Head of Live and Work Space

BOW ARTS TRUST; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading arts provider in Greater London seeks a Head of Live and Work Space to oversee their property portfolio. This full-time role is responsible for managing lettings, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations, and leading a team. The ideal candidate will have experience in property management, excellent communication skills, and the ability to manage budgets. The organization values creativity and community impact, offering a salary of £40,000 and benefits including holiday entitlement and pension.

Benefits

25 days holiday entitlement

Cycle Loan Scheme

Tech Loan Scheme

Season Ticket Loan Scheme

Workplace Pension

Staff socials

Qualifications

• Experience in prioritising busy workloads and meeting deadlines.
• Knowledge and experience of property refurbishment and managing contractors.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Trust's property portfolio and ensure efficient letting of spaces.
• Contribute to business planning and deliver key reports.
• Oversee health and safety compliance.

Skills

Property and facilities management

Communication skills

Budget management

Line management

Health and Safety knowledge

Job description

Head of Live and Work Space

Hours: 35 hours (full-time), Mon to Fri 9am-5pm

Location: On-site, Bow Arts office

Salary: £40,000

Benefits: 25 days holiday entitlement, Cycle Loan Scheme, Tech Loan Scheme, Season Ticket Loan Scheme, Workplace Pension, Staff socials.

Duration: Permanent

Responsible to: The CEO

Responsible for: Live & Work Space Team Leader, 4 x Studio Managers, Live & Work Space Administrator, Maintenance Officer

About Bow Arts

Bow Arts stands as London’s foremost provider of services for artists, offering some of the capital’s most affordable work and living spaces to early-career creative professionals across 15 sites and spanning 7 London boroughs. We currently focus activity around three main ‘Hubs’: Bow Road in Tower Hamlets, Royal Albert Wharf (RAW) in Newham and the Lakeside Centre in Abbey Wood, Thamesmead. Our largest studio project is based in Camden and supports 245 artists in converted ex council residential spaces adjacent to the HS2 Site.

Our Learning services partner with approximately 90 schools annually, enhancing social mobility, attainment, and access for over 10,000 young people every year. We offer training programs for artists and teachers, and we generate hundreds of professionally paid work opportunities for artists in schools each year.

Our Arts and Events services manage our gallery, the Nunnery, which serves as a dynamic hub, supporting thousands of early-career artists through profiled prizes, open calls, residencies, and Creative Professional Development programs.

Our Partnerships and Places team manages Bow Arts’ hub sites, supporting local residents and tenants, working with our partners to initiate exciting opportunities across London to both access and produce art.

Established 30 years ago, we pioneered an innovative charitable social enterprise model dedicated to growth, affordability, and accessibility in the arts. Today the Trust has grown into one of the countries most respected and unique service providers for the arts that invests 100% of its surplus back into the creative services it provides. We remain steadfast in our commitment to London’s local communities and we are passionate and dedicated to nurturing the success of our artists while partnering with some of London’s largest businesses.

We believe that affordability remains the best access into the arts.

Bow Arts is organised into five key departments:

• Live & Work Space – managing studios and residential spaces.
• Learning – offering training and employment opportunities for artists in schools.
• Arts & Events – growing audiences and supporting emerging talent.
• Partnerships & Places – developing partnerships across London.
• Core Services – finance, governance, HR, systems and marketing.

Our organisation is a fast-paced, friendly environment built on innovation, transparency, and openness, which has become the foundation of our reputation.

Role Overview

The Head of Live & Work Space is a key role for Bow Arts. The property portfolio is the financial driver for the charity supporting all our charitable work alongside over 1,100 of our direct artist beneficiaries. You will be responsible for maintaining both revenue streams, as well as healthy safe places to live and work.

The Trust currently manages 26 buildings across 15 sites predominantly in east and southeast London. We manage and refurbish all our properties ourselves. The portfolio is a mixed tenure, 25% currently owned with a further 25% in the pipeline, the remaining properties are leasehold from meanwhile rolling leases to 10 years. The properties range from Grade II listed buildings, classic redbrick to ex-local authority residential flats and through to mixed use new build properties.

