Director

Job Reference PAEXC
Closing Date Wednesday 24 Jun 2020

Location: London
Salary: Competitive
House of Illustration opened in the heart of King’s Cross in London in July 2014 and over the past six years the organisation has become a significant cultural force, representing and championing the very best of an art form that, in spite of its rich heritage, contemporary significance and broad appeal, is rarely explored by other museums and galleries.
The organisation has successfully raised the profile of illustration to a broad, receptive and diverse audience of over 1 million people by curating critically acclaimed exhibitions, commissioning new work, running a pioneering education programme, putting on high-profile events with some of the world’s leading illustrators, running a successful retail operation and taking exhibitions on tour in the UK and internationally.
House of Illustration is now entering an exciting new phase of its development having recently purchased a major site in central London which features a range of listed historic industrial buildings set in their own land. These extraordinary and unique buildings will provide approximately 1000 square metres of space, over twice the capacity of the organisation’s current site.
The Board of Trustees is now seeking exceptional candidates to succeed Colin McKenzie as Director. As the organisation looks forward to its new home at New River Head there are significant opportunities for growth and development to be harnessed. This is an opportunity to oversee one of the most important arts-led regeneration projects in London for some years, which will build on the success of House of Illustration’s stellar artistic and education programmes and develop and engage new and existing audiences.
The ideal candidate will be a proven and inspiring strategic leader, with an ability to steer the organisation to deliver the ambitious building and capital development programme, and the next phase of House of Illustration’s growth. They will have experience of implementing a significant level of organisational change as part of an executive role and will bring a strong track record of leadership in the cultural sector. The Director will be a key ambassador for the organisation and should be a compelling communicator with excellent stakeholder management skills. The post-holder will have a passion for illustration and the ability to engage and enthuse others on the subject.
The Director also needs to have the ability to act as an advocate and an ambassador for House of Illustration across a diverse range of senior stakeholders and take an active role in developing a highly effective fundraising function to support both House of Illustration’s core activity and its capital project.
The House of Illustration welcomes applications from the widest possible range of people and is particularly keen to encourage interest from candidates from a BAME background, recognising their current under-representation in senior roles in the sector.
Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to the House of Illustration on this appointment. For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit www.saxbam.com/appointments using reference PAEXC. Alternatively, telephone +44 (0)20 7227 0880 (during office hours). Applications should be received by noon on Wednesday 24 June 2020.