Achates Recruits

Achates Recruits – recruitment support for the cultural sector, by the cultural sector

At Achates we are passionate about ensuring the future of culture and heritage. We know that those who – like us – have dedicated their lives to the sector understand it best. We understand the challenges you’re facing, the opportunities ahead and critically the skills, experience, knowledge and expertise that you need from your next leadership.

By choosing Achates Recruits to support your leadership appointments you are choosing to partner with the only search agency who truly understands the sector and its future. You are choosing an accessible, creative and expert option who will partner with you to secure a leader that is right for you and for now. It is recruitment for the sector, by the sector.

Working with us for your Executive Search will also provide insights from our network of Recruitment Champions – a group of outstanding sector leaders bringing their artform expertise, networks and perspective to each search. For more information on our Champions see here.

Get in touch to learn more by contacting Director of Recruitment and Organisational Change, Vicki Grace, on vicki@achates.org.uk. You can also download our Executive Search brochure here.

Current Recruitment Opportunities

Magic Me – Chair of the Board of Trustees

Magic Me – the UK’s leading positive ageing participatory arts charity – are seeking a new Chair (or Co-Chair) to lead their Board of Trustees, as they prepare to launch an ambitious new 2027-2032 strategy, including the creation of London’s first Intergenerational Borough in Tower Hamlets.

The Chair will lead the Board to govern Magic Me and support the Co-CEO’s as the organisation seeks to deepen and widen their impact and take their work to the next level, connecting with exciting cultural organisations to give more participants creative opportunities, and develop further audiences for Magic Me’s age-positive, intergenerational work.

Full details can be found here:
Chair of the Board of Trustees Job Pack

If you’re interested in this role, please reach out to Vicki on vicki@achates.org.uk to express your interest.

The deadline for applications is 23:59 on Sunday 1st November.

Rich Mix – Creative Director and CEO | Executive Director

Rich Mix are excited to launch their new leadership structure with the recruitment of a new Creative Director and CEO, and a new Executive Director. These appointments mark an important and exciting moment for the organisation as they embark on the next chapter of their extraordinary story, and look ahead to the next twenty years of Rich Mix.

The Creative Director and CEO will lead Rich Mix into the future by defining and developing their creative vision for the world we find ourselves in today, ensuring Rich Mix continues to serve its diverse and dynamic communities, and the organisations founding objectives for the next twenty years and beyond.

The Executive Director will work in close partnership with the Creative Director and CEO and will focus on Rich Mix’s operational, financial and overall organisational growth & sustainability by developing and implementing an organisational, operational and financial model that is grounded in ambition, creativity and resilience.

Full details can be found here:
Creative Director and CEO Job Pack
Executive Director Job Pack

If you’re interested in either of these roles, please reach out to Vicki on vicki@achates.org.uk.

The deadline for applications is 09:00 on Wednesday 7th October.

Southbank Centre – Head of Literature and Spoken Word

Join Europe’s largest arts centre, the Southbank Centre and lead the national conversation. As Head of Literature and Spoken Word you won’t just programme a season – you will shape culture.

The Southbank Centre are looking for an exceptional creative leader to curate and deliver over 150 extraordinary events each year. From electrifying live poetry and interdisciplinary performance to high-profile talks, debates, and major cultural moments, you will steer a year-round artistic programme where words transform, challenge, and inspire.

You will lead our strategy to redress the national decline in reading, help make writers careers sustainable and position Southbank Centre at the heart of the national conversation.

You’ll take the lead of the world-renowned annual London Literature Festival (co-curated this year with Dua Lipa) and pioneer high-impact partnerships, such as current work with Goalhanger to produce The Rest Is Fest.

You’ll build powerful alliances across publishing, agency, and literary networks. You will nurture ground-breaking, diverse new voices and work with the Audiences team to ensure our digital content strategy reaches global audiences.

You will be a dynamic champion of literature in all its forms, driven by an ambitious vision for public engagement. You believe passionately that literature and spoken word belong to everyone, possess the power to transcend artistic disciplines, and must speak directly to the urgent, complex world we live in today.

For more information about the role you can access the job pack here – Head of Literature and Spoken Word Job Pack. To apply you can do so via the Southbank Centre website here – Head of Literature and Spoken Word Applications.

For a confidential exploratory call about the role or to ask any questions you may have please contact Vicki Grace, Director of Recruitment and Organisational Change at Achates by emailing vicki@achates.org.uk.

The deadline for applications is 23:59 on Sunday 27th September.

Tall Stories – Chair or Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees

An extraordinary opportunity to lead the Board of Trustees of award-winning theatre company, Tall Stories.

Led by Artistic Director and Co-Founder Toby Mitchell and Executive Director Tara Wilkinson, Tall Stories is renowned for its distinctive blend of storytelling, music, puppetry and lots of laughs. For 30 years their productions have delighted audiences across the UK and the world.

Tall Stories are now seeking a Chair of Co-Chair(s) to support them in the implementation of their new strategic and business plan. This is an opportunity to lead an experienced and diverse group of Trustees and theatre professionals to make a transformational impact on audiences locally, nationally and internationally.

Full details can be found here – Chair of the Board of Trustees Recruitment Pack. If you’re interested in the role, please reach out to Vicki on vicki@achates.org.uk.

Privacy Statement: If Achates acts as the party in receipt of all applications Achates will control, process and share your data with the commissioned party for the purposes of recruitment, in line with Achates’ Data protection processes which can be provided on request. Data will only be processed in the candidate’s best interest and stored for as long as necessary. You have the right to access the data we hold about you and revoke your consent at any time.