Work With Us

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Director (Part time)

The Arts and Heritage Alliance Milton Keynes (AHA-MK) is seeking a Director to support the development of culture in the city of Milton Keynes. 

Are you up for an interesting challenge? You would be at the forefront of supporting and shaping placemaking, creativity and culture in the city of Milton Keynes. We are seeking a strategic leader and relationship builder, who can build cross-sector networks ranging from our business sector to our diverse communities.

We are a key strategic partner of Milton Keynes City Council, who are part funding this important position of Director of the Arts & Heritage Alliance Milton Keynes.

Job Description: Director, part-time and flexible, 22.5 hours per week

Accountable to: Chair of the AHA-MK Board of Trustees

Duration: One year contract December 2023 to November 2024, with the aim to extend the contract as funding allows

Salary: Pro-rata (22.5 hours) of a full-time (37.5 hours) annual salary scale of £38,000 to £42,000, based on experience.

Workplace: AHA-MK works out of MK City Discovery Centre and will take a flexible approach to include home working. 

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Purpose

You will work with the AHA-MK Board of Trustees and support our arts and heritage members to champion the rich heritage and creative future of the city of Milton Keynes. We have four key work strands:

1. Member Support
2. Cultural Advocacy, building cross-sector networks across the city and with key funders
3. Cultural Inclusion and Diversity
4. Cultural and Creative Education

The Director will strategically support the Learning and Inclusion Manager who will deliver against Strands 3 and 4

Key Director Responsibilities 

Advocate for the transformative impact of culture

• Build relationships with key stakeholders across the city and across all sectors.
• Provide sector learning and support in strengthening organisational and sector assets and the ability to build mutually beneficial relationships with the corporate sector and with the health, education and voluntary sectors. 
• Evidence the impact and value of culture on the economy, skills, wellbeing and community cohesion.
• Ensure the collective voice of the cultural sector is represented in key city strategies. 
• Build relationships with key funding stakeholders: Milton Keynes City Council, Milton Keynes Community Foundation, Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Promote Cultural Inclusion and Diversity

• Deliver to the AHA-MK ambition that our city of Milton Keynes becomes a beacon of cultural inclusion and diversity, taking forward the findings of the AHA-MK Report: Rethinking Inclusion and Diversity: A Call to Action for Milton Keynes.
• Lead on AHA-MK’s role as a bridge between the cultural sector and its diverse communities and audiences, developing skills, engagement and understanding.
• Oversee, and where appropriate support, the Learning and Inclusion Manager in their delivery of the MK Museum NLHF funded community engagement programme with diverse audiences and the MK City Council funded Cultural Apprenticeships pilot.

Champion the Milton Keynes Cultural Education Partnership 

• Advocate the rights of the children and young people in Milton Keynes to cultural and creative learning:‘’Creative talent and thinking is an economic asset in its own right – these skills define an adaptable workforce fit for the future.” (MK Futures 2050 Chapter 8)
• Oversee, and where appropriate support, the Learning and Inclusion Manager in their delivery of key projects: developing the new MAKE website to build engagement between teachers, schools and the cultural sector; developing  Cultural Inclusion and Diversity Resources for primary and secondary schools.

AHA-MK membership

• Support and connect our arts and heritage membership, identifying and developing opportunities for collaboration which support the city’s key aims.
• Lead on the development of a shared culture evaluation framework, which collects vital data on audience development, inclusion and diversity, cultural education and economic impact.  
• Lead on the development of collaborative marketing and communication, working with the AHA-MK Marketing and Communication Group, Milton Keynes City Council and Destination MK.
• Through the platform of AHA-MK Forums and member meetings, deliver a programme of continuing professional development for AHA-MK members to develop best practice, impact and innovation. This to include MK colleagues sharing experience to support the city ambition to be respected as a green and cultural city.
• Communicate regularly with AHA-MK members in respect of AHA-MK business, updates and culture sector news.
• Promote the cultural sector activity through the AHA-MK monthly newsletter and social media: the @AHA_MK Twitter, Instagram, MAKE Facebook and the AHA-MK and MAKE websites.

Governance and Sustainability 

• Work strategically to seek and secure funding to sustain the impact of AHA-MK.
• Work with the Chair and Board to deliver good charity governance, preparing reports to the Board, including the Annual Return to the Charity Commission.

