Background
Irish Theatre Institute (ITI) is a leading resource organisation that operates nationally and internationally, to nurture, promote, and drive the ambition of Irish theatre makers and Irish theatre.
Their mission is to create opportunities abroad and strengthen resources at home for theatre artists, companies, venues, and festivals.
Their strategy is to support artists by creating access to information and expertise, and providing other developmental resources for the theatre community.
They manage a building at 17 Eustace Street in Dublin which houses a wide range of activities from research to training, project development to casting, and international networking to one-to-one Information Clinics.
The Board of ITI now wishes to appoint a Director who will lead and manage the organisation’s development and operations over the next five years 2022-2026.
They are looking for an ambitious and highly motivated Director who has:
• excellent interpersonal skills
• experience in leading and managing an arts organisation at senior level
• experience of working with theatre makers and presenters nationally or internationally
• a practical understanding of the arts & culture sector in Ireland and of the needs of theatre makers within this context.
Their current Strategic Statement (2020-2022) outlines the scope of our ambitions and how we work to achieve these. Their next strategy will cover the period 2023-2027 and the Director will play a central role in developing and leading this new strategy. 2
The Role
This is a leadership role which requires managerial experience and skills at a senior level. The Director will be the chief executive officer at ITI and will report to the Board and liaise regularly with the Chairperson. The Director will also be responsible for managing ITI’s team of expert staff, be the public face and voice of ITI, and will be the principal point of contact with funders and other strategic and operational partners.
The role is fulltime and based at ITI’s offices in 17 Eustace Street, Dublin 2.
Experience required
ITI is a national resource organisation for Irish theatre, and it is essential that the Director can demonstrate direct, practical experience of working at a senior level, ideally in a leadership role, in an organisation in this sector.
Management experience is essential, including managing staff, managing budgets, and reporting to a Board.
The Director will have regular engagement with the ITI Board, with funders including An Chomhairle Ealaíon/Arts Council, and with other stakeholders. Applicants for the position must demonstrate that they have relevant experience in managing relationships effectively with a diverse set of stakeholders.
ITI plays a central role in Ireland’s performing arts infrastructure and has an active profile internationally; applicants must show that they have experience of working effectively within the publicly funded arts sector, and experience of working in an international context. Experience of working directly with artists and companies will be an advantage.
Terms and conditions
The post of Director is a fulltime position offered under a five-year contract of service (contract of employment) which may be renewed. There is a probationary period of one year from the date of appointment, and there will be a performance review at six months and at nine months from the date of appointment, as part of the induction process. 3
There will be an induction and hand-over process during the first three months of the appointment to ensure a smooth transition.
The annual gross salary for this position is €65,000. In addition, ITI will make a pension contribution to an approved pension arrangement, to match the employee’s contribution up to a maximum of 5% of salary.
The annual leave allocation is 25 days per calendar year exclusive of public holidays, and the annual leave year is the calendar year.
How to apply
The Irish Theatre Institute is an equal opportunities employer, committed to having an open, inclusive, respectful, and diverse organisational culture and practice embedded in all aspects of our work.
To make an application for the post of Director of Irish Theatre Institute, please email a letter of application, accompanied by a current CV, to recruitment@irishtheatreinstitute.ie to arrive no later than 18.00 on Monday 29th November 2021. It is your responsibility to ensure that your application reaches us by that closing time and date, and we cannot accept any application received after that. Please include ITI Director in the subject field of your email.
Your letter of application is your opportunity to demonstrate your communication skills and tell us how your experience equips you for this role, so please give up to date and clear examples and details that will help us match your experience and skills to our requirements.
They are interested in hearing your ideas about the next phase in ITI’s growth and development, so please feel free to give a sense of how you envision ITI under your leadership, tell them what you will bring to ITI, and most importantly why you want this job.
What happens after you submit your application
ITI will acknowledge receipt within two working days of all eligible applications (i.e. letter of application and cv) received by 18.00 Monday 29th November 2021.
ITI will shortlist all eligible applications, and interviews will be held during December. ITI hopes that the Director will be appointed and able to take up the position as soon as possible thereafter.
There will be a transition and hand-over process to support the induction of the new Director.
