Organizer Information
Freelands Foundation is a UK-based charitable foundation established in 2015 by Elisabeth Murdoch, with a core mission focused on strengthening and championing art education across the UK. The organization operates at the intersection of education, visual arts, and cultural policy, supporting systemic change through funding programs, research initiatives, and public engagement activities.
Its portfolio includes major funding schemes such as the Freelands Awards (a £1.5 million flagship program), Freelands Studio Fellowships in partnership with UK universities, and a range of research-driven initiatives designed to inform national debates around arts education. The Foundation also functions as a convening space for educators, artists, policymakers, and cultural institutions through events, workshops, and publications.
Currently, Freelands Foundation is undergoing a period of strategic development, including plans for a major refurbishment of its London premises to establish a dedicated “centre for visual art education.” This transition positions the organization as a more visible, audience-facing institution with expanded influence across education and cultural policy sectors.
Title & Description
Director of Audiences Job – Freelands Foundation (London)
This senior leadership role is designed to transform how Freelands Foundation engages with its audiences across the arts, education, and policy sectors. The primary objective is to develop and implement a unified audience strategy that ensures the Foundation’s mission—championing art education—is effectively communicated, widely understood, and actively influential.
The role is central to the organization’s future growth phase, particularly as it prepares for a physical and strategic expansion into a dedicated centre for visual art education. The Director of Audiences will be responsible for evolving the Foundation’s communications, marketing, digital engagement, and brand strategy from a service-based function into a strategically integrated, audience-led system that drives engagement and policy impact.
The position requires a leader capable of bridging cultural production, digital innovation, audience research, and advocacy communication. The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping how the organization is perceived externally and how it builds long-term relationships with artists, educators, institutions, and policymakers.
The Role Overview
- Position Title: Director of Audiences
- Department: Audiences (part of the executive leadership team)
- Reporting to: Executive Director
- Contract Type: Permanent, full-time
- Working Hours: 40 hours per week
- Salary: £72,545 per annum
- Leadership Structure: Member of the Strategic Leadership Team alongside Directors of Programmes and Finance & Operations
- Team Oversight: Head of Digital, Graphic Designer, Digital Content & Communications Coordinator
- Location: London Office (12 Errol Street, Central London) with hybrid working (1 day remote/week)
Position & Tasks
The Director of Audiences will be responsible for strategic and operational leadership across all audience-facing functions. Key responsibilities include:
- Developing and implementing a comprehensive audience strategy aligned with institutional mission and growth objectives
- Leading brand strategy, ensuring consistency across visual identity, messaging, and institutional voice
- Overseeing integrated communications, marketing, PR, and digital engagement strategies
- Managing audience research, analytics, and segmentation to inform decision-making
- Driving advocacy and policy communications, translating research into public-facing campaigns
- Building partnerships across the cultural and education sectors to extend reach and influence
- Managing and developing the internal audiences team, including performance and capacity building
- Overseeing evaluation frameworks to measure engagement and impact across all channels
- Representing the organization externally in strategic networks and sector engagements
- Supporting organizational leadership in cross-departmental strategy and planning
Categories
- Visual Art
- Arts Education
- Cultural Policy & Advocacy
- Communications & Marketing
- Digital Media Strategy
- Audience Development
- Institutional Leadership
Eligibility
This is a senior executive role requiring significant professional experience. Eligible applicants should have:
- Substantial senior-level experience in audience development, communications, marketing, or related leadership roles in arts, culture, education, or nonprofit sectors
- Proven experience managing teams and leading organizational strategy
- Demonstrated success in multi-channel communications and audience growth strategies
- Strong understanding of UK cultural and education sectors (advantageous)
- Experience working with senior stakeholders such as trustees, funders, and policy actors
- Experience in advocacy, branding, and public engagement strategies (desirable)
- International applicants may apply, with potential visa sponsorship available
Program Benefits
- Competitive salary of £72,545 per annum
- Permanent full-time leadership position
- Employer pension contribution (6%)
- Private insurance benefits (income protection, life assurance, critical illness cover)
- Annual training and professional development budget
- 25 days annual leave plus public holidays and seasonal closures
- Hybrid working arrangement (flexibility included)
- Access to institutional art education library and internal programming resources
- Opportunity to shape national-level discourse in art education policy
- Leadership role in a major institutional transformation project (new centre for visual art education)
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- CV (mandatory upload)
- Written responses to structured questions (200–500 words each), including:
- Experience in audience strategy development
- Example of multi-channel communications leadership
- Views on digital and communications trends
- Perspectives on visual art education policy
- Leadership and people management philosophy
- Personal information (contact details, address)
- Optional LinkedIn profile submission
- Agreement to the privacy policy
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 30 June 2026
Location
London, United Kingdom
Additional Details
This role is not purely operational but deeply strategic, placing the successful candidate at the core of institutional transformation. The Foundation is shifting toward a more outward-facing identity with increased emphasis on public engagement, policy influence, and education-sector reform.
A key dimension of the role is advocacy: translating research and artistic programming into narratives that can influence policy and funding ecosystems in UK art education. The position also involves contributing to the design of a new physical institutional space, meaning audience strategy will directly inform architectural and experiential planning.
The organization places strong emphasis on equity, inclusion, and cultural impact, expecting the Director of Audiences to align communications strategies with these values while also building measurable engagement systems.