Cultural Development Officer

Cultural Development Officer

Fixed Term, Full Time

£28,903 to £34,003 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 25th September 2025

Please note this vacancy is available as a fixed term contract or secondment opportunity for up to 5 months with a view to extending for a further 12 months.

This position has been classed as an anywhere worker role but has an expectation that the successful candidate will attend the office, in Chelmsford or Braintree 2-3 day per month, with the remaining time for remote working if desired, in line with the organisation’s needs

The Role

The Cultural Development Team has a focus on encouraging strategic partnerships, and networks and encouraging the sustainability and growth of the sector, supporting several Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisations in Essex. 

The team supports digital and tech businesses, recognising the role they have in growing Essex’s creative sector from digital start-ups, film and television production to games developers, entertainment companies as well as architects and designers.

Through the Arts and Cultural Fund the team provide dedicated funding and support for artists, organisations, and creative practitioners working across a broad portfolio of disciplines and throughout, arts, heritage, creative and green spaces in Essex. 

The team launched Essex’s Cultural Strategy for Essex, along with several other reports focused on articulating the creative landscape of Essex to better enable practitioners and organisations to advocate and support their practice and work. These include the map creative hubs and Mapping Creative Health in Essex.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Home - Culture Essex and Climate, Environment and Customer Services

The Opportunity

Greater Essex boasts 13 Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio Organisations, 3 ACE Creative People and Places programmes and a vibrant and diverse cultural landscape of established and grass roots organisations. This is coupled with some under-engaged areas with arts and culture as per ACE’s Creative People and Places data. We therefore know there are some exciting opportunities and room to harness the cultural capital that Essex has to improve residents’ lives. 

Culture and Green Spaces will support both ECC and the wider cultural and creative sector to deliver exceptional cultural experiences, demonstrating the benefit of Essex’s strategic location, and potential to grow as a cultural centre.  

The Cultural Development Officer will support the development, and implementation of cultural strategies and programmes, widening access to cultural activities for residents of and visitors to Essex and contributing to the wider levelling up agendas of health and wellbeing, education and skills, families and communities, the environment and the economy. With significant experience gained within a creative. cultural or heritage field and an understanding of initiatives and issues within the sector.  The role requires project management experience, an ability to build strong relationships and partnerships and experience of writing funding bids.  

Accountabilities

• Contribute to the delivery of business plan objectives and wider objectives of Everyone’s Essex, to improve and promote the identity of Essex, maintaining local communities at the heart of all activities, in support of the wider functional strategy.
• Build strong internal and external collaborative partnerships to enable joint delivery of projects, initiatives and commissions across sectors including economic development, regeneration/place, public health, skills development, community resilience and tourism.
• Create, maintain, and develop promotional materials and campaigns to support advocacy and promotional campaigns.
• Work closely with district, borough, city and unitary authorities, voluntary, community, cultural and commercial sector to enable best practice and enhance service delivery.
• Develop and lead on key strategic programmes, which deliver innovative business models and maximise funding opportunities.
• Collect and report on economic, social and equality impact data, including academic research.
• Keep updated with new developments, good practice and funding opportunities within culture, linking to the wider social and economic agendas.
• Support the delivery of the teams cultural grants including evaluation and monitoring.
• Attend strategic countywide partnership networks; represent Essex at regional and national meetings, networks and conferences within arts, heritage and museums.
• Provide information, advice and guidance in respect of arts, heritage and museums across the Council, external stakeholders, partners and the communities of Essex

Skills, Knowledge and Experience 

• Educated to degree level or equivalent by experience in an appropriate cultural field. 
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area. 
• Significant experience gained within a cultural or heritage field, with an understanding of initiatives and issues within the sector. 
• Knowledge and understanding of project management and programmes of work with evidence of successful financial management. 
• Experience of, or participation in practice relating to the heritage, arts and museum sector. 
• Ability to build strong relationships and partnerships, both internal and external, which are collaborative and influential in nature and engender delivery. 

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service.  The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate.  This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.  For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email jamielea.wallis@essex.gov.uk

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