In this role, I manage and deliver the HR function for our small and dedicated staff team, supported by external consultants and advisors. I am responsible for providing an excellent experience for our staff and prospective employees and help to create a thriving and inclusive workplace. As Senior HR Manager, I provide thoughtful and informed HR advice and guidance, ensuring HR best practice across our systems, processes and policies. I am responsible for building HR processes and policies, with the aim of enhancing the working culture and experience for all employees and freelancers. I play a key role in bringing staff together for events, socials and meetings, and set the tone for a friendly and approachable office environment. I work with key colleagues to champion diversity and inclusion in our working culture and to deliver change initiatives. I manage the HR budget and resources, shape and manage staff training and development and manage the contract and relationship with our IT provider.This role builds on my previous experience of working in a similar HR role, along with knowledge and understanding of employment legislation, HR best practice and payroll processes. I have a people-centred and outcome-orientated approach, with excellent interpersonal skills, and be confident supporting and advising senior managers.

I have experience working as a manager and consultant in various arts, heritage, cultural, local authority and learning settings - often in the Midlands, with work expanding across the UK. This has included project, programme, team and company management. My most recent role has been focused on HR and Team Development. Previous experience includes delivering various roles from the shop floor to team leadership, from administrator to Joint Chief Executive, working in marketing to being a Company Director, working in education departments in arts centres to being a drama facilitator and Director of plays in my own right and facilitating cultural exchanges across countries, from delivering sponsorship and fundraising activity to strategic planning and senior leadership roles for businesses and departments. I have fulfilled various interim roles from supporting with assessing funding applications within a local authority setting to Head of Department cover for nationally prestigious organisations. I have been commissioned to provide consultancy in relation to evaluation, research (including creative consultation with stakeholders), report writing, development and delivery of projects and programmes, producing plays and delivering sponsorship and fund-raising activity. I have gained a lot of experience delivering work with and for children and young people, through my own and other organisations, and have worked with wider communities and various stakeholders engaged in participation, learning and development.

Overseeing Trust HR processes - Leading recruitment, induction, probationary and annual review processes - Managing training activity - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead - Managing an online HR system - Managing an Apprenticeship programme - Managing a Thrive at Work well-being activity - Supporting initiatives that enhance the leadership skills of the cultural sector.As the Trust's people lead, I was responsible for recruiting and supporting Trust employees and casual workers from the beginning to the end of their journey with the Trust. I looked after policies and procedures, training and development, away days and celebratory events, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan and Thrive at Work delivery; Co-Chairing Thrive at Work and Equality Diversity and Inclusion Working Groups. I led team review processes, including six-month, annual and salary reviews, I collaborated with our finance team in the preparation of payroll and managed the Trust’s HR online platform. I contributed to Trustee and Funder reporting and collaborated with agencies including Wright Hassall employment law team and our plug-in HR support team, ‘The HR Dept.’ I was the HR and Team Development team manager. I oversaw a two-year long Arts Council England funded Transforming Leadership programme delivered by People Make it Work; benefit of a cohort of 15 Coventry cultural leaders. I delivered an 18-month apprenticeship programme benefiting 13 young people of Coventry and Warwickshire. As activity expanded, I led department restructures and additional recruitment activity. Towards the end of our 2021-2022 programme, I led Collective Consultation activity, supported by Wright Hassall, and legacy team recruitment. I recruited and supported The Reel Store Digital Gallery team. I was jointly responsible for Covid compliance. Most recently I led IT provision management with Leap IT. I am a First Aider, Mental Health First Aider, Fire Marshal and Designated Safeguarding Lead.

As the Midlands Partnership Manager, I was responsible for building relationships with education providers, employers, Local Enterprise Partnerships and industry stakeholders to promote engagement with the organisation's mission to create fair and inclusive opportunities for young people within the creative and cultural sector. The organisation does this by raising awareness and shaping skills, education and employment best practice.During my time at CCSkills I offered apprenticeship advocacy, advice and support to creative and cultural sector employers and stakeholder groups across the West Midlands and beyond. I presented at Midlands wide events and delivered careers in the cultural sector focused training for careers professionals. I was the Midlands lead for Discover! Creative Careers Week (matching venues with schools across the Midlands to create career insight opportunities), I managed relationships with Midlands based member colleges including securing new partnerships and coordinating delivery activity including industry insight events for students, I worked as part of the UK wide team, attending meetings across the UK and supporting National Conferences and Awards Ceremonies.