Person Specification

This exciting role would suit a strategic self-starter who is seeking a position where they can work flexibly, who is skilled in influencing and partnerships, and who would like to play a key role in driving Milton Keynes’ future as a leading cultural city and a beacon of cultural inclusion and diversity. 

While experience of working in the arts or heritage sector would be valuable, we are also interested in hearing from you if you bring transferable skills and an enthusiasm for developing and celebrating culture in our city.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Ability to: 
  • work both on your own initiative and in partnership
  • embrace challenge, lead and develop strategy
  • both write and speak well and persuasively, and use social media effectively 
  • build positive partnerships with a range of stakeholders: member groups, artists, diverse communities, funders, local authority and business.

• Skills and Experience in:
  • Relationship building
  • Project management:  good organisational skills with an eye for detail, managing priorities and deadlines; understanding of process and accountability; basic financial skills/budgets; monitoring and evaluation
  • Fundraising
  • IT skills 

Desirable Experience or Evidence of Transferable Skills

• Understanding of and experience of working in the arts and heritage sector
• Understanding of the education sector
• Knowledge of Milton Keynes and its diverse communities and ecology

Apply now: chair@aha-mk.org

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Learning and Inclusion Manager

Job Description: Learning and Inclusion Manager, part-time, 22.5 hours per week
Accountable to: Director AHA-MK
Duration: One year contract December 2023 to November 2024, with the aim to extend the contract as funding allows
Salary: Pro rata (22.5 hours) of a full-time (37.5 hours) annual salary scale of £25,000 to £30,000, based on experience.
Workplace: AHA-MK works out of MK City Discovery Centre and will take a flexible approach to include home working. 

Purpose of Post

Develop and maintain relationships with the diverse communities of Milton Keynes

• Continue the Programme of Change journey, based on the report: Rethinking Inclusion and Diversity: A Call to Action for Milton Keynes. http://aha-mk.org/inclusion-and-diversity/

Support the MAKE partnership 

• to enhance the lives of children and young people in Milton Keynes through outstanding and inclusive cultural education and creative enrichment.

AHA-MK is the governing body for MAKE, the MK Cultural Education Partnership.  We have the support of an independent Chair, Jez Bennett, Principal of the Leadership & Training Centre, part of the 5 Dimensions Trust, based at Shenley Brook End School. 

Key responsibilities:

• Work in partnership with MK Museum to set up and host a programme of workshops for diverse communities to: develop engagement and understanding; skills in curation and heritage; and explore how the communities have both shaped Milton Keynes’ identity and developed their own Milton Keynes identity.
• Support the Cultural Apprenticeship Pilot 2023/2024, funded by Milton Keynes City Council, where Bletchley Park, MK Gallery and MK Theatre each employ an apprentice.
• Support the development of Milton Keynes bespoke Cultural Inclusion and Diversity Resources for schools, a new project funded by the Foyle Foundation. 
• Develop the new MAKE website to advocate for cultural and creative education and build engagement between teachers, schools and the cultural sector. 
• Work with the MAKE independent Chair to advocate for cultural education to support the creative future of Milton Keynes.
• Develop the MAKE partnership of schools, MK College, universities and arts and heritage organisations.

Skills and Experience

Experience of teaching in schools, or cultural education, and work with diverse communities and their heritage, and our growing arts or heritage sector would be valuable.  However, we are also interested in hearing from you if you have transferable skills and an enthusiasm and interest in working  in the cultural sector, working closely with schools and young people and engaging with diverse communities. 

Essential Skills and Experience

• Ability to build positive partnerships with a range of stakeholders: schools, diverse communities in Milton Keynes, the cultural sector, Milton Keynes City Council
• Creative thinking
• Strong communication skills, written and spoken 
• Project management: good organisational skills with an eye for detail, managing priorities and deadlines, ability to work on your own initiative 
• Good IT skills 

Desirable Experience or Evidence of Transferable Skills

• Understanding of the school curriculum, educational context and how to develop teaching resources for schools
• Experience of working in the the arts and heritage sector
• Knowledge of Milton Keynes and its diverse communities
• Experience of running workshops

Apply now: chair@aha-mk.org

Recruitment Process – Deadline for Applications Thursday 23^rd November @ 3pm

To apply for either role please state which role you are applying for in the subject line of the email and attach a CV and a cover letter to chair@aha-mk.org

The cover letter should be no more than two sides of A4, setting out why you are applying for the role and what you would bring in terms of skills and experience to the role. 

