Could you be our next Refugee Week UK Coordinator? Read on for more information about this exciting role!

Hours: 28 hours (3.5 days per week, or 6 months @ 3 days + 6 months @ 4 days)
Salary £35,000 pro rata
Location: based at our office in Hoxton, London
Apply by: Friday 15th July (6PM)
Interview: Wednesday 20th July (online via Zoom)

Counterpoints Arts is recruiting a new coordinator of Refugee Week UK, an annual arts and cultural festival celebrating contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees. The main purpose of this role is to support, encourage and facilitate participation in Refugee Week by a network of hundreds of organisations and groups across the country, ranging from arts organisations to community groups, and to promote Refugee Week as a national festival. The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years’ experience of complex project management, and a deep passion for the arts and refugee rights.

About Refugee Week

Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. It takes place annually around World Refugee Day on 20 June. Refugee Week is an umbrella festival, with hundreds of organisations, groups and individuals holding events across the country every year.

Through a programme of arts, cultural, sports and educational events alongside media and creative campaigns, Refugee Week enables people from different backgrounds to connect beyond labels, as well as encouraging understanding of why people are displaced, and the challenges they face when seeking safety.  Refugee Week is a platform for people who have sought safety in the UK to share their experiences, perspectives and creative work on their own terms.

About Counterpoints Arts

Counterpoints Arts is a leading national organisation in the field of arts, migration and cultural change. Our mission is to support and produce the arts by and about migrants and refugees, seeking to ensure that their contributions are recognised and welcomed within British arts, history and culture. Central to our mission is our belief that arts can inspire social change and enhance inclusion & cultural integration of refugees & migrants. We work across all art forms and collaborate with a range of people and partners, including artists, arts/cultural and educational organisations and civil society activists. We are based in Hoxton, London working nationally and internationally.

Role Description 

Key responsibilities:

  • Managing and coordinating the Refugee Week partnership of 20 NGOs and unions
  • Leading on formulating annual strategy and theme, in collaboration with partners and key stakeholders
  • Producing the Refugee Week Conference and network meetings
  • Managing the Refugee Week website and digital communications, and producing written resources
  • Coordinating Refugee Week media activity, including managing the Refugee Week Ambassador project (in collaboration with partners)
  • Coordinating the annual Refugee Week creative commission
  • Managing production and distribution of Refugee Week merchandise
  • Managing and overseeing the annual budget
  • Carrying out the annual evaluation of Refugee Week
  • Supervising freelance personnel, e.g. project assistant and designers
  • Answering enquiries from the network and general public
  • Developing and maintaining partnerships with strategic organisations
  • Helping to fundraise to support Refugee Week’s continued development and growth
  • Representing Refugee Week at network and external events
  • Working collaboratively with the Counterpoints Arts team to support the overall work of the organisation
  • Perform other reasonable tasks as required

Person Specification

Essential:

  • Highly organised with proven ability to manage complex projects, with at least three years’ project management experience
  • Collaborative working style with skills in facilitation and consultation
  • Excellent written communication, with experience in public-facing digital communications
  • Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with people from a range of different sectors and backgrounds
  • An active interest in and knowledge of refugee rights or arts, culture and social change
  • Strong initiative and ability to work independently
  • Commitment to the vision and values of Refugee Week
  • Experience of managing project budgets

Desirable:

  • Experience of working in refugee advocacy/ with refugees and/or arts, culture and social change (paid or voluntary)
  • Confident in public speaking
  • Lived experience of displacement or migration

To apply, please send a cover letter and CV to annie@counterpoints.org.uk  by Friday 15th July (6PM).

We actively welcome applicants from all backgrounds particularly Black, Asian, ethnic minority, and disabled applicants as well as those with lived experience of displacement or migration as these groups are currently underrepresented in the cultural sector. If you are unsure about your suitability for this role and would like to discuss, please contact tom@counterpoints.org.uk.

Download the role description & person specification for Refugee Week UK Coordinator here.

Image: V&A Friday Late Refugee Week 2022, Counterpoints Arts x BLM Fest © Hydar Dewachi