An opportunity for someone with experience in volunteer management to work in an exciting and ever changing environment. The postholder will lead on the continued relaunching and reinventing our volunteer effort as enter our second decade.

Person specification

You will have experience of managing volunteers and be aware of current sector best practice, including emerging trends and legal implications. You may have worked in theatre or you are a theatre enthusiast and this would be your first time working ‘behind the scenes’. You will certainly be organized and be a good communicator.

In a new environment you’ll need to learn fast – and be able to help others learn too. And not only volunteers. Part of the way you’ll get the job done is by helping other members of the team work more effectively with volunteers. So you’ll need to be both diplomatic and persistent. With a small staff team and a large group of volunteers much of your success will depend on your ability to build relationships, so you will be a ‘people person’ and enjoy that side of your work.

The role will be a challenging one, and will need you to work on your own initiative for much of the time. As a small organization going through some rapid change, not everything will be as calm and collected as we might hope. But for every challenge the work may present we will provide support. And like many people who have worked at The Gaiety over the last few years, you will have plenty of opportunities for personal development and progression.

The organization

Ayr Gaiety Partnership is the charity and social enterprise that runs The Gaiety Theatre and an increasing range of producing, touring and creative engagement activity. While the theatre itself is 120 years old, the organization has been going a little over a decade – reopening the theatre ten years ago. The organization sprang originally from the Ayr based Borderline Theatre Company and individuals in the local community. So we have always aspired to be much more than just a theatre building, with community-based activity very much part of what we do.

This is an exciting time to join the organization. Over the last few months we have restarted the successful live programme on our main stage, after the long gap caused by the pandemic. And we have a new impetus behind our creative engagement and producing activity, with exciting and innovative work with our communities. As we move forward we are looking to move up a gear in every aspect of our work.

The job

The volunteer team is an integral part of The Gaiety – welcoming customers, working on the stage, selling tickets, preserving our heritage, supporting people in the community and more. In a normal year we estimate that volunteers contribute over £200,000 of time to the organization. In fact, the organization was set up by volunteers and the volunteer ethos remains central to our existence. After the forced pause resulting from the pandemic, we now need to significantly increase our volunteer activity. Our aim is to establish best practice in volunteering with a varied and engaging volunteer programme. This will include the recruitment, training and daily support.

The revised post of Volunteer Engagement Manager will be crucial in supporting this priority, ensuring we have sufficient well-trained volunteer cover in place at all times. And for ensuring barriers to participation are reduced for those volunteers who might otherwise find themselves excluded. We wish to be seen as a centre of excellence for access and inclusion and operates best practice for all.

Key to the refreshed approach we want to take will be working to view our volunteers as beneficiaries of our activity, not only contributors to it. So we want to see volunteers becoming more engaged in theatre in all senses. This might mean visits to shows in other theatres or even something as simple as backstage tours in our own theatre. So an important part of the job will be working with volunteers to put in place a programme of appealing and enjoyable theatre-related activity.

A perfect opportunity for an effective manager to play a key role in the next phase of our story. The post holder will help build on the last decade of development, consolidating The Gaiety as a successful hub for the arts in Ayrshire and an innovator in the Scottish theatre landscape. This role provides the opportunity to play a key part in developing our plans for the future, alongside other senior managers, the CEO and board.

You’ll keep our theatre running smoothly, running at the lowest possible cost while providing access and comfort for everyone. This will include monitoring finance, admin and HR functions. You’ll be great at co-ordinating people, overseeing our front of house staff, building manager and volunteer teams.

Person Specification

You like being organised and you are good at it. It’s not only that you’re organised yourself, you also have a management style that ensures you can lead and support (and sometimes cajole) others to get things done too. You know your way around financial administration and you have a keen sense of the importance of looking after money diligently. You are comfortable being a lynchpin that others depend on – and with leading by example in quality and customer service.

Digital communication is probably second nature to you, and you are comfortable using digital and online tools to help deliver your goals.

You will need to understand the social enterprise sector – preferably but not necessarily in theatre. Whatever your background, a passion for live entertainment will be essential; otherwise you just won’t fit into the team. Experience is good, but a track record of success is even better (however long or short). Finally, you will be comfortable in an environment where there are many stakeholders to satisfy and working together as a team is the only way of doing so.

The Organisation

Ayr Gaiety Partnership is the charity and social enterprise that runs The Gaiety Theatre and an increasing range of producing, touring and creative engagement activity. While the theatre itself is almost 120 years old, the organisation has been going for 13 years – taking on the theatre ten years ago. The organisation sprang originally from the Ayr based Borderline Theatre Company and individuals in the local community. So touring theatre is in our DNA. And we have always aspired to be much more than just a theatre building, with community-based activity very much part of what we do.