We are also happy to accept video applications in lieu of a cover letter, if that is a more accessible method for you to submit your application. If you have any other queries related to accessibility please do email chair@aha-mk.org ahead of the closing date and we will do everything in our power to accommodate your needs.

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Arts & Heritage Alliance Milton Keynes (AHA-MK) is seeking a new Chair and a new Treasurer

This a great opportunity to support and shape placemaking, creativity and culture in the City of Milton Keynes

Recruitment for Chair of the Board

Strategic Context

A cultural alliance since 2001, AHA-MK became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2015. It has a board of nine trustees responsible for the governance, strategy and compliance with its charitable objective. This is:

• To promote the arts and heritage for the benefit of the public in Milton Keynes in particular but not exclusively by supporting and representing the arts and heritage sector through promotion, representation and development and by working in partnership with other like organisations to achieve joint goals that further the CIO’s charitable purposes.

The Board now wishes to appoint a new Chair to oversee the work of the organisation. 

The current Chair has completed seven successful years in post. . The new Chair will be co-opted as a trustee with confirmation at the AGM in January 2024, at which point their term of office would formally commence.

About AHA-MK

AHA-MK is a membership organisation uniting and advocating for the cultural sector across the city. Currently, it has 44 members paying an annual subscription based on annual turnover. The members include organisations of international, national, regional and local significance. The breadth of members enables AHA-MK to advocate for culture and heritage as a vital ingredient of the City’s aspiration to be a world-class place for people to live, work and play.

In addition to acting as a voice for the cultural sector and providing opportunities for the sector to share good practice and develop, AHA-MK is involved in a number of funded projects. Current projects include:

• Establishing arts and heritage-based apprenticeships in a project funded by Milton Keynes City Council;
• Developing inclusion and diversity materials to be used within schools;
• Building cultural and creative education across the city; and
• Working with MK Museum to assist in community engagement.

AHA-MK also has overall responsibility for MAKE, the cultural education partnership for Milton Keynes.

Membership fees are an annual and unrestricted income for AHA-MK. Other projects provide restricted income for the organisation. As with all small arts and heritage organisations, an ongoing challenge for AHA-MK is to ensure that its income matches its expenditure and allows it to develop reserves for future activity.

During its existence, AHA-MK has been supported by professional staff on both a consultancy and paid employee basis. The board is currently considering the most appropriate staffing model to achieve its current priorities.

The Role of the Chair

The Chair leads the board of trustees and the organisation to ensure that it achieves its charitable objective. They will be responsible for building and diversifying the trustee team, giving trustees space to develop and be involved in the work. They will ensure that the board focuses on strategy rather than operational matters, working with paid staff or consultants to ensure that projects are completed on time, on budget and with satisfactory outcomes. The Chair will act as the spokesperson and figurehead as appropriate. They will also support and supervise staff.

Specifically, the Chair will:

• Plan and prepare for four annual board meetings a year and the AGM with the Director and other trustees as appropriate  
• Liaise closely with the Treasurer on accounts and drive the strategic sustainability of the organisation supported by the wider board
• Ensure that during meetings a balance is struck between time-keeping and space for discussion
• Act as the lead point of contact with monthly check in meetings and annual appraisal as appropriate for the Director postholder (who in turn will line manage the Learning and Inclusion Manager) 
• Have oversight of all strategic workstreams: Cultural Advocacy; Member Services; Inclusion and Diversity; and MAKE (MK Cultural Education Partnership)
• Check that decisions, actions and deliberations are accurately minuted; and
• Ensure that decisions are implemented and, if appropriate, monitored.

The board of trustees is therefore looking for someone who:

• Has leadership experience 
• Possesses tact, diplomacy and the powers of persuasion
• Believes that arts, culture and heritage are a critical part of the social infrastructure delivering important social value and benefits  
• Has the skills to run effective meetings 

• Is a proven strategic leader with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and
• Has excellent stakeholder management and advocacy skills.

We welcome and actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experience. We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. AHA-MK aims to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. 

Timescales

The deadline for applications for Chair or Treasurer is Thursday 30 November@ Noon.

We will hold interviews with up to three shortlisted candidates.

