Opportunities

 

Project Manager for PROUD INTERREG IVB project

 

The Storey is looking for a highly creative person skilled in project management, applied design thinking and design research. The post will involve working with designers, delivering and evaluating new approaches to knowledge exchange between universities, large corporate organisations and SMEs. Adopting a user-centred, participatory approach you will be working in one of the top design research centres in the UK in collaboration with a top 10 world ranked business school on a project with national and international implications.

                                                                                   

PROUD

People Researchers and Organisations Using Design for Co-Creation and Innovation

Real solutions to community problems require local engagement, not only with implementing solutions but also in framing and thinking creatively about them. Designers can help with this both through direct creative input but also through facilitating new processes that enable all stakeholders to help address the problem directly. They can also link between social issues and local business. The impact of these local interventions can be amplified by the exchange of innovative approaches and solutions across regions, irrespective of national borders.

This project will achieve this by forming an active European network of regional policy makers, communities, regional design centres and practicing designers from France, Holland, Germany, Finland, Luxembourg and the UK. Going beyond communication the project will help local stakeholders take ownership, develop and implement long term solutions through co-design of new products and services.

The precise nature of this intervention will be guided by regional needs. In Lancaster the proposal is for a framework that will invest in local co-design infrastructure and to fund professional design engagement in local challenges to ‘pump-prime’ community co-design.

 

The Storey

Central to Lancaster’s artistic, technical and scientific innovation, The Storey, has been re-modeled as a purpose-designed centre for the creative industries.

Built in 1898 by local philanthropist and tradesman, Thomas Storey, the building offered educational opportunities to the people of Lancaster. Today, our organisation continues to maintain Storey's philosophy that the building should be a place for the people and inspire forward thinking. For this reason, as well as being home to a growing number of successful creative businesses, we offer a variety of engaging events ranging from business conferences, seminars and networking to literary performances, workshops and art exhibitions through our partner organisations, Litfest and Storey Gallery.

For further details see: http://www.thestorey.co.uk

 

Lancaster University

Established in the 1960s, Lancaster University has established a strong reputation in many different disciplines.   The University is very much part of the city of Lancaster, and is a major employer within the area.  The University is situated on a modern parkland campus, just to the south of the beautiful and historic city of Lancaster.  The campus has excellent facilities, both educational and recreational, including an art gallery, studio theatre, concert hall and well-equipped sports complex.  As a place to live, Lancaster offers significant attractions; it is within easy travelling distance from the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales is well served by road and rail links and is within easy reach of Manchester International Airport.   House prices compare very favourably with those in many other parts of the country, and local schools are excellent; the University runs pre-school facilities for the children of staff and students. 

For more details see: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/lancuni/uni.htm

 

ImaginationLancaster

ImaginationLancaster is a creative Research Lab that generates alternative possibilities for the future, using experimental approaches and design thinking to aid innovation and decision-making. Linking across discipline boundaries and enabling interdisciplinary research, the Lab uses innovative research strategies combining traditional science, social science methods and practice based research which arises from the arts. It was recently placed in the top 3 for Art and Design research in the recent Research Assessment Exercise.

Imagination engages in, and is committed to the convergence of, academic research and business engagement, across corporate, SME industry.

For further details see: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/imagination/

 

JOB DESCRIPTION

 

Job Title:		Project Manager PROUD		Salary:	£30,870 to £35,788
Directly responsible to:			Tom Clark, Chief Executive
Supervisory responsibility for:			Designers working on the project
Other contacts
Internal:
The Storey Creative Industries Chief Executive and team (Lancaster)
External:
Lancaster University; Academics, Knowledge Exchange Programme Support Team (PROUD), INTERREG Programme Manager and delivery team, Design Manager and delivery team, Project Support Unit (PSU) Other: EU Partners in the PROUD project, design professionals from the region and internationally, regional stakeholders (academics, business and third sector) communities
Major Duties:
1.	Project Management and supporting development of new, innovative knowledge exchange mechanisms and approaches that fit within the strategic goals set by the managers of the PROUD INTERREG project.
2.	Help identify opportunities  for innovation in the Lancaster region. This will require a close liaison with a wide spectrum of academic stakeholders, a comprehensive understanding of the needs of the local industries as well as the local population. This will require expertise in engaging with 2 of these groups with a willingness to acquire skills to engage with the 3rd group if necessary.
3.	Supervise the selection and day-to-day operation of teams of up to 4 designers employed as consultants on the project. This will include negotiation of agreed methods and practices to be employed in the project and also the interface between their activities and the research element of the project. This could include data gathering, interviewing and other research approaches.
4.	Be able to lead the development, production and facilitation of highly innovative knowledge exchange activities in close collaboration with PROUD Co-ordinator and design experts. This will involve design and production skills in addition to the ability to work with external stakeholders.

5.	Promote the mechanisms produced (nationally and internationally) through journal publications, workshops and master-classes. There is also a requirement to be able to communicate orally and in writing to academics and business community in a way that is appropriate to their (often very different) perspectives.
6.	Liaise closely with the other EU partners in the PROUD project, both electronically and face to face to ensure the maximum cross fertilization between the EU partners.
7.	Manage the administration of the project in terms of organising travel accommodation and meetings where required and working closely with the Knowledge Exchange administrator on the project to ensure all paperwork is in order.
The post is fixed term until 31 January 2014 and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and made possible by the INTERREG IVB programme and subject to confirmation of that funding.

 

PERSON SPECIFICATION

PROJECT MANAGER PROUD

 

Criteria	Essential/ Desirable
Skills, Experience, Knowledge
Excellent project management skills with particular emphasis on applied design thinking across disciplines	Essential
Ability to manage the day-to-day running of the PROUD activities, including report writing, financial planning, travel planning, organising meetings	Essential
Effective interpersonal skills, ideally including working collaboratively with designers and some experience of leading a team	Essential
Ability to present visual information to a high standard tailored for specific target audiences	Essential
Experience of third sector engagement and facilitation	Essential
Experience of working with and in a commercial environment, in particular engaging with business engagement and training activities	Desirable
A good understanding of knowledge exchange and/or experience of developing and delivering innovative knowledge exchange mechanisms	Desirable
Comfortable with IT and using this to create communication to stakeholders	Desirable
Personal Qualities
Ability to demonstrate diplomacy and empathy when communicating across cultural, social and professional boundaries.	Essential
Self-motivated with high degree of initiative	Essential
Proven ability to engage with a range of stakeholders (academic, creative industries, third sector, local business and other stakeholders)	Essential
Ability to adapt to and learn new ways of working	Essential
Ability to develop networks	Essential
Flexible working practices, working to tight deadlines	Essential

 

Qualifications
Good undergraduate Degree in a management or design related discipline	Essential
A relevant postgraduate degree or MBA (or equivalent commercial experience)	Essential
Other
A full clean driving licence	Desirable
A willingness to work throughout the NW region and Europe	Essential
Ability to adopt flexible working practices including occasionally in the evening, this post will also involve working between the Storey and  Lancaster University	Essential

 

 

How to Apply:

Candidates must base their application on the relevant job description and person specification. Applicants are asked to provide a supporting statement to demonstrate how they meet the criteria along with a full curriculum vitae.

Applications should be sent to: Angela Diggle, Executive Assistant, The Storey, Lancaster LA1 1TH by 30^thMay.

Informal enquiries about this post should be directed to Tom Clark, Chief Executive of the Storey tel 01524 509000 email: tom.clark@thestorey.co.uk