Vacancies
A great organisation in which to share your skills and creativity
Would you like to come and work for the North’s leading literature development agency and play a part in supporting great projects such as the Northern Writers’ Awards, Durham Book Festival and our award-winning work with young people? We’d love to hear from you.
About New Writing North
Recognised as a leader in our field, New Writing North has produced nationally significant work from a base in Newcastle upon Tyne since 1996.
We lead the development of new writing and creative reading in the North of England, working with writers in the North East, Yorkshire and the North West and connecting them to opportunities. We are proud to be a charity and an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. We have a turnover of £1m, with 65% of that generated from earned and fundraised income.
We believe that talent is everywhere, but that opportunities are not, and that it is our job to create opportunities. We develop programmes and activities that support individuals and communities to engage with creative reading and writing both professionally and for pleasure. We help good writing find local, regional, national, and international audiences.
Our annual programme includes the management of major international literary prizes and awards; open-access and targeted talent development programmes; the production of festivals and events; international writing and translation projects; our young writers and community-based programmes; writing for wellbeing activities and the commissioning of new writing.
We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities that we serve. We encourage people from all sections of our community to apply for jobs with us. We particularly welcome Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, disabled, and LGBTQI applicants and those from lower socio-economic and working-class backgrounds.
Information for Candidates
Work at New Writing North
At its core, New Writing North’s work has two main goals: to encourage people to develop their own creativity through reading and writing, and to identify talent and support writers to fulfil their creative ambitions.
Please download our Work at NWN pack to learn more about:
- what we do at New Writing North
- our mission, vision and values
- our programme of work
- our organisational culture
Download the Work at NWN document here:
Work at NWN: PDF
Organisational structure
We’re a small organisation with a dedicated, creative team, supported by a great board of trustees.
Our Organisational Chart shows the current structure of New Writing North. Download it here.
Location
New Writing North is based in central Newcastle upon Tyne.
We are currently operating a hybrid working model, with staff generally spending 60% of their working week in the office and 40% working from home.
Holidays and benefits
Staff at New Writing North benefit from the following terms:
• 25 days’ holiday allowance, plus statutory bank holidays (pro
rata’d for part-time posts)
• Flexible working
• Contributory pension scheme
• Training and professional development opportunities
• Access to free, confidential practical and emotional support
via The Printing Charity
• Cycle to work scheme
• Corporate Metro Season Ticket.
Current Vacancies
Freelance PR: Literary Prizes
About the role
New Writing North is looking to work with a freelance PR to support its communications strategy for two major literary prizes: the David Cohen Prize for Literature and the Gordon Burn Prize.
The appointed person/ agency will work to raise the profile of these prizes through national coverage. The ideal candidate will have strong experience working on literary prizes and/or books publicity. They will have creative ideas about how to raise the profile of both prizes, have an extensive range of media contacts, and be adept at securing excellent coverage.
The total budget for this work is £5000 (inclusive of VAT) to cover the responsibilities outlined in the brief. Travel and subsistence expenses will be covered on top of the fee.
For any questions, please contact Laura Fraine, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager at New Writing North [email protected] Please don’t send proposals by email, but via the application form.
Submit a proposal
Please submit your proposal via this form by midday on Wednesday 7 June 2023.
You will be asked to supply the following information:
- Fixed price quotation for carrying out this work, plus day rates for any additional work requested by the client.
- Information on the availability of the consultant(s) to undertake this work between September 2023 and March 2024, including confirmation of availability on 9 November 2023 and 7 March 2024.
- CV for the proposed consultant(s) who will personally deliver the project, including details of their specific experience in relation to this type of work (no more than two sides of A4)
- Anticipated programme of work that identifies key stages and deliverables (no more than two sides of A4)
- Contact details for two referees from the last two years of relevant work experience
Freelance role: Creative Producer, West End of Newcastle
30 days @ £175 per day (July-Sept 2023)
New Writing North receives funding from The Paul Hamlyn Foundation to run an ambitious three-year programme of community-driven, co-creative activity in specific Newcastle locations. We are seeking a freelance Creative Producer to lead the West End Writes programme in the Scotswood and Benwell areas of Newcastle.
The Creative Producer is pivotal to the success of the programme. They will develop partnerships with community-based organisations and relationships with individual residents for a year-round programme of activity. They will have excellent interpersonal skills and a strong track record of creative facilitation. They will have access to a flexible programme budget with which to respond to the cultural ambitions and also the needs, drivers and barriers of people in those communities.
Download the freelance brief here
If you have any queries about the role or to talk it through, please contact [email protected].
Meet the Team
Tess Denman-Cleaver (Senior Programme Manager, Young People & Communities) will be available on Zoom for a chat with anyone who is interested between 4-5pm on Tuesday 24th May 2023. This is an optional session to find out more about New Writing North and the Creative Producer role. Please book here.
HOW TO APPLY
Please apply with the following:
- A covering letter explaining why you are interested in this residency and how you would approach the challenge which includes evidence of previous relevant experience which demonstrating your suitability for the post
- An up-to-date CV with contact details for two referees.
And submit it here by midday on Monday 5th June 2023.
Interviews will take place on Friday 16th June 2023.
Please also complete the Equality Monitoring form here. This form is separate to your application and completely anonymous.
Call for Expressions of interest – freelance writer facilitators
New Writing North are looking for experienced writer facilitators to run sessions with our North East Novelists group. The sessions should be focused on the practical craft of creative writing and suitable for novelists already published or under contract to publish, and who are already represented by an agent.
Starting October 2023, there will be one session on the first Wednesday evening of every month, in a central Newcastle venue. We can offer a fee of £125 per session, and up to £50 to cover travel costs. If you are interested, please send a short pitch about yourself and the session to margotmiltenberger@newwritingnorth.com.
Call for Expressions of interest – freelance writer facilitators of colour
New Writing North’s Young Writers and Communities programme includes in-depth schools’ work, open access creative writing groups, summer sessions and short-term projects, including community-based work. As our work has expanded, we are putting out a call for creative writing facilitators of colour to add to our list of contacts in the North East. If you are interested, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