This is an exciting and challenging time to join the organisation – you will have considerable influence over future direction along with members of our senior team. Over the last year we have successfully relaunched the live programme on our main stage. At the same time we have built up the second arm of our organisation – delivering creative engagement around our communities. And we are continuing our steady progress to produce an increasing proportion of our own shows, as well as receiving top class tours. Recent highlights for the organisation include;

• Our own top quality pantomime: Like 2019’s Jack and the Beanstalk (but unlike pantos from 2012-18) and 2021’s Jamie and the Unicorn, our 2022 panto, Sleeping Beauty, was our own production created specially for Ayr, with a Scottish creative team and cast. The increased artistic quality was recognised nationally with a 5 star review in The Stage.

• Relaunching our rural touring network – with shows touring Troon, Girvan, Maybole, Kirkmichael, Ballantrae, Fairlie, Cumnock and more in Autumn/Winter 2022-23.

• Creative engagement activity for around 1000 people of all ages over the last year, in settings varying from low income communities, to Primary Schools and Youth Centres. We have created a track record of success in real “co-creation,” gathering national attention.

We are a small professional team, working with a significant cadre of volunteers. And as a still young organisation, we continue to develop our ambition and

Do you have experience of managing volunteers, an interest in the arts, and great communication skills?

The Gaiety Theatre has an opportunity for someone with experience in volunteer management to work in an exciting and ever-changing environment. The Volunteer Engagement Manager will lead on the continued relaunch and reinvention of our volunteer effort, playing a key role at the heart of our operations as we emerge from the pandemic and enter our second decade.

You’ll be aware of current best sector practice, including emerging trends and legal implications. You may have worked in theatre – or maybe you’re a theatre enthusiast, and this is your first time ‘behind the scenes!’

Most importantly, you’ll be highly organised, and an excellent communicator. In a new environment, you’ll need to be able to learn fast, while helping others learn too. And that doesn’t just apply to our volunteers – part of getting the job done will mean helping other members of the team work more effectively with our volunteers. A big part of the role depends on your ability to build relationships, so you’ll be a ‘people person,’ and really enjoy that side of your work.

The Organisation

Ayr Gaiety Partnership is the charity and social enterprise that runs The Gaiety Theatre, as well as an increasing range of producing, touring and creative engagement activity. While the theatre itself is 120 years old, the organisation has been going for a little over a decade, having reopened the theatre 10 years ago. The organisation sprang originally from the Ayr based Borderline Theatre Company and individuals in the local community. As a result, we have always aspired to be much more than just a theatre building; community-based activity has always been very much a part of what we do. We provide volunteering and learning opportunities in roles ranging from front of house to technical assistance, with a huge part of our success of dependent on our volunteer team – we simply couldn’t run shows without them.

This is an exciting time to join The Gaiety. The last few months have seen us return to a successful live programme on our main stage, after the long gap caused by the pandemic. The work carried out during the pandemic had also renewed our focus on creative engagement and producing activity, with exciting and innovative work with our communities. As we move forward, we’re looking to move up a gear in every aspect of our work.

An opportunity for someone with experience in volunteer management to work in an exciting and ever changing environment. The postholder will lead on relaunching and reinventing our volunteer effort as we emerge from the pandemic.

Key objectives – the results of what you will do

• More volunteers:A steadily growing pool of volunteers resulting from both recruitment and retention
• Happy and effective volunteers:Volunteers enjoying, growing and benefitting from their experience – and making an effective contribution
• A coherent staff-volunteer team:Complementary relationships between staff and volunteers with excellent working relationships

Key responsibilities and skills - what you’ll do to get the results

• Organise Working with the General Manager and the wider staff team to organise everything to do with volunteering – from recruitment to social events
• Train:Developing and delivering training courses and supporting other members of the team to do the same – with overall responsibility to ensure the training is effective
• Support:Lead on ensuring our volunteers gain from their experience – including organising supportive experiences for volunteers who may have additional needs
• Administrate:Managing budgets, ensuring volunteer IT systems work, overseeing volunteer health and safety and general admin

Person specification

You will have experience of managing volunteers and be aware of current sector best practice, including emerging trends and legal implications. You may have worked in theatre but it’s more likely that you are a theatre enthusiast and this would be your first time working ‘behind the scenes’. You will certainly be organized and be a good communicator.

In a new environment you’ll need to learn fast – and be able to help others learn too. And not only volunteers. Part of the way you’ll get the job done is by helping other members of the team work more effectively with volunteers. So you’ll need to be both diplomatic and persistent. With a small staff team and a large group of volunteers much of your success will depend on your ability to build relationships, so you will be a ‘people person’ and enjoy that side of your work.

The role will be a challenging one, and will need you to work on your own initiative for much of the time. As a small organization going through some rapid change, not everything will be as calm and collected as we might hope. But for every challenge the work may present we will provide support. And like many people who have worked at The Gaiety over the last few years, you will have plenty of opportunities for personal development and progression.

