Communications Assistant (AC21) Contract: Permanent working 35 hours per week Salary: £27,401 per annum Location: Manchester Overall Purpose of the role You will provide efficient and effective support to the Advocacy and Communication team to enable them to meet their communication objectives in line with the National Comms Strategy. You will provide personal assistance and administrative support to the Director of Communication and National Director of Communication, and promote optimal use of time by coordinating meetings, making travel arrangements and ensuring that Directors are well briefed in advance. You will be contributing to the efficient running of the wider communications team, by setting up and improving administrative systems, carrying out a range of tasks for the media, digital and marketing teams, these will include: event-managing internal and external business meetings, coordinating administrative processes and providing support for cross-team working groups. Main day to day responsibilities Administration of our systems, media and social media monitoring, carrying out editorial tasks across our digital channels, producing reports and overseeing relationships with external suppliers to ensure that work is completed on time, to a high standard, and on budget. You will combine your ability to plan and prioritise with flexibility and a curiosity to work beyond this area of work, contributing to areas outside of your daily responsibilities within the Advocacy and Communications team’s activities. You will contribute to the organisation’s commitment to diversity and its implications for the arts and culture, promoting a diversity perspective in all aspects of the post’s objectives and activities. You will contribute to a positive working culture in the organisation by taking a proactive approach to learning, responding to change, inclusive practice, and environmental responsibility. You will reflect the Nolan Principles of Public Life and the Arts Council's values with a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Key relationships You will work closely with colleagues across the communications team and wider organisation. What do I need to bring to the role? Essential (Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours) To succeed in this role, you will have experience of working as part of a small team, providing administrative and programme support to senior managers and busy colleagues, preferably in a similar role. You will be highly organised with the ability to prioritise and juggle multiple priorities and exercise effective judgement when managing complex tasks. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills – both spoken and written – and the ability to communicate in a confident and engaging manner, influencing individuals with whom there is no formal management relationship. An interest in working in communications (including media and stakeholder relations), particularly in the arts, is essential. You must have good financial management skills and the ability to interpret complex information. Finally, you will also have a good understanding of the Arts Council’s duty as a public body under current diversity legislation, the current diversity agenda and its relationship to the arts We are a Disability Confident Employer and we participate in the ‘Offer an Interview’ scheme, which means that we offer an interview to any disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role they’re applying to, subject to the volume of applications received. Disabled candidates, those living with a long-term condition and/ or neurodivergent candidates may be eligible for this scheme. Our Code of Ethics requires that employees of the Arts Council are not able to receive an Arts Council grant, investment or loan funding - either in person, as a member of a partnership, or for any organisation they own. There are also limitations on board or CEO positions employees can hold in organisations we fund. For more information on this, please talk to the recruiting manager or contact recruitment@artscouncil.org.uk Interviews: (virtual) Tuesday 25 November 2025