General Manager

Outloud is a not-for-profit youth arts organisation that works with the local community in Bankstown, Sydney. We provide holistic support to young artists throughout their creative journey, from their first exposure to the arts and well into their career development.

Outloud is a youthful, dynamic workplace that serves its local creative community. We are a tight knit team and we look out for each other. Our General Manager oversees the organisation’s operations and sets the tone and direction for the team’s outputs so that ultimately the young people, artists and partners we work with have an outstanding experience.

The General Manager will actively steer Outloud towards growth, continuous improvement, and exemplary governance by collaborating closely with the Artistic Director+CEO. In day-to-day operations, the General Manager will also work closely with Outloud’s Creative Producer and Finance Officer. 

The General Manager will oversee four key areas of work:

• Employee wellbeing
• Operational excellence
• Ethical, strategic and sustainable organisational growth 
• Engagement with projects and partners

All Outloud staff members are required to have an understanding of and commitment to cultural diversity and intercultural collaboration.

Responsibilities:

Employee wellbeing

• Fostering a positive, safe and healthy work environment through overseeing policies, procedures and utilising their own soft-skills.
• Collaborating with the CEO+AD in the hiring process and building a strong team.
• Managing staff contracts, including renewals, working with children’s and police checks.
• Monitoring performance and productivity, and facilitating professional development opportunities where appropriate.

Operational excellence

• Overseeing daily business and operations, including looking for opportunities to improve organisational performance.
• Creating and managing policies and processes.
• Workforce management, including managing workdays, leave, scheduling, and fostering a positive work culture through effective communication with staff.
• Finding opportunities for organisational growth, including sourcing eligible grants.
• Identifying and resolving operational challenges that may impede project delivery or staff productivity, such as information technology, operational health and safety, COVID-19 health guidelines compliance, and staff absences. 
• Handling disciplinary actions when necessary.

Develop ethical, strategic and sustainable growth 

• Researching, evaluating, developing and implementing growth strategies, working with CEO+AD.
• Working in consultation with AD+CEO and Finance Officer to create organisational budgets, evaluate and optimise expenditure and financial performance.
• Staying abreast of child protection laws and best practice in the safety and wellbeing of young people.

Engage with projects and partners

• Contract management of partners and funding bodies, including timeline management, asset management, acquittals and reporting.
• Addressing and resolving a range of challenges, including profit decline and employee conflicts, by offering innovative and effective solutions.
• Liaison with the management committee as required.
• Providing support to the Creative Producer in the execution of Outloud programs as required.

Role highlights 

• Making work for and with a community.
• Positive and supportive team and work environment.
• Flexible hours and inclusive employer – we welcome applicants with a disability, or family responsibilities, or otherwise requiring flexibility in their work hours.
• Building a portfolio of work.
• Complimentary tickets to shows and events.

Role challenges

• Working within small budgets.
• We are a small team, and we all support each other in our roles – you may be called on to act outside of your role on occasion during weekends or after hours.
• Outloud sometimes works with heavy topics, and content can sometimes be confronting and brushing up against lived experience. While Outloud is a supportive and trauma-aware organisation with an EAP, processes and policies, we require you to have your own mental health support systems and self-care strategies in place.

Career Progression 

In this role, you’ll find a conducive and nurturing environment that fosters professional growth, tackling challenges, enhancing performance, and cultivating a constructive work culture. For the right person, we are open to working with an emerging leader.

Essential skills and experience:

• Proven experience in project management, senior arts administration, and/or roles that showcase expertise in strategic direction, budget management, and fostering meaningful partnerships to support organisational growth and sustainability.
• Experience in planning budgets and business forecasting. 
• Knowledge of human resource policies, procedures and best practice.
• Strong analytical ability. 
• Excellent communication skills.
• Outstanding organisational and leadership skills.
• Problem-solving aptitude. 
• BSc/BA in Business or relevant field, or equivalent experience.

As a community-focused organisation, we look to prioritise people who have a strong connection to Western Sydney, First Nations, and people of colour. Local knowledge, cultural competency and being multilingual will be valuable to your success. We welcome applications from people with disabilities and the LGBTIQA+ community.

Desirable criteria:

• A knowledge of and passion for Sydney’s arts scene and/or a creative practice.
• A strong connection to Western Sydney.
• Flexibility to attend evening events facilitated by Outloud.
• Drivers licence.