BFI NETWORK Officer

Salary: £28,676 pro rata per annum

The Independent Cinema Office (ICO) is the national organisation for the support and development of the independent cinema exhibition sector in the UK.

We offer film programming services to cinemas, bring films into distribution and are the main provider of events, training and advice for the independent cinema sector. We work with the main funding bodies in film exhibition, are a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity.

The ICO’s film programming clients include cinemas as diverse as the Watershed in Bristol, Malvern Theatres in Worcestershire and Borderlines Film Festival.  In 2020-1 we delivered a national film tour, Second Sight, exploring the legacy of the UK’s Black Film Workshop Movement with a series of award-winning artists’ commissions. We also deliver Screening Days, a national and regional showcase for cultural cinema for film societies, community cinemas and cinemas. We offer a portfolio of national and internationally renowned training programmes for exhibitors.

Since 2018, the ICO also runs Film Hub South East.

Film Hub South East and BFI NETWORK

Film Hub South East is part of the British Film Institute’s Film Audience Network (BFI FAN).

Supported by National Lottery funding, BFI FAN is a unique collaboration made up of eight Hubs managed by leading film organisations and venues strategically placed around the UK, and is the backbone of the BFI’s strategy to ensure the greatest choice of film is available for everyone.

Providing resources, training and funding for film exhibition, with an emphasis on growing new audiences for British independent and international film, Film Hub South East also delivers talent development activity for aspiring filmmakers and raises awareness of film culture in the region though our BFI NETWORK activities.

BFI NETWORK is a UK-wide collaboration between the BFI and the Film Hubs, with a mission to discover and support talented writers, directors and producers at the start of their careers. Our BFI NETWORK talent executive discovers, supports, develops and champions new and emerging filmmakers across the South East, in the counties of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Kent, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Surrey and Sussex.

The role

This is a fixed term contract from October 2022 – March 2023 and part-time (three days a week).

You will be responsible for delivering our events and professional development programmes for new talent in the South East region. You will be liaising with a range of partner organisations across the South East and delivering a range of events and activities from screenings to training courses and script development programmes. You need to be passionate about new talent, supportive and good at outreach. You need to be a self-starter with great administration skills and an understanding of the needs of emerging talent. You might have worked in the industry section at a film festival, for a cinema or in production across film or television. You might also work as an independent producer or other production professional in your own right.

You must be willing to work hard and be able to juggle competing workloads, and work to deadlines.

In return, we can offer responsibility, opportunities for training and development and the chance to work with a friendly, creative team.  We provide access to a Health Matters Assistance Programme (HMAP) – a confidential information and counselling service for employees and to Occupational Health services; a dedicated HR consultant for staff support; access to a SMARTPensions scheme; annual train ticket loans; flexible working practices; flexibility around childcare hours/needs; invites to events and festivals, and other benefits.

Our offices are in London (near London Bridge) in line with our new hybrid working policy staff are able to work remotely for up to 50% of their time (you can work from the office more days if you prefer).

This role is being advertised for three days a week, working eight-hour days (including one hour for lunch) but we are open to flexible working requests.

Equality, diversity & inclusion

At the Independent Cinema Office, we are an equal opportunity employer, and we believe that a diverse workforce leads to an organisation that is more creative, innovative and gets better results. We want our workforce to represent the diversity of the people and communities in the UK and we want to see these reflected on our screens. We also want our workforce to be one where different experiences, expertise and perspectives are valued and where everyone is encouraged to grow and develop.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, ethnically diverse, and disabled candidates as they are underrepresented within the ICO.

Along with application form we also request you complete our Equality and Diversity monitoring information. Completing this form will help us in monitoring our efforts towards achieving an inclusive and diverse workforce.

This form is not included in the information sent to the recruitment panel and the information recorded will be anonymised within the scope of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

How to apply

Please download our recruitment pack below and read the full job description and application form.

To apply, return your completed application form to info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk by 9am on Tuesday 20th September.

If you would need these documents in large print versions or a different format, email info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk and we can supply.

How our recruitment process works

We know sometimes the process of applying for a job can feel like sending applications into a black hole and can be unnerving when you don’t know what will happen. We’ve put together a document which explains a bit more about our recruitment process, what will happen during each stage of the process and what we’d like from you. This document is included in our recruitment pack (link above).

The closing date for this position is 20/09/2022 at 09:00