Organizer Information
Liverpool Biennial, established in 1998, is the UK's largest free festival of contemporary visual art, taking place across historic buildings, unexpected spaces, and art galleries throughout the city. Since its inception, the Biennial has commissioned 414 new artworks, presented work by over 590 leading artists, and delivered 39 collaborative neighbourhood projects, drawing over 50 million visits in total. Liverpool Biennial 2025 alone received 1,391,730 visits from 154,569 total visitors, with attendees describing the festival as inspiring, welcoming, thought-provoking, diverse, and fun. The organisation is supported using public funding by Arts Council England, with Liverpool City Council and Culture Liverpool among its partners, and James Moores as a Founding Supporter. Liverpool Biennial 2027 will be led by Co-Curators Aimee Harrison and Lucía Sanromán.
Title & Description
Learning and Programme Assistant — Liverpool Biennial
Liverpool Biennial is seeking a Learning and Programme Assistant to support the delivery of Liverpool Biennial 2027. The role sits across both the Learning Team and the Programme Team, which together manage the festival's art commissions, artist liaison and logistics, and public learning and engagement activities, including workshops, community engagement, socially engaged projects, and co-production work. The successful candidate will help plan and realise a diverse range of learning and engagement activities, events, and exhibitions, working with partners and artists to support new commissions, hybrid events, school and community workshops, and the development of online content and resources. The role combines in-person support for audiences and artists — including facilitation support for learning activity — with behind-the-scenes administrative work such as booking travel, drafting schedules, and purchasing and organising materials.
The Role Overview
- Position Type: Full-time
- Contract Type: Fixed-term, until 31 October 2027
- Salary: £26,228
- Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week
- Start Date: Not specified in the source
- Reports To: Curator of Learning
- Department / Programme: Programme (working across the Learning and Programme teams)
Position & Tasks
- Work with the Liverpool Biennial team to understand, administrate, and communicate the Exhibition, Learning, and Public Programme, including information on artist projects, learning activities, different audiences, and organisational aims
- Support the development and delivery of learning and engagement activities for schools, community groups, and other audiences, including preparing materials and coordinating bookings
- Support the planning and installation of exhibitions across multiple venues through administrative support and as a "runner," including researching, sourcing, and buying materials, across sites ranging from traditional galleries to disused warehouses and buildings
- Prepare, distribute, and maintain learning materials, resources, and educational tools, and collaborate with internal teams to ensure partners and sponsors/funders are appropriately credited on all communications
- Provide administration and production support for exhibition installation, the public programme, and learning events and projects, including researching, scheduling, generating invitation lists, artist and venue liaison, and "on the day" facilitation such as registration, ushering, and stage management
- Support various administrative tasks including risk assessments, condition reporting, health and safety considerations, and event management
- Handle budget administration such as logging expenditure, reconciling receipts, creating purchase orders, and processing invoices
- Book artist travel and accommodation, administer per diems, create trip schedules, and host artists while they are in Liverpool
- Assist with maintaining relationships with education, community, and cultural partners
- Support artwork maintenance duties, including regularly attending exhibition venues to check on and attend to artworks, and responding to last-minute requests or issues flagged by the Front of House team
- Regularly update and maintain contacts in the CRM, building and maintaining data on local and national audiences and stakeholders, including community groups and organisations
- Support the evaluation of Liverpool Biennial 2027 through record-keeping and participant information gathering, including completion of evaluation and feedback forms with stakeholders and attendees
- On occasion, support Festival Guide duties such as invigilation and running tours
- Understand, uphold, and prioritise Liverpool Biennial's values, policies, and reporting responsibilities, including Safeguarding, Environmental Sustainability, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, attending training where appropriate
- Provide other administration and production support as needed across the Learning and Programme team
Categories
- Arts Administration
- Learning & Engagement
- Exhibition Production
- Community Engagement
- Public Programming
- Curatorial Support
- Event Management
Eligibility
- No nationality restriction stated in the source
- Demonstrable experience of working on, managing, or delivering events or exhibitions (own projects, or projects within a workplace or education setting, are acceptable)
- Strong creative approach to work, with interest in developing ideas collaboratively, working across teams, and using initiative to identify opportunities and solutions
- Demonstrable ability to thrive within a team environment and build trust and rapport quickly with external partners
- Ability to confidently host and facilitate groups (in learning activities, workshops, meetings, or similar settings), engaging a range of audiences
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, adaptable to different audiences
- Good time management skills, able to prioritise multiple tasks during busy periods and adapt to changes
- Good admin/IT skills, including all Microsoft Office programs, and the ability to learn other software quickly
- Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Commitment to Environmental sustainability and responsibility
- Enhanced DBS certification (or the ability to obtain one)
- Desirable: experience in the arts/heritage/visitor attraction/tourism sectors (including voluntary work or education placements)
- Desirable: experience of facilitation, teaching, or related experience (e.g. public speaking or performing)
- Desirable: experience working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, engaging audiences with contemporary art and culture, including children, young people, and community groups
- Desirable: knowledge of the Liverpool arts community
- Desirable: understanding of, or training in, Health and Safety, First Aid, Safeguarding, and Accessibility
- Desirable: knowledge of, and passion for, contemporary art
- Desirable: experience of youth engagement work and/or co-production
Program Benefits
- Salary: £26,228
- 25 days of paid holiday per annum for full-time staff, in addition to all statutory and public holidays
- Wellbeing support through Wellbeing in the Arts
- Liverpool Biennial is a Disability Confident employer and offers an interview to all disabled applicants who fully meet the essential criteria
- Health/medical insurance: Not specified in the source
- Pension or retirement contributions: Not specified in the source
- Professional development allowance: Not specified in the source
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- CV
- A supporting statement addressing why the applicant is interested in the role and how they meet each of the criteria in the person specification, with examples (hyperlinks to examples optional) from experience both within and outside of work — applications without a separate supporting statement cannot be considered
- Contact details for two referees, required if shortlisted for interview
- Confirmation of whether or not the applicant identifies as disabled
- Alternative access option: a 3-minute audio or video file summarising the applicant's CV, sent directly to hr@biennial.com
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 9 August 2026
- Interview Date: 7 September 2026
- Contract End Date: 31 October 2027
Location
Liverpool, L1 0BW, United Kingdom
Additional Details
- Upon receipt of an application, candidates will be sent a link to an equality monitoring form to complete and submit online; this information is confidential, stored anonymously, and used only for statistical purposes, and is not treated as part of the application itself
- Applicants requiring further information about the recruitment process, the role, or wishing to discuss access requirements can contact hr@biennial.com
- Liverpool Biennial is supported using public funding by Arts Council England, with Liverpool City Council and Culture Liverpool as partners, and James Moores as Founding Supporter