The Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is Ireland’s most dynamic orchestra, continually pushing the boundaries of what a chamber ensemble can do. Led by the ebullient Katherine Hunka, the ICO comprises 22 outstanding musicians, whose unique sound has captivated audiences all over the world. Every year, the orchestra presents concert seasons in Limerick and Dublin, embarks on two national tours, and makes a series of prestigious international appearances supported by Culture Ireland.

At the heart of the orchestra’s vision is the belief that music can change lives. Sing Out with Strings (SOWS) is our ground-breaking initiative, offering primary school children in Limerick the chance to learn music for free. The success of SOWS has inspired us to establish the ICO Youth Orchestra (ICOYO) for aspiring musicians aged 12 to 18. The ICO also supports new talent on the MA in Classical String Performance at the University of Limerick, and commissions work from exciting young Irish composers. The ICO is a registered charity based on the University of Limerick campus and is primarily funded by The Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.

Job Purpose

• The Marketing Manager will work closely with the Communication and Media Relations Manager and the ICO team to achieve ICO’s goals. He/she will expand upon and develop ICO’s Marketing Strategy and execute the plan to achieve the desired results
• The successful candidate will be creative and highly motivated. He/she will seek to build and diversify audiences nationally and internationally in accordance with ICO strategy
• Strong digital marketing skills are essential to enable the ICO to successfully engage with new audiences
• He/she will be resilient with the ability to cope with the demands of the job, as well as being committed to continuous improvement and personal professional development
• Candidates should have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in a relevant marketing and communications position.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation and regular review of ICO’s Marketing and Audience Development Strategy, ensuring ICO engages effectively with its various audiences and stakeholders
• Manage the marketing budget, build relationships with suppliers and negotiate best possible deals
• Manage and develop ICO’s website and digital communication platforms to ensure efficient and effective communication with audience and stakeholders
• Create and curate content across all media – written, photography and video to drive awareness of ICO to sell tickets, to inform audiences and to drive awareness of the organisation
• Manage ICO’s online presence and social media channels including content development, audience engagement, SEO, SEM, updating campaigns based on analytics
• Create compelling ICO brand story awareness to share the impact of ICO’s work
• Drive audience attendance to ICO events by implementing an effective event plan on time and within budget
• Collect and analyse relevant data to assess the effectiveness of the marketing strategy, and report on results
• Box Office Administration – monitoring, audience figures, and box office data reports as required
• Nurture ICO’s long-standing links and relationships with schools and educators in the city, county and beyond to ensure that school children and students can access ICO events
• Assist at ICO concerts, events, launches, Friends and Sponsors’ events, etc.
• Maintain and develop ICO’s databases, in line with GDPR regulations
• Assist the ICO team with preparation and reporting of funding, sponsorship and award applications
• Support the Fundraising and Development Manager
• Carry out other duties as may be required from time to time.

Candidate Requirements

Essential Requirements

• Excellent verbal, written, oral and digital communication skills
• Excellent IT skills – video, social media, website and graphic design
• Strong visual communication skills with an eye for detail
• A track record in initiating strong and effective marketing/promotional campaigns
• Effective planning/scheduling skills with the ability to work under pressure in a challenging environment while managing workload and competing priorities
• Proven ability in collecting and analysing data and in producing reports
• Experienced in managing budgets
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a proven ability to work effectively in a team and build and maintain effective working relationships
• Proven ability to manage processes, develop standards and promote process improvement
• Dynamic and resourceful self-starter
• At least 3 years’ relevant work experience
• Be available to work occasional evenings/weekends on concert nights in exchange for time in lieu
• Some domestic travel required.

Desirable Criteria

• 3rd level qualification relevant to marketing/communications
• Understanding of Classical Music and other genres beneficial
• Experience of working in an arts environment beneficial

Contract Information Salary: Circa. €40,000 per annum (dependent on experience) Full-time, fixed term contract.

How to Apply
Please email your CV and a tailored cover letter outlining your suitability and experience to cathriona.murphy@ul.ie by 5pm on Friday, 22 May.

The ICO is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to selection on merit welcoming applicants from all sections of the community.

See full details at the link below.

Arts and Health invites applications to its 2020 Artist Bursary. Three awards of €2000 each will be offered to successful applicants.

Eligibility Criteria:
This bursary is open to professional artists with experience of delivering arts projects in healthcare contexts in the Republic of Ireland. All artforms are applicable.

In keeping with the Arts Council’s definition of arts and health (Arts Council’s Arts and Health Policy and Strategy, 2010):

Arts and health is the generic term that embraces a range of arts practices occurring primarily in healthcare settings, which brings together the skills and priorities of both arts and health professionals.

Criteria for selection
• Track record of artist in terms of arts and health
• Quality of arts practice (demonstrated through the supporting materials submitted)
• Strength of application
• Evidence of an artist’s capacity to reflect on their practice (demonstrated through the supporting materials submitted)

For one of the bursaries, consideration will be given to artists with an emerging arts and health practice. In this instance, the panel will assess the quality of the artist’s arts and health practice to date, the strength of the application and evidence of the artist’s capacity to reflect on their practice.

The bursary will be adjudicated by a subcommittee of the artsandhealth.ie Editorial Panel.

Timeframe
The closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 27 May 2020 at 12pm.
All applicants will be notified by mid-June of panel decisions.
It is expected that bursary outcomes will be completed and submitted to artsandhealth.ie by Tuesday 1 December 2020.

See link below for further details.