General Manager

 

Working closely with the CEO and other core staff, the General Manager role is pivotal within the company structure.  The General Manager will focus primarily on the areas of HR, Governance, Finance and Health & Safety. Further responsibilities include administering office & project employment contracts, and other general duties that will ensure the company runs efficiently and meets its legal responsibilities.  It is a mixed and varied role, with both a high level of autonomy and responsibility. 

ABOUT US

Over the last two years Alibi, a South West-based Arts organisation since the early 80s, has been through a period of transition which has seen it reinvent itself as a venue for children and young people, welcoming 1000s of families, school children and members of our community through its doors. Our vision is of

“A place where all children can explore their creativity and imagination, in a world where everyone understands the importance of creativity and imagination to happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.”

In 2024 we threw open the doors of our base, Emmanuel Hall, an old Church Hall in the heart of St Thomas in Exeter. The building has been reimagined into a Centre for the Imagination for Children and Young People and over the last 12 months we’ve hosted performances, workshops, live music and an actual live, immersive, pine tree forest…

Our Mission is to create playful, safe and inclusive spaces where children can explore their creativity and discover themselves and the world in imaginative ways. Through live performances, engaging experiences and hands-on activities, we provide families, schools and communities with creative ways to inspire and empower their children and young people. We’re here to celebrate the power of imagination and champion the importance of creativity in children’s lives. 

We work closely with schools, both locally and throughout the South West, and are committed to ensuring we reach all children regardless of their means and possibilities.

Since the beginning of 2024 Emmanuel Hall has become the home of the St Thomas Library and of Zero Mile CIC, who are taking over the outside spaces and transforming them into community growing areas.

This is a really exciting time in the development of Alibi as we move closer to unleashing the full potential of our glorious old Church Hall. The successful candidate will be joining a small, busy and dedicated team striving to make something extraordinary happen in the city.

Theatre Alibi is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

We want Alibi to be a rewarding and enjoyable place to work where people are treated with respect, valued for who they are and the contribution they make irrespective of age, disability, race, gender, religion or belief, caring responsibilities or sexual orientation. 

Alibi is committed to increasing the diversity of our creative programme, workforce and audiences to ensure the quality and impact of our work. As part of this commitment, we particularly welcome applications for employment from individuals currently under-represented in our organisation and the wider sector. This includes people from the Global Majority specifically the African diaspora; South, East, and South East Asian diaspora; the Middle East and North Africa; people with disabilities including neurodivergence; people from the LGBTQIA+ community; and those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. 

We operate flexible working arrangements to allow for caring responsibilities and any other time constraints you may be experiencing.

THE COMPANY

Our small and resourceful team is led by the Chief Executive Officer who reports into our Board of Trustees. We work with numerous freelancers, visiting companies and artists to deliver work in Emmanuel Hall and in schools across Devon.

We have developed a collaborative way of working where choices and decisions are openly discussed within the team, and where learning from our experiences and having a dynamic approach to change is celebrated.

TO APPLY please send a CV and covering letter (no more than 2 sides of A4) outlining your experience and keeping in mind the Job Description below.

Closing date for applications is 9am Wednesday 12th May. Interviews will take place at Emmanuel Hall or via zoom on the 19th May. Please state in your email whether there might be any previous engagements that might make these interview dates difficult for you. We’ll let you know whether or not you’ll be offered an interview by the 13th May.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Reports to: CEO  

Line Management of: Contractors as required

Place of work: Emmanuel Hall, St Thomas

 

PRINCIPLE DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Finance   

·        Prepare financial management information including regular cash flow forecasts, reports, budgets, grant claims and management accounts for project managers, CEO, Board of Trustees and funders  

·        Ensure all statutory financial and other records, compliances and related inspections are met on time and records kept with regard to PAYE, NI, VAT, Companies House, Charities Commission, insurance, pension provision, audit requirements and annual reports  

·        Working closely with the CEO, prepare project and annual budgets, liaising with relevant staff   

·        Provide support and guidance to all budget holders for the effective management of budgets  

