Durham County Council’s Culture, Sport and Tourism Service delivers outstanding cultural experiences across the council's culture venues and programmes. We are committed to inspiring learning and engagement for people of all ages, supporting creativity, and promoting access to culture across the county. We’re looking for an innovative and enthusiastic Learning & Engagement Support Officer to help shape unforgettable learning experiences at our new venue, The Light which is due to open in 2026. In this role, you’ll design and deliver inspiring learning activities and events that bring our venues, collections and creative programmes to life. Working collaboratively with colleagues, partners, and local businesses, you’ll lead creative engagement projects and audience development initiatives that spark curiosity, celebrate culture and art, and make a lasting impact across County Durham. WHAT IS INVOLVED? In this dynamic role, you’ll play a key part in shaping inspiring learning experiences across our arts spaces, heritage venues, exhibitions, and collections. Working closely with schools, teachers, and partners, you’ll design and deliver creative activities that bring culture, artistic practice, and our shared stories to life for audiences of all ages. From developing innovative learning resources and digital content to contributing to the creation, interpretation, and delivery of exhibitions and arts engagement projects, your work will help spark curiosity and connection. You’ll also support volunteers, maintain high standards of safety and care for learning and exhibition spaces, and ensure our activities are continuously improving through accurate reporting and thoughtful evaluation. This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real impact on cultural education and engagement across County Durham. We encourage you to contact Dawn Layland via email at dawn.layland@durham.gov.uk to arrange an informal discussion about the role. WHAT WILL I NEED? Experience in developing and delivering learning activities within cultural, heritage, or arts settings. Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to engage diverse audiences. Knowledge of current trends and best practice in cultural learning and audience engagement. Ability to manage projects, resources, and maintain accurate records. Experience working with schools and educational stakeholders. Familiarity with digital learning tools and online engagement platforms. Understanding of heritage collections and performance arts. Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria. If successful, you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure and have the ability to travel across the County and North East as required to deliver learning sessions, attend meetings, events, or training sessions. INTERVIEWS Interviews will be held week commencing 17th February 2026. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran. OUR OFFER TO YOU We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website. Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled people and offer support throughout the recruitment process. HOW TO APPLY Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the ‘Person Specification’ section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted. For guidance on completing your application, visit our website. We welcome applications from disabled people and those who are or consider themselves to be neurodivergent. If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email RecruitmentREG@durham.gov.uk All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from donotreply@northeastjobs.org.uk. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates. CONNECT WITH US Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Visit our website VPRS/161