Job Description

Youth Programme Leader

Mayflower Theatre is the largest theatre on the South Coast with 2,271 seats in the auditorium. The Theatre's aim is to bring a diverse range of shows to Southampton. We present a mixture of spectacular touring productions, from musicals to dance, opera, drama, ballet and comedy.

Mayflower Studios is a cultural and community hub. We present family shows, dance, musicals, music, comedy, circus, cabaret, spoken word, and visual arts. We put participation at the heart of everything we do.

Both the Theatre and Studios operate under the Mayflower brand. Collectively we provide Inspiring Experiences to all who engage with each venue.

As Youth Programme Leader, you join at an exciting time and will lead our Mayflower youth offer. You will support in recruiting a team of high-quality freelance practitioners and support them to deliver exceptional industry training whilst ensuring there are pathways throughout the programme and into the professional industry. You will also lead our Youth Company on our Summer Youth Project, as well as act as deputy for our Christmas Youth Production.

We run a series of youth opportunities across art forms for ages 7 - 19. Working closely with our Associate and Visiting companies. Our sessions are inclusive and offer young people opportunities to work with professional creatives and top UK theatre and dance companies. We also offer a series of performance and production arts projects throughout the year. We offer clear pathways through our provision into higher education training and the industry. You will also support on delivering industry leading production arts training, work experience, shadowing and placement opportunities.

We stage two large scale youth productions a year. Our Summer Youth Project takes place at Mayflower Theatre for two weeks in August with a cast of 150 performers. Our Christmas Youth Production takes place in Studio 1 at Mayflower Studios with a cast of 50 young performers. Both productions are musical theatre and are led by a professional creative team. This role will coordinate the young company for our Summer Youth Project and then deputise for our Christmas Youth Production.

Our ideal applicant will have the following skills and qualities:

Educated to a degree level performing arts based subject or equivalent experience.

At least 2 years' experience of project managing or leading on creative youth programmes.

Knowledge and experience of theatre industry, production process and musical theatre training.

Experience in recruiting and supporting freelance theatre practitioners.

Previous experience of administering and co-ordinating arts-based projects.

Be skilled in Microsoft packages inc. word, excel, outlook and PowerPoint

Experience in evaluation and reporting on projects

Ability to facilitate musical theatre sessions.

Ability to manage multiple projects at one time and work to deadlines.

Excellent communication skills.

Ability to work under pressure.

A self-starter and independent worker, whilst also working well within small teams.

Maintain a flexible approach and be an independent problem solver.

Working hours: 37.5 hours per week which includes evenings and weekends. Interviews will include a practical task and formal interview.

Salary is: 29,000 per annum plus benefits.

Mayflower is committed to safeguarding - protecting young people and adults with needs for care and support. As such, any roles involving any type of regulated activity with young people and adults with needs for care and support are subject to a safer recruitment process, including Enhanced DBS clearance before taking up the role along with the collection of references. We ensure that we have a range of policies and procedures in place which promote safeguarding, diversity & inclusion and safer working practice across Mayflower.

How to apply:

Full details including job descriptions and how to apply can be found at https://www.mayflower.org.uk/about/jobs-and-opportunities/

We are committed to ensuring a fair process for all candidates. For more details, please see our Diversity and Inclusion statement on our website's jobs and opportunities page on the link above.

If you require any assistance or have any additional requirements to complete your application with the recruitment process, please contact the People & Culture Team at recruitment@mayflower.org.uk or on 02380 711800 ext. 0. You can also contact us with any further questions you may have.

Closing date: 17th August 2025 we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role, therefore if you are interested, please submit your application as soon as possible.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: 29,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Company events Company pension Employee discount Free flu jabs Health & wellbeing programme Life insurance
Schedule:

Monday to Friday Weekend availability
Work Location: In person

Reference ID: YCPL0725