Culture Central is recruiting for two leadership associates
We are recruiting two leadership associates for two annual contracts of £2,500 to support an individual (either freelance or working in an organisation) to work alongside the leadership of Culture Central for up to ten days over the year.
Culture Central
2 x Leadership Associates
Budget: £2,500 per role for up to ten days over a 12 month period
The fee would cover time for individuals to shadow, support or be involved in various aspects of Culture Central’s development - e.g. shaping funding bids, strategy, and to attend events/activities board meetings.
The leadership associate roles would receive direct coaching and mentoring from the executive team at Culture Central, and identify opportunities for development and support.
Background and Context
Culture Central is the collective voice of the cultural sector in the West Midlands. We convene, challenge, and connect to create opportunities through culture for the people and places of the West Midlands.
Culture Central is a membership organisation created to help build a sustainable and resilient arts and cultural ecology in the region. We are also part of Arts Council England’s national portfolio, as an investment principles support organisation.
Our Principles, Values and Practice:
A collective and a collective voice:
Speaking with and for all sizes of organisations, both commercial and subsidised, individuals and freelancers who work in the sector, across all forms of arts, culture, and heritage. As a collective, we work across the West Midlands region, from rural, towns, cities and urban centres (including Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Herefordshire, Sandwell, Shropshire, Solihull, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton, and Worcestershire).
Inclusivity & Collaboration:
Everyone is invited, welcomed, with positive action to ensure representation, equity, and access so the sector is a place for all to thrive. We work to promote genuine partnerships and collaborations across and beyond the cultural sector and region.
Transparency & Authenticity:
We will be open with our communication and information, and listen carefully and thoughtfully to all voices. We work to develop and support the cultural sector as a supporter, not a producer, of artistic work. Everything we do is for this purpose.
Leadership and Governance
Erica Love (Chief Executive Officer) joined Culture Central in 2020, Anthony Ruck (Chief Strategy Officer) joined in 2021. During this time the organisation has restructured, secured core funding, and developed a new team to deliver on its priorities. This team is also increasingly representative of those traditionally excluded from careers in the cultural sector.
Over the last four years, Culture Central’s board has become increasingly representative of the region we serve, with the recent recruitment process ensuring the board is over 50% non-white, ethnically diverse, as well as representation across art form, place, skills and roles.
Culture Central
Since 2020, Culture Central has undergone significant change, radically changing the delivery model and position of the organisation within the cultural sector. This change has been based on action taken with and for the sector, through activity such as the WMCRU and More Than a Moment; establishing new ways of working for the organisation that have resulted in Culture Central increasing its membership across the West Midlands region, becoming an Arts Council England Investment Principles Support Organisation and securing a number of strategic partnerships with regional local authorities and organisations.
Core to Culture Central’s journey has been its role in convening, connecting and challenging the sector to ensure that the culture and creativity benefit the people and places of the region.
However a number of challenges remain:
There is limited movement between senior levels of cultural sector leadership in the region
Senior positions within the cultural sector remain dominated by those with the most privilege in society
There remains a gap in cultural leadership focussed on strategy, policy and advocacy.
A significant number of Culture Central’s programmes and ambitions aim to change these dynamics within the sector. Our mentoring programmes, inclusive networks and ‘Collective’ programmes have been our interventions that are supporting this change to date.
We recognise that this change will take time, but as an organisation active steps must be taken to ensure the future development of Culture Central responds to these challenges and the organisation can grow and continue to support the sector.
Therefore, in addition to our programmes, we are creating two leadership associate roles for those from traditionally excluded backgrounds.
The Role
We are recruiting two leadership associates for two annual contracts of £2,500 to support an individual (either freelance or working in an organisation) to work alongside the leadership of Culture Central for up to ten days over the year.
The fee would cover time individuals to shadow, support or be involved in various aspects of Culture Central’s development - e.g. shaping funding bids, strategy and to attend events/activities board meetings.
The leadership associate roles would receive direct coaching and mentoring from the executive team at Culture Central, and identify opportunities for development and support.
As a leadership associate, you will be aligned to the current leadership roles of CEO and Chief Strategy Officer, to understand how the organisation operates, how it develops strategy, activity and programmes, and find out the skills required to lead Culture Central. You will bring with you, your lived experience to advise and interrogate the leadership, and help shape future strategy along with the board.
Person Specification
Someone who is ambitious for culture in the West Midlands and wants to support a shared climate of innovation for the people and places of the region
Traditionally excluded from careers in the cultural sector and under-represented in ‘leadership’ positions in creative and cultural work
Working in the West Midlands, or working with organisations delivering work in the West Midlands
Wanting to explore how the cultural sector works ‘behind the scenes’, to enable ways to deconstruct and make the sector a more conducive place for all
Started on their leadership journey, or an aspiring and ambitious future sector leader
Is committed to cultural sector change
Understands the challenges and opportunities facing the sector and the region
Understands their own leadership journey and ambition
Has an interest in cultural policy and strategy
Is interested in understanding organisational strategy and development
This role is not about creating art or development within an art-form. It is a non art-form specific role focussed on getting under the hood of how Culture Central convenes, challenges and connects for the benefit of the people and places of the West Midlands.
Budget
There is a budget of £2,500 per associate to cover costs: this might be to cover your time as a freelancer, or to compensate your organisation for your time spent with Culture Central.
In addition, Culture Central will cover direct travel costs incurred and any access costs.
Application Briefing
On 16th July 2025, 5.30pm - 7.30pm, we will host a briefing and networking session in Birmingham for those interested in applying, to meet the Culture Central team and members of the board.
Please sign-up here
Application Process
To apply, please complete your responses to the questions below, or attach a video or audio application of up to 8 minutes answering the questions, on this form.
Questions
Tell us up to three relevant things that you have done in the past with regards to leadership. (This could be a project you’ve worked on, a role in an organisation, or a particular learning experience you have had – this does not have to be from a formal or traditional leadership perspective.)
Why would you like this role? (Think about how this would benefit you, the things you can contribute, and the change you want to make.)
Why you think you will be good at this role? (What are you interested in? How can you use your lived experience to contribute to organisational strategy and sector change?)
Please describe your work and/or life journey to-date and what you would like to achieve in the future.
Deadline: 9.30am, 1st September 2025
Interview date: 11th September 2025
Access
If you require additional support to write your application or would value talking through your experiences to structure them into an application with a member of the Culture Central team, please get in touch with us: info@culturecentral.co.uk
If you are successful, we aim to facilitate and accommodate all accessibility needs, including but not limited to wheelchair access, hearing loops, quiet rooms, child-care and material support for low-waged participants.
By ‘traditionally excluded’ groups we mean:
People from racialised identities
People who are (d)Deaf and disabled
People who identify as neurodivergent
People from LGBTQ+ community
Individuals who are care-experienced
People from disadvantaged migrant communities
Refugees
People from working-class backgrounds
We recognise this is not an exhaustive list, and we encourage applications from people that may have faced barriers to working in the cultural sector (this may be because of age, unpaid caring responsibilities).
*A care-experienced person is defined as anyone who has been, or is currently in care, or is from a looked-after background at any stage in their life, no matter how short, including adopted children who were previously looked-after.