Arts and Cultural Festival Administrator

The Portsmouth Grammar School is a leading co-educational school located in the historic heart of Portsmouth.  

Ports Fest has firmly established itself as a city-wide arts and cultural festival over the past 21 years. The Portsmouth Grammar School is the main sponsor for Ports Fest.

We are seeking a well organised and enthusiastic arts and events administrator to join the Ports Fest team as soon as possible. The Ports Fest Administrator will support events planned and delivered by the Ports Fest office and will report to the Ports Fest Director, Miss Erica Smith. The Ports Fest Administrator will be employed by The Portsmouth Grammar School (PGS) and seconded to Ports Fest.  

Ports Fest delivers an ambitious creative, diverse, and high-quality festival, connecting with all lives in places and spaces from the everyday to the unusual. It plays a central role in the cultural life of the city and surrounding areas, in collaboration with our cultural and education partners.

The Portsmouth Grammar School  also supports the festival in kind with office space and facilities. Ports Fest is a separate charity and registered company which is managed by an independent Board of Trustees.

In 2022 the festival runs from Thursday 30th June to Sunday 3rd July 2022 and we also have events and projects running throughout the year. 

The role is offered as a 12 month fixed term contract from the date of appointment. It is a part-time role for 28 hours per week worked over 4 days. The hours of work each day will be 7 hours plus a 30 minute unpaid lunch break. The hours of work can be 08.30 to 16.00 or 09.00 – 16.30. Some flexibility will be required to work additional hours at busy times. An alternative work pattern over 5 days could also be considered and this would offer a work pattern of 5.5 hours per day which would equate to a part-time role of 27.5 hours per week.

The start date will be as soon as possible in December 2021.

Key Tasks:

1. To assist the Ports Fest Director in establishing and setting up all Box Office systems for Ports Fest. 

2. To perform Box Office tasks as may be required to ensure the efficient running of Ports Fest   including:

a) Setting up the annual box office using Ticket Source.

b) Monitoring sales.

c) Generating reporting and reconciling total sales 

d) Logging patron information into Ports Fest database

e) Dealing with box office-related enquiries 

3. To support the work of the Ports Fest office by carrying out a range of marketing tasks as directed by the Director,

4. To ensure the efficient running of the Ports Fest team, including:

a) Managing content for the Ports Fest website, and all socials

b) Booking advertising space

c) Identifying, planning, and managing distribution opportunities 

d) Compiling and managing marketing resources

e) Meeting marketing deadlines 

f) Assisting in coordinating marketing associates and volunteers

g) Helping to maintain accurate records for measuring impacts of events for evaluation

5. To help raise the presence of Ports Fest at a local, regional, and national level.

6. To communicate with cultural organisations and the general public as required and deal with event enquiries.

7. To maintain the security and confidentiality of information of a sensitive nature.

8. To lead and/or assist with other Ports Fest activity as required. 

9. To attend and contribute to regular Ports Fest team meetings. 

10. To meet with the Ports Fest Director on a termly basis for appraisal and feedback.

11. To undertake such other duties as may reasonably be required of him/her in the post mentioned above.

12. To organise Ports Fest meetings and small events, liaising with Creative Partners, Venues and Artists. Maintaining the data base and handling financial transactions.

13. To take and prepare the minutes for the Creative Partner and Trustees meetings.

14. To assist in the planning and preparation of meetings, workshops, training, conferences, and musical events including the production of correspondence, handouts, digital presentations, programmes, and associated paperwork.

15. To liaise with schools, speakers/workshop leaders/musicians and ensuring that adequate facilities are available at the to facilitate such events. 

16. To make travel arrangements.

17. To develop, implement and operate efficient administrative systems for the Festivities Office.

18. To process all correspondence including letters, memos, general and confidential reports, notes of meetings and workshops using Microsoft Office software packages.

19. To receive and make telephone calls, taking messages and dealing with queries by telephone or in person.

20. To maintain up to date filing systems in line with the latest GDPR guidelines as required; to receive and deal appropriately with mail for Ports Fest.

21. To produce in house newsletters, programmes, flyers, and marketing materials using desktop publishing, Photoshop, and Mail chimp or by liaising with Edu print.

22. To assist with the production of the Festivities brochure. This requires chasing partners and venues for pro-formas and images.

23. Managing the Ports Fest photo gallery.

24. To assist the Director in managing volunteers.

Salary and Benefits

The role is offered as a 1 year FTC from the date of appointment.

The hours of work will be 28 hours per week worked over 4 days with a 30 minute unpaid lunchbreak each day. Some flexibility is required to work additional or alternative hours at busy times, particularly during the festival period, or to attend essential staff training, for example in safeguarding, GDPR and Health and Safety. Such training is typically arranged during INSET (Professional Development Days) at the start of school terms.

A six month probationary period will apply.

The salary will be calculated based on an hourly rate of £8.91 and for a part time role of 28 hours per week this equates to an annual salary of £12,972.

Annual leave should be taken during PGS school holidays and not during term times. The allowance of 25 days per annum for a full time role will be offered pro-rata in accordance with this part-time contract. 

A two course lunch is provided to staff during PGS term times.

The school will auto-enrol eligible support staff into the NEST pension scheme and also offers an alternative pension scheme with Scottish Widows whereby if the employee contributes 6.5% of salary the school will contribute 8.5%.  We also have a non-contributory death-in-service policy. 

How to apply:

PGS is committed to safeguarding children and the successful applicant will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure DBS check. 

Further information is available on the website at www.pgs.org.uk under the ‘About Us / Employment Opportunities’ section and any informal queries regarding the vacancy should be emailed to HR@pgs.org.uk or to erica@portsfest.co.uk

All applicants should complete a PGS support staff application form, with a full curriculum vitae and a covering letter addressed to Miss Erica Smith, Ports Fest Director, emailed to HR@pgs.org.uk

The closing date for receipt of applications is noon, 2nd November 2021. Interviews will take place at the Ports Fest Offices at 10 High Street, Old Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2LP on Monday 8th November 2021.  

We look forward to hearing from you.