Our landlords are our partners, they include housing associations, local authorities, private landlords and developers, our work supports the delivery of their community improvement pledges. You will be expected to maintain excellent relationships with our partners and landlords.

The department consists of 8 team members, a Head of Department (this role), a team leader, four studio managers, a team administrator and a maintenance officer. The team is responsible for the marketing and lettings of all our spaces and for the maintenance and health and safety of our buildings. Staff are the key point of contact for our artists, ensuring rents are paid, debts managed and people have access to all our other support services.

You will need to be able to manage and communicate clear financial budgets and targets and you will assist in expanding our portfolio and offer. We are looking for an individual who is keen to grow with us and support the growth of the charity and our partnership interests.

We are looking for someone with an affinity for the sector and with experience in managing the day-to-day activity and challenges of a diverse portfolio and a large number of tenants. Someone who is a clear communicator and capable of running a team and who is able to report at an executive level.

Senior Team

• Contribute to the business planning and be accountable for the delivery of Bow Art Trust’s objectives, particularly in relation to development, investment, procurement and maintenance of the property portfolio.
• Regularly attend and contribute to Board meetings and deliver high quality reports and management information to the Senior Team, the Board and board sub committees as required.

Finance & Reporting

• Maintain good quality management information to support the financial and operational management of the Studios and property portfolio.
• Assemble and present high-quality reports on the performance of the property portfolio to the Senior Team and the Board as required.
• Produce Annual Departmental Budgets, Operational Plans and set yearly targets.
• Maintain monthly finance reports and quarterly Management Reports for the Chief Executive and Board, highlighting and finding solutions for key variances.

Property

• Take day to day responsibility for management of the Trust’s property portfolio.
• Ensure that void spaces are kept to a minimum and that all spaces are marketed and let in the most time efficient manner.
• Be responsible for licenses, lease renewals, management agreements, rent reviews and property related indemnities and contracts.
• Be responsible for keeping debt to a minimum, recovery management and reporting.
• Oversee Fire, Health and Safety Risk Assessments and coordinate checks and servicing of all Fire and Health and Safety systems.
• Oversee and manage maintenance programmes and remedial works in a costed, affordable and timely fashion, monitoring and remediating variances.
• Manage and review contracts and contractors to ensure they are appropriate and offer best value.
• Provide professional support to staff on compliance matters.
• Be the responsible officer for dealing with emergency property maintenance and compliance matters.
• Oversee the project management and refurbishment of new buildings and manage budgets.

Staffing

• Line management, monitoring and evaluation of staff against an agreed appraisal system.
• Ensure that roles and accountabilities are clear and individual and team performance are regularly monitored and that underperformance is addressed in a timely fashion.
• Ensure all staff are supported through regular feedback, both informal and formal in line with appropriate policies and procedures, to achieve agreed outcomes.

Other

• Ensure compliance with Bow Arts policies and procedures, inc: Equality and Diversity, Financial Regulations and lead on review and renewal of the Health and Safety policy.
• Maintain confidentiality agreements and conduct yourself in a professional manner during the course of your duties.
• Demonstrate a willingness to undertake training as required for the development of the post and enhancement of the company’s skill base.
• Engage with staff and clients of Bow Arts in a positive and constructive manner and to attend such meetings as the post requires in order to fulfil its aims.
• Promote the aims and objectives of Bow Arts by acting as an ambassador for the organisation in a pro‑active and informed manner.
• Undertake other duties consistent with the level of the post.

Person Specification

• Experience in prioritising busy workloads and meeting deadlines.
• Knowledge and experience of property and facilities management, with a particular focus on workspaces.
• Knowledge and experience of property refurbishment, tender processes and managing contractors.
• Knowledge and understanding of current Health and Safety Legislation, with particular regard to those factors applying to managed workspaces.
• Experience of line-managing a range of staff.
• Experience of developing and managing budgets.
• Experience of liaising with a range of organisations and individuals at many levels, including local authorities, developers, planners, funders.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively.
• IT literate.
• Motivated and organised.