Work With Us! | Communications Manager

Freelance, 1.2 days per week (10 hours)*
£14 - 16/ph / dependent on experience 

Remote Working with the occasional travel.
*Worked flexibly. Please outline your preferences in your cover letter.*
 

About Visual Arts Scotland

VAS was founded in 1924 as the Scottish Society of Women Artists and now is known as Visual Arts Scotland. We are a membership organisation that champions a wide range of visual and applied arts disciplines. VAS has a diverse and active membership based in Scotland and internationally and part of the Comms role will be engaging this membership. VAS is a Scottish charity (SC006795) and we seek to support our members as an artist-run collective. Our council is formed by an elected body of volunteer artists drawn from our membership.

Role Description

We are looking for a Communication Manager to join our team. Working closely with the Secretary, Membership Coordinator, Social Media Coordinator, President, Vice-Presidents and Council, you will manage and help deliver the organisation’s communication strategy. This will include managing and amplifying our social media output, delivering communications to press, and engaging with our members on a regular basis.

The Comms Manager will oversee an important development period for VAS as we conclude the momentum created surrounding Visual Arts Scotland’s Centenary Year and continue planning a thoughtful programme for 2025. 
 

As comms manager you will:

• Manage and support the Social Media Coordinator in their delivery of the social media plan to ensure there is a unified understanding of the comms strategy and VAS’s social media output reflects that. Support will include inner team time management and wellbeing focus. You will touch base to make sure deadlines are being met and aims are being reached. 

• Help build and develop a comms strategy with the VAS Council for 2025 to ensure and increase engagement, awareness of VAS as a leading platform within Scotland’s creative arts, and to amplify our membership. 

• Longer term: support the development of a new website that reflects the needs of our organisation as we develop, including assessing what we currently have and how we should develop it and assisting in some wording for funding applications that have comms focus e.g applying for website funding.

• Help be part of a drive towards more inclusivity, diversity and positive action in VAS internally and externally. 

• Help grow our press relationships and supporters of VAS and our membership - this includes drafting regular press releases and liaising with journalists.

Key Responsibilities 

• Refining and delivering the VAS communication strategy in line with the Council’s goals and programme.

• Managing content for social media platforms and other digital outputs including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and our website. (This will be assisted by the role of the Social Media Coordinator)

• Overseeing the creation of the monthly newsletter, inspiring and helping the creation of content.

• Attending remote Council meetings once a month and providing feedback/support to Council teams.

• Having an understanding of VAS’s goals and values to ensure clear communication with our Membership.

• Working closely with Council, occasionally delegating and monitoring tasks where appropriate, and providing feedback.

• Liaising with stakeholders and artists, including VAS Members, Artists-in-Residence etc, to create content such as Instagram takeovers, website blogs and interviews, press releases.

• Moderating the VAS Members’ Facebook group.

Person Specification
 

• A strong communicator, both written and verbally.

• Passionate and knowledgeable about contemporary art, craft and design, particularly within Scotland.

• Focussed and detail-driven, with an ability to write and edit copy that connects with our audiences.

• Highly organised, self-motivated and capable of prioritising tasks.

• Ability to work remotely in collaboration with a small team across multiple projects.

• Use of Meta Business Suite or other similar tool to schedule and monitor social media content.

How to apply:
 

If you are interested in the role, please send your CV and a Cover Letter (A4) explaining your experience and interest in the role to admin@visualartsscotland.org. You must also complete our Equalities and Monitoring form (which you can do here). 

If preferred, you can send us your cover letter by way of video/audio format. To do so, please send links to your video via Vimeo or We Transfer. 

Email your application in your preferred format to our Admin email at: admin@visualartsscotland.org. 

Key Application Dates:

Open: 1st October

Closed: 27th October

Interviews: w/c 4th November

Deadline for this role is: 5pm, 27th October 2024.

All candidates will receive a response and shortlisted candidates be contacted for interviews the week commencing 4th November with a view for the role to commence in late November. You MUST be available to attend the VAS AGM (6pm - 8pm) on the 24th of November in Edinburgh - all reasonable expenses will be covered.

If you have any questions about this role feel free to get in touch with the current Communications Manager, Róise Nic an Bheatha at: comms@visualartsscotland.org.