Organizer Information
Crawford Art Gallery is a National Cultural Institution in Cork, Ireland, with a major redevelopment planned to transform the Gallery into a distinctive cultural landmark, visual destination, and hub for artistic encounter and public engagement. Following redevelopment, the Gallery aims to expand its visitor experience, audience reach, cultural programming, commercial activity, and national and international profile.
Title & Description
Head of Public Engagement
Head of Public Engagement is a new senior leadership position responsible for defining and implementing Crawford Art Gallery’s audience engagement strategy. The role brings together audience development, visitor experience, marketing and communications, brand and digital development, visitor services, retail, events, and public-facing commercial activity.
The successful candidate will play a central role in preparing the Gallery for its planned late-2028 reopening, establishing the teams, systems, services, partnerships, and audience strategies required for a significantly expanded operation.
The Role Overview
- Position: Head of Public Engagement
- Level: Senior Leadership Team
- Reporting to: Director, Crawford Art Gallery
- Salary: €83,113 – €103,576
- Location: Cork, Ireland
- Programme: Crawford Art Gallery redevelopment and long-term organisational development
- Role period: Phased delivery from 2027, through the 2028 reopening and into 2030 and beyond
Position & Tasks
- The Head of Public Engagement will establish the strategic framework for audience engagement and visitor-facing activities, build new functions including visitor services, retail, events and membership, and lead workforce planning and recruitment.
- Responsibilities include developing audience-growth and commercial strategies; overseeing marketing, communications, PR, digital activity and brand development; developing visitor research and evaluation frameworks; and creating signage, wayfinding and interpretive strategies for the redeveloped building.
- The role will also lead visitor experience and public engagement, philanthropy and fundraising, sponsorship and strategic partnerships, budgeting, income forecasting, governance, compliance, risk management and reporting to senior leadership and the Board.
- The postholder will lead multidisciplinary teams covering Marketing and Communications, Visitor Services, Bookshop and Events, while supporting recruitment, staff development, organisational change and the establishment of effective systems and processes.
Categories
- Arts Management
- Cultural Management
- Museum & Gallery Management
- Audience Development
- Marketing & Communications
- Public Engagement
- Visitor Experience
- Fundraising & Philanthropy
- Cultural Leadership
Eligibility
The opportunity is aimed at experienced senior cultural-sector professionals. Candidates should have significant senior-level experience in audience development, visitor experience, marketing, communications, cultural management, or a related strategic leadership role.
Essential experience includes multidisciplinary team leadership, management of budgets and stakeholders, audience-development or engagement strategies, organisational change or transformational projects, strategic partnerships, and experience reporting to boards or senior executive teams.
Candidates should demonstrate knowledge of the Irish cultural sector and a commitment to inclusion, access and relevance. A postgraduate qualification in Arts Management, Marketing, Communications, Business or a related discipline is desirable, as is experience with national cultural institutions, museums or galleries.
Program Benefits
The successful candidate will take a senior strategic leadership position within a National Cultural Institution and play a central role in the redevelopment and reopening of Crawford Art Gallery. The position offers responsibility for shaping audience strategy, visitor experience, commercial development, partnerships, philanthropy and public engagement at an important stage of the Gallery’s institutional development.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 23 September 2026
- Role commencement / Phase 1: 2027
- Pre-opening and launch readiness: 2028
- Planned Gallery reopening: Late 2028
- Embedding and optimisation: 2028–2029
- Consolidation and growth: 2030 onwards
Location
Cork, Ireland
Additional Details
This is not an artist open call, residency or fellowship. It is a senior professional employment opportunity within a national cultural institution. The role requires substantial leadership, strategic planning, financial accountability, stakeholder management and cultural-sector experience.
The position is particularly focused on integrating audience insight, visitor experience, public engagement and commercial activity into the Gallery’s long-term strategy. Success will be measured through audience growth, visitor engagement and satisfaction, philanthropic and partnership development, increased private income, and the Gallery’s national and international profile.