Location: London
Salary: Circa £100,000+, dependent on experience
Contract: Permanent, full-time
Application deadline: Tuesday 28 October 2025, 12 noon
The Role
The Director of the Hayward Gallery is a pivotal role within the Southbank Centre, responsible for shaping the artistic vision, strategic direction, and leadership of one of the world’s foremost contemporary art institutions.
This role will shape and deliver visual arts programmes of international ambition and critical relevance, ensure the gallery and broader programmes are embedded within the wider ecology of the Southbank Centre, and connect with audiences locally, nationally and internationally.
The Director will focus on sustaining and enhancing the Hayward Gallery’s reputation for curatorial excellence, while also evolving its role within a future-facing, interdisciplinary, digitally engaged, and financially sustainable Southbank Centre.
As well as curatorial leadership, this role requires strong commercial acumen, collaborative management, fundraising ability, and the capacity to inspire and develop a highly skilled team of specialists.
The Director will report to the Artistic Director of Southbank Centre, Mark Ball, and works closely with the whole of the Artistic Team, contributing to the development and integration of visual arts across the organisation while representing Hayward Gallery as a leading part of the global visual arts landscape.
This is a unique time to devise a new programme strategy and to create a visual arts vision across the Southbank site, to help define what an arts centre of the future can be and at the same time engage audiences, galvanise supporters and ensure visual culture is at the heart of the Southbank Centre.
Key Responsibilities
Artistic Leadership
-
Shape and deliver a bold, inclusive curatorial vision for the Hayward Gallery, Hayward Touring, and visual arts across the Southbank Centre.
-
Collaborate with the Artistic Director to develop an ambitious, audience-focused, and financially sustainable programme.
-
Champion interdisciplinary approaches, connecting visual arts with music, performance, literature, and digital innovation.
-
Foster relationships with artists, galleries, and partners, supporting both world-class and underrepresented voices.
-
Lead innovation in digital and immersive art, expanding the ways audiences engage with contemporary visual culture.
Organisational Leadership
-
Inspire and manage a talented team of around 50 staff, nurturing collaboration and professional growth.
-
Work closely with senior colleagues to align visual arts with Southbank Centre’s wider artistic vision and strategic priorities.
-
Oversee budgets, resources, and operations to ensure creative and financial excellence.
Income Generation & Advocacy
-
Drive fundraising and income generation through philanthropy, partnerships, and commercial activity.
-
Balance artistic ambition with commercial sustainability, developing new opportunities through publishing, retail, and licensing.
-
Act as a leading ambassador for the Hayward Gallery, representing Southbank Centre nationally and internationally.
-
Champion diversity, accessibility, and audience engagement across all areas of programming and practice.
Photo: © Morley von Sternberg
