning, and managing and controlling budgets and resources o Experience of sourcing public and private funding o Experience of developing and maintaining positive and productive partnerships with stakeholders and supporters o Experience of supporting emerging architects and developing this area of practice o Experience of managing and motivating staff o Excellent interpersonal skills o Commitment to accessibility and equality of opportunity for all Desirable o Commercial acumen o Experience of audience development o Experience of working in places where there is a need to develop engagement with architecture o Proven ability to network, and establish and maintain new and existing relationships across architecture o Awareness/experience of the uses of social media in developing content and communicating with audiences 5
Terms and conditions Job title Terms Salary Current work location Director 3 years fixed term contract, with the option to renew Part-time and self-employed applications welcome Negotiable Architecture Foundation at The Cass London Metropolitan University Central House 59 63 Whitechapel High Street London E1 7PF Any other locations as required Appointment subject to Additional information Satisfactory references Compliance with Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 Successful completion of a six month probationary period The Architecture Foundation is an equal opportunities employer Please note that none of the contents of this recruitment pack shall constitute a contract of employment or an offer of any such contract 6
About The Architecture Foundation Founded in 1991 as Britain s first independent architecture centre, the Architecture Foundation programme has included exhibitions, film screenings, events, competitions, awards, education projects and publications print and online. We are funded by patrons, sponsors, benefactors and members with other income generated through trusts and foundations and donations. The Architecture Foundation is the challenging, innovative, cutting edge voice of contemporary architecture with a social and political purpose that produces high-quality challenging activity and presents national and international activity. We act as mentor and critical friend for new work as well as being a key London-wide, national and international voice for contemporary architecture. The Architecture Foundation is run by a small core team of staff, freelancers and volunteers. Context The world is changing. Architecture is changing. The Architecture Foundation is changing. Throughout its life, The Architecture Foundation has continually changed shape and focus, as it adapts to the changing world around it. A new Architecture Foundation is emerging, following a two-year period when the Board of Trustees has assessed and refocused the structure and aims of the organisation, so that it can honour its founding principles with renewed vigour as it approaches its 25 th anniversary, in 2016. Contemporary architecture and urbanism the primary focus of The Architecture Foundation since its birth in 1991 are facing unprecedented new challenges: the emergence of mega-cities on a scale never before seen; the supergentrification of world cities such as London and New York; the rise of new architectural cultures in the Far East, South America and the Middle East; the crisis in architectural education; the sophistication of new styles and languages of architecture, in which the computer is king. The built environment is transforming with a scale and scope not seen since after the Second World War. The Architecture Foundation will make this shifting world the focus of a new programme of activity. It will be sharp, incisive and critical. With its renowned independence and agility, it will ask the questions of this transforming world that no other organisations or media platforms can or do ask. Of course, all charities and cultural organisations are having to adapt to harsher funding environments since the economic crisis in 2007/8, and The Architecture Foundation is no exception. We shall have to face this exciting new future with a new, nimbler structure, a new funding basis, and a smaller workforce. With the appointment of our new Director, we plan to announce the full shape and focus of the new Architecture Foundation, including the campaigns and themes that will take us up to our 25 th anniversary celebrations in 2016. 7
Recent activity Futures in the Making 13 28 November 2014 An annual group exhibition showcasing speculative architectural futures explored in the work of selected postgraduate students from London architecture schools. This year the exhibition will be hosted at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. Image: Cities: Game-Over? 2014. Courtesy James Pockson Designing with Nature 7 February - 11 April 2014 Commissioned by The AF, Designing with Nature was the first ever solo show of Exploration, a thought-leading architecture and design practice working in the field of biomimcry. The exhibition will be going on tour across Europe throughout 2015. Image: Exploration Architecture: Designing with Nature. Courtesy Daniel Hewitt Urban Pioneers The AF's Urban Pioneers education programme engages and empowers teams of 16-19 year olds in areas of cities undergoing dramatic change. Young people critically explore the transformations happening around them and develop new skills in film making, radio production and website design. Most recently, our Urban Pioneers programme took place in Thamesmead and the group made a collaborative architectural film from the perspective of living in the estate today. Image: 'Visions of London' workshop. Courtesy of The AF Architecture on Film A bi-monthly series of film screenings held at the Barbican that take a lateral look at architecture and the city, as represented and discussed across documentary, video art and the movies. The Autumn programme includes experimental documentary One Way Boogie Woogie directed by James Benning and the UK premiere of Heinz Emigholz The Airstrip. Image: One Way Boogie Woogie, courtesy James Benning / Arsenal Berlin 8
Architecture Foundation Structure 9