Job Description

Creative UK is the independent network for the UK Creative Industries. We connect, invest in and support great ideas, champion brilliance and fight for the opportunity for all to thrive creatively.

Creative UK is a lead delivery partner for the Create South East programme. This Programme is funded by the DCMS with our key partner Kent County Council acting as the accountable body.

Create South East is looking to appoint a provider with experience and expertise in cultural programme leadership and supporting creative businesses. You will provide strategic lead services for the programme until the end of its funding, currently March 2026.

This successful business support programme for the Creative Industries is in its 4^th year and operates across Greater Essex, Kent and Medway, West and East Sussex and Brighton and Hove. The programme objectives are:

1. To support high-growth potential creative businesses to become investment ready outside of London, by developing businesses’ knowledge, skills and access to finance.
2. To increase the number of investors willing to invest in creative businesses outside of London, by educating and developing investor networks.
3. To build local capacity for supporting creative businesses in regions to drive local growth outside of London.

The Create South East programme is managed by a regional partnership that meets biannually as a Partnership Board. Delivery of the programme and recruitment of cohorts is managed by an internal team.

The Strategic Lead will be accountable for partner relations including local capacity building and investor engagement.

LOCATION: Candidates should be based in the South East and/or have a good working knowledge of creative industries in the South East. You must also have a willingness to travel across the region.

CONTRACT: Freelance, 2-3 days per week until March 2026. Immediate start preferred.

FEE: £dependent on experience

Responsible to: Director of Regional Programmes; dotted line reporting to Create South East programme Partners and Accountable Body.

SERVICES:

Programme Advocacy: Act as a visible champion for the programme at both local and national levels, promoting its value to business and investor communities.

Provide Strategic Leadership: Lead the overall strategic direction of the programme, ensuring alignment with its vision, long-term objectives and legacy planning post March 2026. Work with Create South East programme partners to make sure the programme aligns with mainstream business support and economic development priorities at a local level.

Legacy Planning: Convene and oversee a Legacy Group to explore the continuation of the programme’s work beyond March 2026, including identifying a suitable body to carry the initiative forward and developing regional equity investment capacity.

Governance Development: Establish the Creative Industries (CI) Board potentially as a sub-committee of the South East Creative Economy Network (SECEN).

Stakeholder Engagement: Act as the primary liaison with programme partners—including the steering group, delivery partners, Innovate UK —to ensure the programme’s goals are delivered efficiently and with maximum impact.

Investor Engagement: Work closely with the Creative UK team to deliver investor events and build investor networks and contacts. Working with organisations like UK Business Angels Association, British Business Bank, South East Angels and Angels@Essex to educate and make the case for investment into the creative industries.

Network Development: Build and maintain strong networks of businesses and investors. Commissioning work that supports further development of local networks, including Alumni networks and leading work to develop a legacy Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for the region.

Research:

• Research programme contributors and suppliers, with an emphasis on those who evidently pursue quality, sustainability and ethical best practice.
• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of business growth, key players, opportunities, finance, training initiatives, including undertaking appropriate research as requested.

Data Coordination

• Work closely with the Create South East Team to ensure accurate, timely reporting to the Accountable Body and DCMS.
• Report to the Partnership Steering Group on progress and input into the risk register.
• Ensure Kent County Council (KCC) receives all relevant information in a timely manner, formatted to align with internal reporting systems and DCMS requirements.
• Retain files where required alongside the CRM system which are high quality and compliant for audit and archiving as an evidence base

Issue & Opportunity Management: Identify and escalate key challenges and opportunities, providing strategic recommendations to the steering group for resolution or advancement.

KPI’s / Outcomes

• Work with Stakeholders, including the South East Creative Economy Network (SECEN) to position Create South East Nationally with DCMS and UKRI as the delivery agency for creative industries business support and sector development in the South East.
• Create South East is recognised as the creative industry business support programme for the South East region and embedded into regional and local strategic plans.
• Create South East partners are engaged with the programme and committed to its future.
• Legacy plan scoped and progressed.
• Creative Industries Business Board set up.
• Foundation planning for a database / CRM for the South East
• New investors identified and engaged

NB: As a freelancer you will be expected to use your own tech hardware but will be provided with a mailbox and access to required data 

We value difference and celebrate the creativity that it brings. We are committed to improving diversity and inclusion across our organisation and industry by championing a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, identities, talents, and physical and cognitive differences.

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Part-Time. Salaries: Not Disclosed.

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