As the Midlands Skills Academy Manager, I was responsible for managing and growing partnerships with colleges and creative and cultural and education sector networks, developing and promoting industry insight and industry networking activity, developing communications and promotion of our offer and consulting with member colleges to inform further work.

Providing semi-regular support to the Post Production team at Doctors, BBC with post production script editing. This role involved receiving weekly batches of final draft scripts and final cuts of episodes and editing scripts to ensure they matched the respective episode. Finalised scripts would be forwarded to the Post Production team to check and scripts would then be, in part, used to create subtitles for episodes that were due to be aired.

I am a passionate advocate for the Arts Award (http://www.artsaward.org.uk/site/?id=64) and have been delivering Arts Award accreditation activity including project management and acting as an Arts Award Adviser since 2007. I am trained to deliver at all levels (Discover, Explore, Bronze, Silver & Gold) and have worked with partners and delivered my own work to ensure 1000s of C&YP have achieved Arts Awards at all levels. My former company (Work in Progress Arts) has previously been awarded national Arts Award Good Practice Centre status and delivered a funded pilot open access club in settings across the West Midlands. Current partners include Arts Connect WM, Library of Birmingham, Wolverhampton College, Punch Records, Ormiston Academy Schools & WiP’s My Style club participants.​Previous Arts Award Advice and delivery includes: ​Manager, Birmingham Library Arts Award Club: Providing open access Arts Award club at all levels.Adviser / Manager, The Drum: Managing Arts Award delivery to ensure 100+ C&YP achieved Arts Awards.Adviser, The Artrix: Delivering after-school drama workshop and Arts Award in various settings.​Adviser / Advocate, ​Arts Connect: Providing Arts Award guidance to settings across the West Midlands. Gold Arts Award Adviser, Birmingham Ormiston Academy: Sessional Arts Award support. Arts Award Adviser, Women & Theatre and Birmingham City Council Children’s Rights Service: Supporting looked after children and young people to achieve Arts Awards at Bronze level.Arts Award Adviser, Birmingham Royal Ballet: S​upporting 40 young people participating in BB&Me to achieve an accredited Arts Award at Bronze and Silver levels.Playtrain: Delivering Arts Award activity at Silver level linked to a youth led exhibition, The Collectors.

I was commissioned to provide consultancy support to develop the education strand of the University of Birmingham, Shakespeare Institute and Library of Birmingham's National Lottery Heritage Fund (successful) application to deliver a large scale, multi-year 'Everything to Everybody' programme, inspired by George Dawson and the world class Shakespeare collection held at the Library of Birmingham. I consulted with various stakeholders, including education professionals and children and young people to inform consultation report including findings and recommendations and a proposed education plan.

As an education and evaluation consultant, I was commissioned to develop and deliver an evaluation strategy, activity and reporting for Ormiston Academy Trust's 'Bostin Fittle' heritage project. Working with programme leads, participating learners and educators from multiple OAT schools. This role, involving delivering quantitative, qualitative evaluation and creative consultation activity and reporting key findings, learning, and recommendations for further work to OAT and to funders, the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Deliverables included:  To develop and deliver an evaluation strategy in agreement with OAT To evaluate all aspects of the project, from set up, through to delivery and final outcomes Regular data monitoring and capture (qualitative and quantitative) to include On site visits Face to face and telephone interviews Online or paper based surveys Interviews with children, teachers and delivery staff Capture of impact against a number of milestones at the beginning, middle and end of the project Regular contact with the project lead and schools A final written evaluation report