The organisation

Ayr Gaiety Partnership is the charity and social enterprise that runs The Gaiety Theatre and an increasing range of producing, touring and creative engagement activity. While the theatre itself is almost 120 years old, the organization has been going for just over a decade – taking on the theatre eight years ago. The organization sprang originally from the Ayr based Borderline Theatre Company and individuals in the local community. So we have always aspired to be much more than just a theatre building, with community-based activity very much part of what we do.

This is an exciting time to join the organization. Over the few months we’ll be restarting the successful live programme on our main stage, at the same time as building on the new impetus behind our creative engagement and producing activity. Coming out of the pandemic we are looking to move up a gear in every aspect of our work.

The job in more detail

The volunteer team is an integral part of The Gaiety – welcoming customers, working on the stage, selling tickets, preserving our heritage, supporting people in the community and more. In a normal year we estimate that volunteers contribute around £250,000 of time to the organization – the biggest single source of income other than ticket sales. In fact the organization was set up by volunteers and the volunteer ethos remains central to our existence. After the forced pause resulting from the pandemic, we now need to relaunch our volunteer activity. Our aim is to establish best practice in volunteering with a varied and engaging volunteer programme. This will include the recruitment, training and daily support of the volunteers.

The (new post of) Volunteer Manager will be crucial in supporting this priority, ensuring we have sufficient well-trained volunteer cover in place when we re-open the theatre. And for ensuring barriers to participation are reduced for those volunteers who might otherwise find themselves excluded. We wish to be seen as a centre of excellence for access and inclusion and operates best practice for all. It’s not a blank slate but this is the first time we have had this role as part of our team so we very much expect a new and refreshed approach to every aspect of volunteering.

A perfect opportunity for a competent bookkeeper and financial administrator looking to work in an interesting environment.

Key objectives – the results of what you will do

• Spending controlled:Providing timely and accurate budget information will help ensure the best possible cost control
• Income maximised:Similarly, accurate analysis will help identify opportunities for, and track progress with, action to increase income
• External reporting up to date:In addition to statutory reporting, clear and timely reports to a wide range of funders will be a key result of your work

Key responsibilities and skills – what you’ll do to get the results

• Bookkeeping:Take the lead on using our accounting package and other systems to track all income and expenditure
• Create & maintain systems:Working firstly to update and then to ensure compliance with internal systems to produce budgets, make purchases etc
• Support the team:Training, cajoling and supporting other members of the team to use financial systems and understand reports
• Administration:Assisting the General Manager with wider organisational administration and systems

Person specification

You will need to be able to work unsupervised on all bookkeeping tasks. So it would be preferable if you have or are currently studying towards, a professional accountancy qualification (e.g. IATI, ACCA ). Alternatively we’d expect you will need a minimum of 3 years’ experience in a similar role. You will be proficient in Sage Line 50 or a similar accountancy package so you could learn Sage quite quickly. You’ll also need to be proficient in Microsoft Office including intermediate or advanced Excel skills. There will be some internal systems to learn – including the ticketing system which you’ll need to become familiar with. So you will need to be able to learn new skills and work in an industry that has its own quirks and ways of doing things.

The role will be a challenging one, and will need you to work on your own initiative for much of the time. As a small organization going through some rapid change, not everything will be as calm and collected as we might hope. But for every challenge the work may present we will provide support. And like many people who have worked at The Gaiety over the last few years, you will have plenty of opportunities for personal development and progression.

The organisation

Ayr Gaiety Partnership is the charity and social enterprise that runs The Gaiety Theatre and an increasing range of producing, touring and creative engagement activity. While the theatre itself is almost 120 years old, the organization has been going for just over a decade – taking on the theatre eight years ago. We have always aspired to be much more than just a theatre building, with community-based activity very much part of what we do.

This is an exciting time to join the organization. Over the few months we’ll be restarting the successful live programme on our main stage, at the same time as building on the new impetus behind our creative engagement and producing activity. Coming out of the pandemic we are looking to move up a gear in every aspect of our work.

The job in more detail

The (new post of) Finance Officer will be a key step in the next stage of the organisation’s development. There will be a period of working with the General Manager to introduce and embed financial processes and controls that have sometimes been missing in the past due to limited staff resources. The tasks will be similar to roles in other organisations, including:

• Reconciling and processing daily ticket desk (sales) returns.
• Assisting in the preparation of external production settlement accounts.
• Processing supplier invoices, cross referencing with purchase orders for accuracy and preparing and reconciling supplier statements
• Processing customer invoices for group bookings, events and hires.
• Ensuring appropriate authorisation for purchase orders
• Preparing payment information.
• Reconciling company bank accounts.
• Monitoring customer and supplier accounts.
• Processing staff expenses claims.
• Assisting with quarterly VAT reconciliations.
• Supporting the preparation of departmental reports and procedure documentation.
• Supporting credit control as and when required to ensure timely customer payments.