·        Maintain all financial systems and records for the organisation, including financial administration relating to general ledger, audit trails, Theatre Tax Relief, banking, petty cash management, staff expense claims and credit control  

 

Building & Operations   

·        Ensure appropriate licensing and insurance is in place

·        Organise the supply of utilities to Emmanuel Hall

·        Manage delivery of IT tech support contract and others as required  

·        Management of contractors and suppliers e.g. cleaner, electrician, waste collection

·        Management of supplies necessary for smooth running of the building e.g. hand towels, stationery, cleaning products

·        Management of general maintenance

  

Health & Safety

·        Support the CEO in creating and implementing the Health & Safety Policy

·        Co-ordinate Health & Safety administration, including monitoring, reporting and training

·        Ensure H&S information is communicated to all staff, project staff, users and visitors as appropriate

·        Undertake training and responsibilities such as Deputy Safeguarding Officer, first aider etc as required

 

Governance   

·        Provide an effective Company Secretary function  

·        Organise Board and sub-committee meetings, co-ordinating, minuting and drafting reports as required   

·        Support the Board to ensure governance and Charity Commission requirements are met   

  

Human Resources  

·        Provide effective and efficient human resource systems to support the delivery of the organisation’s objectives, including administering payroll, managing pension schemes and monitoring hours and absence etc   

·        Contribute to pay strategy working closely with the CEO  

·        Issue contracts for all project staff

·        Keep up to date with all relevant employment legislation  

·        Responsible for personnel related paperwork, including project staff allowances, holiday pay, and preparing payslips   

  

Team Responsibilities 

·        Keep Alibi’s vision and values at the heart of everything you do

·        Contribute to making Alibi an inclusive and welcoming organisation to work for, visit and engage with

·        Contribute ideas to the Sustainability Strategy and consider more environmentally friendly ways of working across the organisation

·        Contribute ideas to the business plan and feed your thoughts and perspective into organisational planning

·        Keep up to date with developments in areas related to your role and seek out inspiration

·        Represent and advocate for Alibi, taking part in promotional activity when appropriate

·        Maintain a flexible, collaborative and hands on approach to your work

·        Support events and performances as necessary and contribute to the smooth running of the building

·        Adhere to company policies, systems and procedures – especially in the areas of H&S and financial management

 

 WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

You'll have experience as a General Manger, though this may not be within the Arts Industry. You’ll be happy managing your own workload within a small and fast-paced team.

Essential Skills & Experience

·        Confident using Outlook and Microsoft Office programmes

·        Confident managing your own workload and prioritising tasks

·        Experience of setting, managing and reporting against budgets

·        Experience managing financial admin e.g. invoicing, petty cash

·        Experience of managing HR

·        Experience of drawing up contracts

·        Knowledge of Health & Safety and how it relates to our activity

·        Strong interpersonal skills and able to build rapport and communicate clearly with a variety of people, e.g. general public, children, freelancers, volunteers, teachers, donors etc.

·        Excellent planning and organisational skills

·        Is happy and effective working as part of a small, close-knit team

·        Able to adapt to a dynamic environment, using initiative and pitching in when needed

 

Desirable Skills & Experience

·        Previous experience in an arts organisation and/or in the charity sector and/or working with children

·        Experience of managing funding income and charitable giving

·        Experience using Xero

·        Experience managing a building

·        Knowledge of Charity Commission and Companies House requirements

·        Experience of managing payroll

 

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Salary £30,000 pro rata,

Fixed term 9 month contract, with the intention to extend funding dependent.

Start date is flexible.

The post is for three days (24 hours) a week.  However, sometimes we’ll need you to work flexibly to meet the needs of the programme of activity – including occasional evening and weekend work.  Equally, we’re happy to discuss flexible ways of working to accommodate caring responsibilities etc.

You’ll be based at our home, Emmanuel Hall, but we’re open to a hybrid working pattern.

You’ll be entitled to 28 days annual leave pro-rata, including bank holidays, as well as other statutory entitlements such as sick leave and pension contributions.

This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.