• TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Part time 0.6 (3 days)
• RENUMERATION: $80,000 pro rata, per annum. Superannuation of 10.5% paid in addition.
• REPORTS TO: Co- Artistic Directors, General Manager
• DIRECT REPORTS: Artistic Associates, Contracted Western Edge artists
• WORKS ALONGSIDE: Development Manager, Marketing Manager, Operations Co-ordinator
• STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS: Western Edge young collaborators; Western suburbs community members; local, national and international artists and organisations, sector colleagues. venues and presenters; funding partners (local, state, federal and philanthropic).

BENEFITS:

• 12 days, pro rata, personal/carers leave per annum
• Flexible work options
• 6 weeks paid parental leave after 12 months continuous employment
• Professional development stipend
• Wellbeing stipend
• 6 weeks, pro rata, annual leave per annum

ABOUT Western Edge:

We are Western Edge Youth Arts (Western Edge), the only theatre company in Melbourne’s western suburbs (“the West”) working with young and emerging artists to tell new stories on our own terms, in our own way and with our own voices. Our work is steeped in the rich storytelling and culture making of our diverse communities in the West, and fuelled by the underrepresentation of diverse voices and lived experiences on Australian stages, screens and leadership roles in the arts industry.

We work with schools, community organisations and elders, local councils, state and federal government to dismantle the systems that have provided barriers for young people from the West to access creative and cultural infrastructure and artistic opportunities. We exist to level the playing ground and are actively addressing this social injustice every day. Our values are grounded in the resistance practice and collaborative leadership that marginalised communities live and breathe. With love and courage, we collectively reclaim our historically silenced narratives and challenge the white, inner-city centric arts sector and its conscious and unconscious biases.

Our artistic practice is our community engagement – they are not separate. For us, deeply listening to the unique differences of each person who makes up our community is as important as the final artistic outcome. We know the system is broken – we feel the impacts of its inequity every day. Our work begins from this reality. Our work has been described as “lifechanging”, “genuine”, “authentic” and “like being with family, like having all my people in the room”. Our work has been an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet exploring the cross-cultural complexity of the African and Pasifika diasporas; a collaboration with young people from the West and First Nations elders in Beagle Bay, WA; an all-Samoan adaptation of the Greek tragedy Antigone; and a feature film exploring institutional power and privilege through the genre of satire and black comedy.

We are in the business of change making and culture shifting.

ABOUT Creative Producer:

Western Edge is seeking the company’s first ever Creative Producer to collaborate with the Artistic Leadership team to produce our suite of core programs and commissioned works.

The primary purpose of this role is to scope, develop and deliver arts programs within the organization to reach local, national and international communities and audiences. The creative producer will provide ongoing support to the Artistic Team to implement their programs and productions, ensuring the vision and outcomes are in alignment with our company's values.

This role would suit someone with a passion for cross-cultural, intersectional, creative workplaces and a belief that community IS the practice. They will work well autonomously and will collaborate with our growing team of emerging and professional artists to create and deliver transformative performing arts programs throughout Melbourne’s West, and beyond. As this is a first time role for the company, we are seeking someone with extensive experience as a Creative Producer so they can help shape the role within our team – there is real legacy work potential here with the opportunity to create meaningful change in the arts sector and have huge impact for marginalised young people, artists and communities across Melbourne’s West.

For an in-depth understanding of our mission, approach to practice, programs, artistic vision and impact please read our 2022-2025 Strategic Plan.

OUR VALUES

Creative bravery – Approaching everything with a courageous spirit of art making, imagination and creativity.

Innovation – Nurturing innovative ideas and creative practices across the whole organisation, led by our young artists.

Community – Our artistic work is always led by and grown out of community.

Access and equity - Inviting participation from all voices and identities, embracing multiplicity, and taking an intersectional approach.

Empathy - Treating others with humility, kindness, and compassion.

Respect - Learning from everyone we work with, and embodying leadership built on reciprocity.

Transparency - Acting honestly and sharing knowledge.

Safety - Ensuring a physically, emotionally, and culturally safer environment for our staff, young artists, peers, partners and audiences.

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

Cultural Competency and Community Development:

• A high-level of cultural competency and experience working with First Nations People, People of Colour and marginalised communities. Where such experience may need developing, an ability to articulate your skills gap and identify approaches to building your own knowledge capacity is required.
• An understanding and high level of experience in community engagement and community development practice

Leadership and Management:

• Experience as a creative leader who can oversee and manage the preparation and delivery of our education, community and professional projects.
• High level of management experience to ensure our Artistic Associates and Lead Artists meet their project deliverables in a timely manner and in balance with the needs and nuances of young people and community members

Financial:

• Experience creating and managing project budgets and all project related revenue and expenditure

Sector Positioning:

• Sound experience and judgement in the assessment of potential projects, collaborations and partnerships that would align with Western Edge values and company goals
• An extensive network of arts contacts – in particular youth, community, theatre and live performance- both in Melbourne and internationally.

Administering projects:

• Stakeholder engagement and liaison skills (internal and external) to support the programming and delivery of our core and professional projects, programs and events
• Contribute to the preparation of reports and evaluation process to ensure Western Edge’s projects and programs are meeting the organisation’s goals, objectives and management targets.

Key Selection Criteria

• 3+ years experience as a Creative Producer
• A high-level of cultural competency and experience working with First Nations People, People of Colour and structurally disadvantaged communities. Where such experience may need developing, an ability to articulate your skills gap and identify approaches to building your own knowledge capacity is required.
• Alignment with Western Edge’s core values
• A sound understanding of the local, national and international arts sector and Melbourne’s West place within it
• Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills
• Experience managing artistic projects and teams
• Strong copywriting and communication skills
• A passion for new ways of storytelling

Please Note: if you don’t meet all the selection criteria but think you would be a great fit for the team and you have an appetite for learning - please still apply or contact us to talk about the role. We are a growth-focused organisation and want to hear from you.

We are a proudly diverse organisation with a strong belief that our strength is in our diversity. We highly encourage and welcome applications from LGTBQIA+, First Nations People, People of Colour and People with Disabilities.

Child Protection Policy

Western Edge has zero tolerance for the abuse of young people and children. All staff and volunteers are required to uphold the Child and Wellbeing Safety Act 2005 (VIC) and the Children Legislation Amendment (Reportable Conduct) Act 2017 (VIC). Young person and child safety is a key consideration in the hiring process and all successful applicants will be required to hold a valid Working with Children’s check and undergo young person and child safety training.