Purpose
: To evidence, analyse and demonstrate the impact of Spectra's work
Aim
: To use historical and newly collected data to create a report / resource about our current and potential impact that is both meaningful and genuinely accessible to people with learning disabilities.
Terms
: Freelance contract, October 2025 – February 2028
Fee
: £9,600 inclusive of travel, expenses and VAT
Location
: Hybrid – Sandwell, West Midlands, and working remotely
DEADLINE: 9am, Tuesday 16 September
2025
Apply here:
If you need or would prefer this job description or the application form below in another format, please don't hesitate to contact to chat through how we can best open this opportunity to you.
Introduction
Spectra is a creative collective rooted in radical inclusion and a deep belief in the power of co-creation. We work across performance, installation and workshops, placing learning disabled and neurodivergent artists at the heart of high-quality, boundary-pushing projects. Since 2013 we've run over 650 co-creation sessions, performed to 12,000+ people, produced 12 performances in partnership with leading venues like MAC and the Herbert Art Gallery, and built 3 co-designed community gardens on local hospital sites.
We champion learning disabled and neurodivergent (LDND) creatives as leaders, provocateurs and artists in their own right, reshaping who creative work is by, for, and with. Our aim is to lift learning disabled and neurodivergent people's capacity to influence change in their lives, their environment and their community.
Our current work falls into four programme strands:
* LDND Leadership – creating dynamic and tailored opportunities for LDND artists to influence change in their own lives and communities through their artistic practice; enabling LDND people to develop leadership and management skills
* Wild Possibilities – increasing personal agency and long term, meaningful opportunities for an intentionally selected range of community groups and artists through the co-creation of a sustainable community workshop offer in radically inclusive spaces
* Performance – LDND theatre makers realising their potential and broadening the parameters of what they believe they can achieve through collaborative creative experiences; welcoming audiences into new spaces intentionally so they can experience theatre which inspires them to make change for themselves and their communities
* Ambition – deepening and sustaining our impact by establishing ethical financial robustness; working deeply with carefully selected partners; growing our team's capacity to enable the work; and developing a physical working and dreaming space.
Founded in 2013, we joined Arts Council England's National Portfolio in 2023. Multi-year funding from National Lottery's Reaching Communities has deepened our programme work and capacity and enables us to undertake this research project.
The Brief
A typical evaluation report might focus on the quality of the work delivered and impact would be framed in that regard. Over the last decade, we have invested substantial time, care and rigour into evaluating our own work and its impact on the people with whom we work.
Unlike traditional evaluation reports, this project focuses on why Spectra's work matters in a wider social and cultural context. The Researcher's role is to evidence impact, using historical and newly collected data, and to demonstrate, beyond the individuals who come into contact with it, the potential impact of our approach.
We want the results of this research to be useful, especially to the LDND people that our work centres. Therefore, the resulting 'report' needs to be genuinely accessible to LDND people and invite active response; not a toolkit for replication, but a provocation and call to action. Further funds for graphic design, interactive digital design, or film, etc are available.
In that vein, this work will culminate in a symposium exploring the themes that arise from this research, seeking to inspire action.
We are looking for a Researcher to undertake the following:
* To capture our organisation's expertise and explain the impact of our work to people who have yet to come in contact with it, both within and outside the arts sector
* To deepen our understanding of the external environment in which our work sits
* To facilitate a collaborative session with Staff, Board Members, and our Steering Group to identify a clear line of enquiry for this research
* To develop and deliver a project plan that will allow for a full exploration of our line of enquiry
* To facilitate feedback sessions and interviews and collaborate with Spectra staff who regularly collect data
* To write and contribute to the final presentation of the 'report' with the primary aim of ensuring that the way findings are presented are genuinely accessible and useful to LDND people (we are not opposed to a separate academic paper or similar acting as companion to this primary output)
* To contribute to the planning of and participate in the symposium
* To act as a critical friend, asking challenging questions with warmth, humour and a shared goal of robust and impactful work.
Budget
The budget cost for this work is £9,600 inclusive of travel, expenses and any VAT.
A further budget of £2,000 for graphic design, interactive digital design, or film, etc for the 'report' is available.
Timeline
* Closing date for applications – 9am on Tuesday 16 September 2025
* Interview – Thursday 24 September 2025
* Work to commence in October 2025
* Project plan agreed – end of November 2025
* Ongoing research with contact time to be agreed – November 2025 – July 2027
* Draft 'report' – mid-September 2027
* Final text of 'report' – end of September 2027
* Design of accessible 'report' – October 2027
* Completion of 'report' – November 2027
* Symposium – Jan/Feb 2028
Support ahead of applying
If you think this job looks great but you're a bit cautious about putting yourself forward, please get in touch for an informal chat. We're very happy to talk through the role, to find different ways of communicating this job description, and to explore how different kinds of experience could contribute to fulfilling this role well.
Equitable opportunities
Given our work's active celebration of diversity and exploration of intersectionality, we want our team to reflect these values. We eagerly encourage applications from people who are from marginalised or minoritised backgrounds. Our welcome extends beyond the recruitment process; we are committed to creating a working space that is safe and caring for all.