To apply please email your CV and no more than two pages of cover letter on why you are interested in applying for the role to emma@courtneyconsulting.co.uk

We are happy to accept video expressions of interest if this suits your needs better than writing. 

Please note that this is a voluntary unpaid position for a registered charity. 

If you would like to arrange an informal chat about the role / work of AHA-MK, please email our vice chair Emma Courtney – emma@courtneyconsulting.co.uk

AHA-MK is Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), Registered Charity 1158874

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Recruitment for Treasurer Trustee 

Strategic Context

A cultural alliance since 2001, AHA-MK became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2015. It has a board of nine trustees responsible for the governance, strategy and compliance with its charitable objective. This is:

• To promote the arts and heritage for the benefit of the public in Milton Keynes in particular but not exclusively by supporting and representing the arts and heritage sector through promotion, representation and development and by working in partnership with other like organisations to achieve joint goals that further the CIO’s charitable purposes.

The Board now wishes to appoint a new Treasurer to oversee the finances of the organisation. We are also recruiting a new Chair of the board at the same time.

The current Treasurer has completed nine successful years in post and will stand down in November 2023. The new Treasurer will be co-opted as a trustee at this meeting with confirmation at the AGM in January at which point their term of office would formally commence.

About AHA-M

AHA-MK is a membership organisation uniting and advocating for the cultural sector across the city. Currently it has 44 members paying an annual subscription based on annual turnover. The members include organisations of international, national, regional and local significance. The breadth of members enables AHA-MK to advocate for culture and heritage as a vital ingredient of the City’s aspiration to be a world-class place for people to live, work and play.

In addition to acting as a voice for the sector and providing opportunities for the sector to share good practice and develop, AHA-MK is involved in a number of funded projects. Current projects include:

• Establishing arts and heritage-based apprenticeships in a project funded by Milton Keynes City Council;
• Developing inclusion and diversity materials to be used within schools;
• Building cultural and creative education across the city; and
• Working with MK Museum to assist in community engagement.

AHA-MK also has overall responsibility for MAKE, the cultural education partnership for Milton Keynes.

Membership fees are an annual and unrestricted income for AHA-MK. Other projects provide restricted income for the organisation. As with all small arts and heritage organisations, an ongoing challenge for AHA-MK is to ensure that its income matches its expenditure and allows it to develop reserves for future activity.

During its existence, AHA-MK has been supported by professional staff on both a consultancy and paid employee basis. The board is currently considering the most appropriate staffing model to achieve its current priorities.

The Role of the Treasurer

The overarching role of the Treasurer is to:

• Oversee the financial affairs of AHA-MK and ensure they are legal, constitutional and within accepted accounting practice
• Ensure proper records are kept and that effective financial procedures are in place
• Monitor and report on the financial health of the organisation
• Oversee the production of necessary financial reports/returns, accounts and audits

Specifically, the Treasurer will:

• Liaise with relevant contracted staff, committee members and/or volunteers to ensure the financial viability of AHA-MK
• Make fellow committee members aware of their financial obligations and take a lead in interpreting financial data to enable them to make fully informed decisions 
• Report on the financial position at four annual board meetings per annum and the AGM (balance sheet, cash flow, fundraising performance etc).
• Oversee the production of an annual budget and propose its adoption at the last meeting of the previous financial year

• Ensure proper records are kept and that effective financial procedures and controls are in place
• Appraise the financial viability of plans, proposals and feasibility studies
• Lead on appointing and liaising with auditors/an independent examiner as appropriate / if ever required 

The board of trustees is therefore looking for someone who has:

• Knowledge and experience of current and fundraising finance practice relevant to voluntary and community organisations
• Knowledge of bookkeeping and financial management (as necessary)
• Good financial analysis skills
• The ability to communicate financial information clearly to ‘non finance’ people

We welcome and actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experience. We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. AHA-MK aims to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. 

Timescales

The deadline for applications for Chair and Treasurer is Thursday 30 November @ Noon.

We will hold interviews with up to three shortlisted candidates.

To apply please email your CV and no more than two pages of cover letter on why you are interested in applying for the role to emma@courtneyconsulting.co.uk

We are happy to accept video expressions of interest if this suits your needs better than writing. 

Please note that this is a voluntary unpaid position for a registered charity. 

If you would like to arrange an informal chat about the role, please contact the current Treasurer laura.keen@btinternet.com

AHA-MK is Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), Registered Charity 1158874