As Director of Work in Progress, I provided creative and operational leaderships, managed finances and fundraising activity, led the WiP team and delivered various commissioned projects with, for and by children and young people, whilst reporting to an Advisory Committee and supporting funders. • Love Our Libraries – A Birmingham City Council, Arts Connect and Birmingham Library Service funded year long youth leadership, participation and Arts Award programme across Birmingham Libraries. • Arts Award Club - Delivering Arts Connect funded Arts Award Clubs for children and young people across the West Midlands.• Belonging - Delivering an Arts Council England and Northfield partners funded youth leadership programme including outreach activity with young people in care, refugee families and young people experiencing homelessness and leading devising and performances of a play, Belonging, shared at Northfield Culture Mash, The Old REP and Midlands Arts Centre. • Our Style - Supporting young people to achieve Gold Arts Awards through participation in this Birmingham City Council funded creative youth leadership programme. • Museums Mystery Tour - Leading a two-year youth consultancy programme engaging 140+ young people in visits to West Midlands heritage sites, a youth residential at Ingestre Hall and reporting findings for participating partners and commissioners, Arts Connect, Marches Network and Birmingham Museum Trust. • Director and Producer, After the Event: I led the co-creation of devised performances working with young creatives and a professional production team with open performances on Northfield High Street, supported by Arts Council England, Northfield BID and Community partners. • Consultancy, Northfield Town Centre Partnership: I managed community events, community consultation and creative activities including craft and dance workshops and a Tea Dance flashmob at Northfield Beach, supported by Northfield partners, ACE and Awards for All.

With investment from Arts Council England, my commissioned consultancy role was to work in conjunction with the Sense Arts team to understand the current programme and vision for Sense Arts and Sense more widely, co-lead consultation sessions with a strategy group and other stakeholders to understand need and direction and co-write a strategic arts plan for Touchbase Pears, covering the period 2019 – 2021. I provided advice on the visual development of the strategy, shared knowledge and links about the local Midlands art sector and helped to communicate the final strategy to senior members of Sense and strategic stakeholders, including existing and potential funders. The aim of this consultancy role was help the Sense Arts team to cultivate and embed an inspirational programme of inclusive arts across sense, driven and supported by the team and facilities at TouchBase Pears. Investment from ACE has given the Sense Arts team time to consult, enquire, question and draw on the views and expertise of people with complex disabilities at the cutting edge of creative excellence to enable the development of an ambitious arts strategy that builds on existing partnerships and identifies emerging art and cultural leaders. This work was to help create a quality led inclusive arts programme for deafblind and disabled artists to create original work that challenges and intrigues the wider community.

I collaborated with partners at Museums Worcester and Associate Artists to research, devise and write a play exploring Worcester's Civil War Store, performed in school settings and at Worcester Commandery. Brief - Beyond initial research with multiple partners and the development of a skeletal story line, five days were spent working together as a creative team to devise a play and supporting workshop; developing a unique two-hander covering key Worcestershire / Commandery specific historical moments from the beginning to the end of the Civil War. The devising period culminated in a sharing for key audience members including school leads. Performances and workshops were then shared with young audiences in schools with the intention that this work would be further developed and rolled out to other schools and shared on an annual basis.

I was commissioned to work closely with former Artrix Director and the wider team at Artrix to develop partnerships and support with income generation including leading sponsorship and fundraising activity. Partnership development included Dementia Friendly engagement work with VAMOS and local social care providers, creating an action plan and securing a Dementia Friendly Kitemark. I delivered evaluation activity to inform future youth programming, led fundraising activity, including successful applications to trusts, Awards for All, and delivering an online Big Give Christmas Challenge Fund campaign.

Delivering advice surgeries, assessing funding applications and working as part of a panel to make funding decisions. I have provided various interim roles for small and large scale organisations and returned to the Culture Development Service to support with assessing arts, heritage and culture funding applications, including being part of decision making panels.

This was a unique opportunity to lead a team, recruit new staff and manage the learning and outreach elements of a large-scale National Lottery Heritage Fund grant linked to the development of a new Remembrance Centre and supporting heritage, learning and outreach programme. A very special opportunity to work with a national and Internationally renowned organisation that is part of the Royal British Legion family. Specific responsibilities included: Overseeing the day-to-day operational delivery of the learning offer including programme development and managing learning team members and volunteers and wider team liaison. Planning and managing initial delivery of learning elements of NLHF funded activity including reporting to funders and NMA Board and creating a plan for year 2 programme. Implementing a monitoring and evaluation framework to demonstrate outcomes and learning. Delivering recruitment activity including revising and creating job descriptions, delivering interviews and formal recruitment. Visioning wider projects and programmes of work including large scale outdoor art installation linked to Somme 100 commemorations. Managing strategic partnerships (including Military partnerships). Managing the learning budget (including NLHF learning programme grant).

