Freelance Producer - The Agency 2026

Contact Theatre; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 6,000; Part time

Job summary

A community-focused arts organization in Manchester seeks freelance Producers to empower young people aged 15–25 to develop and implement creative projects. This role requires a passion for social change and experience in facilitating workshops. Candidates should be enthusiastic and confident in working with diverse groups, offering mentorship and support. Availability for Wednesday afternoons and Saturdays is essential, along with a commitment to positive community impact.

Qualifications

• Experience working with young people and local communities.
• Track record of delivering creative projects.
• Strong organizational skills for managing budgets and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Support young people to realize their projects from inception to completion.
• Attend weekly meetings to coordinate activities with staff.
• Encourage autonomy and resilience in project execution.

Skills

Passion for empowering young people

Confidence in communication

Problem-solving skills

Experience in mentoring

Organizational skills

Job description

MAIN LOCATION

MAIN LOCATION: Moston and Harpurhey

RESPONSIBLE TO: The Agency Project Manager
RESPONSIBLE FOR: N/A
HOURS: Wednesday Afternoons/ Full Day Saturday
STATUS: Freelance

CONTRACT:18 weeks, January - May/June (depending on start date)

PAY: Flat Fee of £5,570 (equivalent to £300 per week for 18 delivery weeks + £175 for 2 days of preparation)

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:12pmFriday 12th December

INTERVIEWS: Week commencing 15th December

The Agency is an award-winning creative entrepreneurship programme that empowers young people in Moston and Harpurhey (aged 15–25) to develop projects for social change, based on their interests and the needs of their communities. Our work aims to positively impact the local area and support young people to grow as creators, leaders, and innovators.

We are looking for two freelance Producers to join us in the new year, supporting young people to bring their ideas to life. This role combines project producing with mentorship, so we are seeking people who are confident, enthusiastic, and passionate about working with young people and driving positive social change.

You will be excited by the prospect of delivering a range of creative, arts-based, and cultural activities, with an understanding of how the arts can benefit young people with diverse needs and abilities. You should also be comfortable representing The Agency at regional and national events.

Availability on Wednesday evenings and Saturdays is essential for the duration of the project.

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE

We are looking for someone who is confident and enthusiastic in working with young people to join our facilitation team to support the delivery of The Agency weekly sessions, the evaluative process and wider aims of this ground-breaking initiative.

MAIN TASKS

• Attend regular meetings with The Agency’s Project Manager and wider team on Wednesdays afternoon
• As the Producer you will work with a group of young people (The Agents) to realise their successfully pitched projects from January - May/June 2026
• You will help to identify networks for them to connect with and set up meetings where appropriate
• Support one of the projects as Producer/ Mentor
• Help to identify future funding opportunities and methods of sustainability for the projects and their development e.g. Princes Trust, Unltd, Awards for All
• Encourage and support the Agents to work more autonomously and ensure they have the skills to complete further projects independently
• Encourage young people to try things themselves and build resilience through failure
• Oversee all planning and budget documents for the Agents projects
• Be present at the Agents meetings with Contact staff and external people
• Provide feedback and evaluation to enable the agents to grow
• Ensure all projects are fully documented
• Work closely with the Lead Facilitator and Project Manager to ensure the above are aims are met and to discuss any concerns that arise of additional support needed
• Support and assist the Lead Facilitator in the delivery and evaluation of the weekly Agency sessions with up to 10 people aged 15-25 in line with the Agency methodology
• Create weekly content to support the documentation the progress of the young people and the process as a whole
• Feed into the evaluation of the process set against the aims and objectives of the project
• Support the agents with pastoral care needs where appropriate and inform the Agency Project Manager of any concerns
• Ensure health and safety, dignity and respect, and equal opportunities in the workplace in line with Contact’s policies and procedures
• Be aware of safeguarding young people in the space and actively commit to Contact’s Safeguarding of Young People Policy.

GENERAL

• Undertake any other duties that may reasonably be required in connection with the position.
• Keep up to date with developments within the arts and youth culture.
• Represent Contact at external events as required.
• Establish and maintain good working relationships with all Contact’s partner organisations.
• Get involved with creative work being presented by Contact by attending workshops, read-throughs, rehearsals and performances on a regular basis.
• Follow Contact’s Health & Safety policy, undertaking duties as required and ensure reasonable care is taken to maintain a healthy and safe place for public and staff.
• Actively commit to Contact’s Equal Opportunities policy and Contact’s Safeguarding of Young People policy.
• Actively commit to Contact’s anti- racism working practices.
• Advise and report regularly on activity as required by the wider Senior Management Team, Board and sub-boards, supplying any data required to meet funder reporting requirements.
• Provide mentoring and support to young people and on occasions deliver training/workshops in areas relevant to your job role.
• In line with Contact’s governance model, pro-actively engage young people in decision-making through consultations, young people’s panels and other mechanisms relevant to your job role.
• Manage all personal data in line with the General Data Protection Regulations, using the Spektrix database as directed.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

We are looking for someone who is confident and enthusiastic in working with young people and able to apply their facilitation experience to support the delivery of The Agency’s weekly sessions, the evaluative process and wider aims of the project. The Agency Producer should be able to demonstrate the following experience and qualities:

ESSENTIAL

• A passion for empowering young people to engender change in their lives and wider community
• A desire to affect social change within hard to reach communities
• Confidence with communicating with a range a different people and an ability to build relationships in a community setting
• An understanding of the challenges facing young people today
• An ability to problem solve and develop creative solutions
• A proven track record of being committed and reliable when working with young people
• An ability to feed your system of learning into the project
• Experience in mentoring and encouraging autonomy in young people
• See potential and opportunities in failure
• Experience in working with local communities
• Experience of managing and delivering a project from start to finish
• Experience of delivering creative participatory projects in community settings
• Experience of working with culturally diverse communities and an understanding of successful approaches to this work
• Strong organisational skills and including experience of managing budgets, writing project plans, reports, and evaluations.
• Ability to work under pressure, sometimes unsupervised and under your own initiative.

DESIRABLE

• An enthusiasm for and experience in working with young people from a range of backgrounds and cultures
• Experience of working with young people who may have complex needs or challenging behaviour
• Familiar with North Manchester, particularly Moston and Harpurhey area
• Experience of providing pastoral care and support to young people
• Proficient IT skills including Microsoft Office software, Mac hardware, internet & email
• Clean enhanced DBS certificate