At Wollongong City Council we have a steadfast commitment to creating an Extraordinary Wollongong. We are in an exciting period of transformation and focused on delivering exceptional services, infrastructure and facilities for our community.

Our strength is the diversity of our people. Together our responsibility is to create an inclusive place where everyone is welcome, valued and belongs. We lead with courage, openness and curiosity. Our conversations and actions celebrate diversity, inclusion and belonging.

Learn more about us here.

About the role

The Arts and Culture Officer role offers an exciting scope of work, ranging from community arts programs and workshops to large scale festivals. It is a role that rewards imaginative thinkers, who can envision fresh ways to uplift our city and its communities. You will work with many varied stakeholders from all artistic practices, ages and communities.

You will manage projects from conception to delivery and reporting, using the community arts and cultural development framework and guided by Council's implementation plans. There is the opportunity to play to your strengths, leveraging your unique skills, experience and connections in the community and arts industries into our program. Experience in project management, events programming and logistics, community arts, artist management, audience development and a personal arts practice are all desirable.

You will work collaboratively on some projects and independently on others.

• We are a team of five, based at Wollongong Art Gallery. Working alongside one other Arts and Culture officer, you will report to the Arts and Culture Coordinator.
• Key stakeholders are the people of Wollongong, the creative and arts communities and arts businesses and networks.
• Our team works to deliver community goal 3 from the Our Wollongong Our Future | City of Wollongong strategy: "Wollongong Is A Creative And Vibrant City". We oversee the delivery of the 2024-2033 Strategic Plan.
• We work in a community arts and cultural development framework: "Artists working collaboratively with communities for the purpose of social change through art and culture."
• This role requires a drivers' license and Working with Children Check. There is some weekend and after hours work when delivering events or programs.

This is a permanent part time role, working a flexible 21 hours per week ideally between Monday and Thursday. Salary from $54.57 up to $64.17 per hour plus superannuation.

Under Part 2, Section 6 of the Child Protection (Working With Children) Act 2012, this position has been designated as requiring a paid Working With Children Check.

What you will be doing:

• With the team, you will be planning, developing, implementing and reporting on a wide range of arts and cultural programs. These may include events, workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions, professional development programs, concerts, audience development, stakeholder engagement and more.
• Working to the Creative Wollongong 2024-2033 Strategic Plan, some of the key projects coming up include:
  • The Creative Dialogues series of events (professional and audience development, performance and workshops)
  • Overseeing the Creative Wollongong Artist in Residence program in the Lower Town Hall Studios
  • Working alongside the other Arts and Culture Officer to plan the Creative Wollongong Short Film Festival
  • Programming parts of the Culture Mix multicultural festival.
  • Feeding into longer term actions such as:

• Supporting the growth of the film and television industry in our city
• Increasing the number of low-cost spaces for creatives in the city
• Working alongside stakeholders on projects to support the live music industry and the 24-hour economy
• Workshops, programs and projects to encourage community participation in the arts.

About you

You are passionate about celebrating and uplifting our community through arts and culture programs, events and activities, and a strong advocate for the importance of the arts in society.

You have experience in the arts sector and/or community development, with an insight into the lived experience of artists, strong stakeholder engagement skills and some experience in events is preferable.

You work in culturally safe and inclusive ways with diverse communities and stakeholders.

You can work within rigorous project management and reporting frameworks, IT systems and local government processes.

You are team-focused but comfortable working independently on end-to-end project delivery.

Benefits of working for council

• We provide flexible working arrangements such as hybrid working and flex- you just need to ask!
• 35 hour work week
• We are value-led, support and encourage personal and professional growth, recognise and reward performance and embrace change.
• We provide generous leave provisions including 5 weeks annual leave per year of service Long Service Leave after 5 years We are committed to providing a safe working environment for all, (everyone, every day and everywhere) and make available wellbeing programs to support mental, physical and social wellbeing of our staff to be at their best.
• Access to Fitness Passport

For more information, click on Apply Now to be redirected to Wollongong City Council's E-recruitment site.

Interested?

Click on 'Apply Now' to complete your online application.

You will be prompted through the application to answer the essential requirements as outlined on Page 3

Get in touch for more information. Contact Shannon Kennedy, Arts and Culture Coordinator, on (02) 4227 8634 for questions related to the job.

For questions related to submitting your application online or our recruitment process, please contact the Talent Acquisition Team on (02) 4227 7065.

We encourage applications from everyone regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, cultural background, faith, disability or gender identity. People with disability are encouraged to reach out so they can be supported in recruitment processes, to enable them to demonstrate their skills and capabilities to meet the requirements of the job.

Wollongong Council adheres to the principles of a child safe organisation and is committed to the care and protection of all children and young people in the community.

Applicants are required to undergo an employment screening process which will include Reference, Identity and Medical History Checks, and may also include a Criminal History and Working with Children Check. Employment is subject to clearance of all these checks.