Part of the Senior Management Team, in this role I provided strategic development of the learning programme at The Drum Arts Centre, including business planning, fundraising, partnership development and overseeing delivery activity.I rebooted the learning programme, including multi-art form term-time and holiday programme provision for 100+ young people, securing additional commissions to deliver Arts Award accreditation activity, to work with children in care, and to deliver activity in schools. Reporting included to Trustees, Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England.

I was commissioned to consult with and advise stakeholders in relation to youth engagement, support with the development and delivery of Arts Award activity and to deliver youth consultation including delivering regional events with, for and by young people, conducting research and reporting. Arts Connect was one of 10 Bridge Delivery Organisations, funded by Arts Council England to use experience in the sector to connect children and young people, schools and communities with art and culture. This involved connecting schools and communities with National Portfolio organisations and others in the creative and cultural sector, including museums and libraries.My role was to support the development of how children and young people engage as leaders and decision makers in arts, heritage and culture services across the West Midlands. I managed a youth-led programme called Priority Five. Priority Five was a pilot action research project exploring ways of engaging children and young people as decision makers within arts, cultural and heritage services across the West Midlands, inside and out of school. Priority Five had a consultation and research element and was about practically engaging children and young people in a programme of activity that empowers them as leaders and experts in their own right.

I worked with the Directors at Finding the Will, supporting with marketing and promotion of their education work and play and tour booking. Finding The Will is a theatre company that explores and celebrates the world of Shakespeare whilst putting a new spin on his works. The company produces Shakespeare inspired shows and deliverers education workshops extensively across all age range in formal and informal learning settings.www.findingthewill.com

I was invited to co-produce Idiot Child's production, I Could've Been Better, and supporting tour, launching at Bristol Old Vic. My responsibilities included: Securing funding from Arts Council EnglandManaging budget, schedule and contractsTour partner liaisonLeading production meetings, keeping notes and executing actions Marketing and promotion activity Preparing and delivering launch activity (Bristol Old Vic, BikeShed Exeter and Pleasance London), including supporting get-ins and get-outs Evaluation and report writing. Fellow co-producer was Susie White. We made an awesome team. Idiot Child is a theatre company making playful and peculiar work in the South West and beyond. Drawing on autobiography and memory, the company devise bleak, comic tales that emerge from the facts, objects and oddities of their own lives. The company make work that is concerned with comedy, pain, and theatricality and always place the audience at the heart of their work. www.idiotchild.com

I was recruited to provide Interim Culture Commissioning Officer cover. Specific responsibilities included assisting in commissioning third sector organisations, assessing funding applications, assisting with grant management processes, Arts Council England interim and final reporting, enhancing the Filter website and Creative Credit Card initiatives and supporting the review and development of Birmingham City Council's Family Friendly Kitemark scheme.

I was recruited to provide interim cover for the Head of Children and Young People's engagement at The Drum Arts Centre celebrating Black arts, heritage and culture. This senior, strategic role provided an opportunity to lead the children and young people and creative learning team and multi-art form learning programme for children and young people, whilst generating 220K of funding and developing and delivering an award winning large-scale Olympics inspired youth volunteering programme for 16-25yr olds.

I was recruited to provide interim General Manager and Joint CEO cover, working alongside Artistic Director, Janice Connolly, and the wider team at Women & Theatre. Specific responsibilities included: Managing the company to develop and deliver it's artistic programmeEnsuring efficient and responsive business, financial and administrative managementProactively developing links with the arts, health and education sectors Implement the company 3 year plan Managing W&T's Arts Council England Organisational Development Grant and The Bad One Touring Grant and wider fundraising for other activity including youth theatre programme Hooded. Reporting to Board and funders. Managing the operations of the company to deliver its artistic programme; ensuring efficient and responsive business, financial and administrative management; developing links within arts, health & education sectors, implementing company plan inc. ACE funded organisational development activity, fundraising and reporting to Board and funders. Projects included: • Producer, The Bad One: A chilling modern day fairytale touring nationally in Autumn 08. • Project Manager, The Parenting Triangle: Monologues commissioned by Birmingham City Council’s Action for Inclusion Team; exploring the relationship between children, young people, parents and school leads. • Project Manager, The Morning After: Aquarius commissioned filmed monologues about the experiences of individuals impacted by alcohol abuse. • Project Manager, Us & Our Education: A devised project and performances exploring the experiences of adults with profound physical and learning disabilities. • Project Manager, Bare Drama: An education package commissioned by Leicester Y Theatre exploring young people’s involvement in criminal activity through gang membership. • Project Manager, Our Take: Film project with young people in care, at a special school and a pupil referral unit. www.womenandtheatre.co.uk

