Animate Projects seeks an enterprising Operations Manager to support the Director and the wider team in managing the day-to-day running of our dynamic organisation. This new role will have responsibility for financial and operational management, including human resources, systems management, funder reporting, overseeing governance and evaluation.
As with the rest of the Animate team, you will contribute to the development of the artistic programme. You will be required to work from home, and attend some in person meetings and events as required.
Location: Remote working, with some UK travel
Hours: 21 per week, worked flexibly. Core business hours are Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm
Salary: £21,000 per year (£35,000 full time equivalent pro rata)
Term: Part-time (0.6 FTE), fixed term to March 2028, with possibility of extension subject to funding
Probationary period: Three months
Annual Leave: 28 days (pro rata), plus 2 additional days during the Christmas period
Pension: 3% of salary contributed by employer if matched by employee, auto-enrolment pension scheme with Nest
Reporting to: Directors
Start date: 1 April 2026
Applicants must hold the Right to Work in the UK.
About Animate Projects
Our mission is to support artists to experiment, collaborate and produce bold animation projects. We are a catalyst for connection. We believe that artists’ animation empowers people to see their world differently.
Animate was established in 2007. We are an Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) and are based in Derby. We collaborate with partner organisations in the East Midlands to produce ambitious, community focused, location based projects, alongside delivering exceptional projects with national and international partners. We commission new work, we distribute and exhibit animation, and we provide curatorial and production consultancy to cultural organisations and individual artists.
The organisation has a proactive Board of Directors that includes the two Executive Directors. Our small yet formidable team comprises: two Directors, an Engagement Manager, two Project Managers, and an Intern. The Operations Manager will be a new role joining the existing team and will collaborate with all members of the team.
Our recent projects include:
- WORK Records – artists exploring historic working lives inspired by three East Midlands archives
- Mortal – early career artists making new work developed with the support of social anthropologist Dr Hannah Rumble
- Out of Nowhere – a VR experience by artist Kris Hofmann on our need to protect natural ecosystems
- All the is solid – an exhibition and touring programme of international animated shorts
Our award-winning productions include:
- And Granny Would Dance by Maryam Mohajer (Best of Festival and Best Animation at Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Best British Animation at Manchester Animation Festival)
- The Debutanteby Elizabeth Hobbs (Animated Short Jury Award at SXSW, Best Short Film at the British Animation Awards, Oscar shortlisted,)
- Bloomersby Samantha Moore (Best British Film at London International Animation Festival, British Animation Award nominee)
- I’m OK by Elizabeth Hobbs (BAFTA British Short Animation nominee)
Find out more about our work at this link – www.animateprojects.org
Main Responsibilities
You will work closely with the Animate team, Board of Directors, stakeholders and partners to keep the organisation running smoothly and enable it to deliver a high-quality artistic programme. You will contribute to programme development, fundraising, evaluation and reporting.
- Financial management:
- budget and cash flow management
- producing finance reports for the Board and in line with our ACE and other funder requirements
- generating monthly accounts to review with the Director
- oversight of project budgets
- invoice generation
- processing expenses
- liaising with the bookkeeper and accountants to produce end of year accounts
- HR administration:
- managing recruitment and contracting
- arranging staff appraisals
- facilitating staff professional development
- acting as company Health & Safety officer
- keeping up to date with relevant employment law
- Fundraising:
- collaborating with the team in planning and developing the programme
- assisting with writing funding applications: collating data, drafting budgets, and timelines
- contributing to the organisation’s next ACE NPO application
- Reporting:
- reporting to Arts Council England using their platforms (Illuminate, Grantium)
- maintaining the company’s risk register and indicating to the Directors any change in status
- contributing to evaluation reports for funders and stakeholders
- Governance:
- Board meetings administration: organising meetings, preparation of papers, writing minutes
- managing annual submissions and any required governance updates to Companies House
- assisting with recruitment and induction of new Board members
- Systems:
- developing, implementing and reviewing company policies and procedures
- acting as the company’s data protection officer
- lead on environmental sustainability, monitoring across projects and the team and assessing impact against our ambitions using tools such as the albert carbon calculator
- overseeing IT systems and management of the archive (digital and physical)
- ensuring adequate insurance is maintained for the company, individual projects and team travel
- Other responsibilities:
- assisting line management of project trainees and interns
- supporting marketing and promotional activity
- attending events, meetings and functions, representing the company as required, as deemed appropriate by the Director
- any other duties as may reasonably be required
- Duties in common with all Animate staff:
- supporting the vision, mission, values and objectives of Animate
- ensuring all work is delivered in line with Animate’s policies including Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
- contributing to and participate in a collaborative working environment
- engaging in continuing professional development
- championing the organisation’s work
Experience
- At least three years administrative/organisational management experience in a senior role
- Demonstrable experience of financial management, writing and monitoring budgets, producing meticulous monthly management accounts and cash flow forecasts
- Experience of project management, working with a range of partners and stakeholders
- Experience of contributing to successful funding applications and a good awareness of the cultural funding landscape
- Experience of supervising other team members/volunteers
- Passion for arts, culture, film, animation
- Strong communication skills with excellent verbal and written skills and thorough attention to detail
- Ability to be flexible, work on a number of tasks simultaneously, and to prioritise tasks
- Strong organisational skills and ability to work to tight deadlines
- Understanding of the requirements of running a small-scale arts organisation, including the legal requirements for companies and reporting to funders is desirable
- Awareness of Arts Council England grants systems and reporting requirements is desirable
- Knowledge of independent animation practice is desirable
- Experience of arts programming or project development is desirable
- Ability to work remotely, including access to reliable WIFI for regular online meetings
- Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office software, Google Sheets, Google Calendar, email, and online file management systems (Dropbox, Google Workspace)
- Personable, proactive, assertive, ambitious, resilient, and creative in outlook
- A commitment to creating an accessible and inclusive space for staff, partners, artists and audiences
How to apply
Please send us the following:
- Your CV as a Word or PDF document attachment (maximum two pages) or a link to an up to date LinkedIn profile
- A cover letter as a Word or PDF document attachment (maximum two pages) or a link to a video or voice memo (no longer than 5 minutes). Please outline your previous relevant experience and suitability, and why you are keen to join us and would like to take on this role
- Name, job title, and contact email for two referees, to be contacted if we offer you the role.
Please send to: info@animateprojects.org by noon 7 January 2026
Please also fill out the anonymous Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form here at this link.
Deadline: noon, Wednesday 7 January 2026
Interviews: week of 19 January 2026, on Zoom
Expected start date: 1 April 2026
If you have any questions about the role or if you require the job description in an alternative form, please email Abigail Addison at abigail@animateprojects.org
If you have any access needs, or barriers to access that you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to let us know either before applying or as part of your application.
The successful candidate will be required to demonstrate that they hold the right to work in the United Kingdom.
We welcome applications from individuals from a group that is under-represented in the arts and creative industries, because we are committed to creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce. This includes, but is not limited to Black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates, disabled people, those undergoing gender reassignment/ transitioning and individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
We will notify all candidates who have not been shortlisted for interview, but we are unable to offer detailed feedback.