Arts Programme Manager

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Location: Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
Contract: 12-month fixed-term contract or secondment
Hours: Part-time, 22.5 hours per week; flexible working hours may be considered
Salary: £49,387–£56,515 per annum, pro rata
Grade: NHS Band 7
Application deadline: 6 September 2026, 23:59
Interview date: 24 September 2026

CUH Arts is Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s creative health programme, dedicated to shaping care through creativity. It aims to inspire creativity, promote wellbeing and humanise healthcare by providing creative and cultural opportunities for patients, staff, visitors and the wider community.

Its diverse, person-centred and multidisciplinary programme of live, participatory and visual arts is delivered by a specialist team of arts professionals. The programme is embedded within hospital life through close collaboration with staff.

This 12-month fixed-term or secondment position will provide maternity cover for the Head of Arts. The Arts Programme Manager will work with the Interim Head of Arts to manage the programming, implementation and evaluation of creative health activities across the existing hospital site.

Main Responsibilities

The Arts Programme Manager will work closely with the Head of Arts to deliver CUH Arts’ strategic plan, which aims to improve experiences of patient care, support the workforce and transform healthcare environments.

The programme encompasses two principal areas of activity:

Arts engagement: Live performance, participation and consultation; and
Art and environment: Commissions, collections and exhibitions.

This is a highly specialised role requiring significant skills and experience in creative health, arts programming, resource and financial management, co-production and socially engaged arts practice.

The successful candidate will be responsible for managing complex arts programmes, staff, project teams, freelance artists, budgets and partnerships. They will also support the operational delivery and evaluation of activities while contributing to the programme’s wider strategic development.

About Cambridge University Hospitals

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. It employs more than 13,000 staff and operates over 1,100 beds, providing healthcare to local communities alongside specialist regional, national and international services for rare and complex conditions.

The Trust’s values—Together: Safe, Kind, Excellent—are central to its approach to patient care and staff conduct.

Cambridge University Hospitals is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace in which everyone can fulfil their potential. Applications are welcomed regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity status, or socioeconomic background.

Qualifications

Essential

A degree in arts, humanities or an equivalent subject;
Evidence of continuing professional development.

Desirable

A project management qualification.

Experience

Essential

Substantial relevant experience managing complex arts engagement programmes in community or healthcare settings;
The ability to work strategically while maintaining attention to operational detail and programme delivery;
Demonstrable experience managing staff and leading project teams;
Extensive experience recruiting and managing freelance artists working across multiple disciplines; and
Proven experience setting, managing and reporting on budgets.

Desirable

Experience managing arts projects within a hospital or healthcare environment;
Experience in art curation and collection management;
Experience commissioning public art; and
Experience developing project evaluation frameworks and applying methodologies to deliver evidence-based activities.

Knowledge

Essential

A strong passion for and knowledge of the arts;
An understanding of the healthcare system at local, regional and national levels;
An understanding of hospital arts within the wider regional and national creative health field; and
An excellent understanding of arts and cultural programming, including festivals and tours.

Desirable

An understanding of art curation and collection management;
A strong understanding of public consultation and co-production within arts and culture;
Knowledge of artists and creative health practitioners based in the East of England; and
Knowledge and application of equality, diversity and inclusion principles within arts programming and workforce development.

Skills

Essential

A highly creative, resourceful and proactive approach to problem-solving;
The ability to persuade and influence others confidently;
The ability to manage multidisciplinary teams and projects with energy, initiative and flexibility;
The ability to build and maintain partnerships with regional and national organisations;
Exceptional written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills; and
The ability to manage and de-escalate stressful situations in challenging and sensitive environments.

Desirable

The ability to develop and write successful funding applications, grant submissions and project proposals;
The ability to analyse and interpret qualitative and quantitative data to inform programme development and strategic decision-making;
Strong presentation and advocacy skills, including confidence presenting to senior leaders, funders and external audiences; and
Digital communications skills, including experience overseeing website content, social media and digital storytelling.

Additional Requirements

The successful candidate must:

Understand and consistently behave in accordance with the Trust’s values of Safe, Kind and Excellent when working with patients, visitors and colleagues; and
Be enthusiastic about advocating for the role of arts in healthcare, representing CUH Arts at external events and deputising for the Head of Arts when required.

Employee Benefits

Cambridge University Hospitals offers professional development opportunities and a range of employee benefits, including:

On-site leisure facilities, shops and day nurseries;
Reduced-cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from the hospital campus;
Free Park and Ride journeys on selected routes;
Subsidised on-site parking for eligible staff;
Reduced-cost hot food available 24 hours a day;
Dedicated staff break spaces; and
Flexible working arrangements, potentially including part-time work, job sharing, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.

Internal employees with permanent contracts may apply on a secondment or fixed-term basis. Line manager approval is required for secondments. Internal applicants currently employed on fixed-term contracts may apply for the role as a fixed-term position.