My role involved business development, fundraising, design & management of training programmes, managing consultation and action research activity and delivering children and young people’s creative arts programmes. Projects included:• Project Manager & Co-Deliverer, West Midlands Training Programmes: Training for adults working with C&YP. • Producer, The Big Play Experiment: A training programme involving adults and C&YP hosted at The Custard Factory, Digbeth that practically & theoretically explored different play types. • Project Manager & Co-Deliverer, Project 31: Extended schools consultation project with C&YP, families and educators at Perry Beeches Cluster; supporting the development of an extended schools offer. • Project Developer, All About Me: Securing Children in Need funding for project working with YP accessing mental health services at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. • Producer, The Collectors: A six-month, multi-disciplinary C&YP led arts project exploring the lives & experiences of C&YP, culminating in an exhibition at The Custard Factory. • Project Manager & Co-Deliverer, Learning My Way: Consultation commissioned by Birmingham City Council working with newly-arrived YP at St John Wall School; aimed at supporting integration. • Project Manager, Audiences Central Family Friendly Consultation: Conducting family visits to WM cultural venues to identify successes & areas for development, inc. venue reporting and training. • Consultant, Dudley Children’s Services: Consultation with C&YP & professionals to develop services. • Consultant, Parks 4 Play: Consultation with C&YP in Moseley, exploring play provision and reporting. • Consultant, BCC Housing: Consultation with C&YP to develop a youth committee, inc. reporting. • Facilitator: Delivering workshops with C&YP and training to early years & play practitioners, youth workers, teachers & artists; exploring child-led approaches to promote creativity and YP’s rights.

I had been working as a training consultation for Playtrain for a while and , based on my administration and coordination experience, was asked to come on board to support the internal team. This led to securing a full-time role as Playtrain Development Manager!Responsibilities during this time included: Creating contractsGenera administration and coordination including artist and partner liaisonCoordinating West Midlands wide training programme including booking artists and training venues Contacting schools to share offer and identify opportunities Conducting a Political, Economic, Social and Technological study into children's lives today to share with CEO and Board Members to inform strategic planning. It was here where my passion for research, consultation and report writing developed.

During this time, I facilitated term-time adult and children and young people's drama courses and was a Youth Theatre Leader for Stage 2, followed by mac Youth Theatre. These roles included directing shows, delivering inclusion programmes, educational packages, summer schools, providing L.A.M.D.A tuition and coordinating trilateral youth exchanges between England, Germany and Spain. Whilst at State 2 Youth Theatre, I directed The Witches (Wood), Alice in Wonderland (Pearn) and Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations (Ayckbourn). Whilst at mac Youth Theatre I directed Roots (Wesker), Epsom Downs (Brenton) and Dr Shoe, Be Your Own, Midsummer Night’s Rap and Frightmare Before Easter (devised).

As well as working in the education department at mac I also worked for the marketing department which providing an invaluable experience into the world of arts (and wider) marketing and a starting point for future company and department management and producing roles. Responsibilities included: Writing and disseminating press releasesCustomer relations including dealing with customer comments and compliments (via telephone, email and writing letters) Writing brochure copyWebsite maintenancePreparing for and supporting press launches Preparing and conducting mass mail-outsConducting distribution runs Preparing displays across the building General office admin. I loved my time at mac and learned the foundations of arts education and arts marketing during this time. What a community to be part of. First opened in 1962, mac Birmingham is a pioneering arts complex for everyone. www.macbirmingham.co.uk

My first experience of (retail) management including world class managerial training. During this time I managed teams of 5-30, delivered a whole store training programme and worked off-site helping to open a new store in Warwick. I led the non foods department (including health and beauty, music and films, clothing and non food products like TVs, DVD players and computers) and the customer service department at the extremely busy Solihull store. My key responsibilities, as with other section managers, included planning, delivering and reviewing measurable targets linked to customers, operations, personnel and finance.