Arts roles and careers ideas
You don’t have to be an artist to make an impact at the Southbank Centre
The people you see on our stages, or whose work you see hanging in the Hayward Gallery, are merely the tip of a very big iceberg.
Over 500 people work here. Lovely, kind, talented people from a variety of backgrounds, doing a huge array of different roles, all of which come together to enable the Southbank Centre to do all that we do.
Some of our people always considered a career in the arts their calling, others had never worked in the arts before. We’re always open to new ideas. There could be a role at the Southbank Centre that’s perfect for you; you just might not know it yet.
To give you an idea of the many different things our incredible colleagues do, we’ve put together this overview, that runs through our roles from A to, well, W. Use the letters below to discover the different things you could do as a member of the Southbank Centre team, or elsewhere in the arts.
Accountant
Mo money, mo problems? Not for us because we’ve got an awesome finance team. They’re vital to the Southbank Centre, using their expertise in financial planning to ensure everything balances and we’re able to keep doing what we’re doing, both in the short term and well into the future. And of course, without them artists wouldn’t get paid, contractors wouldn’t get paid, and all the other people on this list get paid wouldn’t get paid either, which is why we like them.
Administrator
There are lots of people at the Southbank Centre, doing lots of things to make lots of amazing things happen. Keeping on top of all this and making sure it all links together successfully are our many administrators. They handle and manage the many logistical challenges we face in all that we do, and, as the role suggests, are our absolute admin heroes – establishing, and ensuring we all follow, the most efficient processes. You’ll find administrative roles in lots of different areas of the Southbank Centre, ensuring our events, exhibitions and offices keep moving.
Archivist
With 75 years and counting of events, gigs, concerts, exhibitions and performances there’s a lot of history here at the Southbank Centre. Keeping track of it all, and ensuring the many incredible and personal stories of our venues are preserved for generations to come are our archivists. And as well as handling and cataloguing a whole host of artifacts and memorabilia, they also lead sessions, workshops and talks about our archive and the process of archiving.
Arts administrator
Arts! There’s a lot of this at the Southbank Centre. From large-scale exhibitions featuring work from some of the world’s leading visual artists in our Hayward Gallery, to intimate Purcell Room performances and lively outdoor terrace takeovers. Putting each of these together is a huge logistical challenge that wouldn’t be achievable without our dedicated arts administrators. It’s the administrators who stay on top of everything involved, from the moment a show or event is first considered to long after its doors have closed; they co-ordinate the (often international) logistics and the financial process and they keep everyone involved in check and on course with regular meetings.
Arts programmer
We host over 5,000 events here at the Southbank Centre every year. Concerts, gigs, exhibitions, talks, performances, shows, experiences; every one of them has been thought up by our incredible team of programmers. It’s their expertise that guides which artists we showcase and which events we put on. Some of our programmers are dedicated to particular art-forms, such as literature, classical music or dance; others are dedicated to particular types of events, such as family-friendly activities or free public events and performances. But all of them are highly skilled in recognising what it is that our audiences love, and what they will love if they get the opportunity to experience it.
Audience insights
Over 3.5m people a year visit the Southbank Centre, and more still interact with us online. To make sure as many as possible of these people enjoy a positive experience with us it’s important for us to know who they are, what brought them here and what they like and don’t like. Our audience insights team ensures we can do just that, helping us to know not only who our audience currently is, but also who it could and ought to be.
Barista
Can’t function without coffee? Yep, same goes for most of us, and many of our visitors too. We’ve a trio of cafes across our buildings, serving up great coffee and delicious food. So if you make a mean macchiato, you can do so here, whether that’s in our historic Royal Festival Hall, the peaceful surrounds of our Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden, or by exhibiting your own (latte) art in our Hayward Gallery.
(Although this role works closely with the rest of the Southbank Centre team it is managed and recruited by a third party organisation)
Bar staff
Attending incredible art and culture is thirsty work. That’s why we have bars outside each of our auditoriums and, come the summer, out on our terrace and up in our roof garden too. Ensuring our varied crowd of gig goers and weekend strollers, literary lovers and post-work meet-upers are suitably refreshed is the responsibility of our brilliant bar teams. So if you love pulling pints and crafting cocktails, why not do so here at an iconic listed building, in the city’s cultural heart?
(Although this role works closely with the rest of the Southbank Centre team it is managed and recruited by a third party organisation)
Buyer
We’ve got three shops here at the Southbank Centre, as well as an online store too – and they’d be pretty empty without our buyers. They source the best arts-related products for us to sell, and also play a key role in establishing and designing merchandise ranges for each Hayward Gallery exhibition and our most popular festivals and series.
Catering
We’re not just an arts venue, we’re a social space too, with a number of cafes and bars spread across our buildings and spaces. And in five of these venues we offer a great range of freshly prepared food for our visitors, artists and staff – from perfect pizzas and tempting treats, to seasonal specials and lunchtime light bites. All of these highly palatable plates are made right here too, by a fantastic skilled kitchen team.
(Although this role works closely with the rest of the Southbank Centre team it is managed and recruited by a third party organisation)
Cleaner
A lot of visitors to our buildings and surrounding spaces – more than 11 million a year in fact – means a lot of mess. Keeping on top of this and ensuring our auditoriums, galleries, cafes, spaces, terraces and offices are spick and span for everyone who passes through our site is the responsibility of our amazing housekeeping team. Keeping listed buildings looking loved is no easy task, but they manage it every single day of the year.
Commercial events
We’re not just about concerts, performances and exhibitions here at the Southbank Centre, we also host a great number of commercial events too from conferences to graduations and even big awards ceremonies like the BAFTAS. And we can’t do this without a dedicated team of commercial events professionals, including co-ordinators, administrators, sales officers, marketers and managers.
Company secretary
We don’t like to bang our own drum too much, but we’re a pretty big deal. We’re the largest centre for the arts in the UK, in fact. And so it’s really important that everything we do is well, really cool and interesting, but also, that it’s guided by the highest standards of governance, in accordance with all the appropriate guidelines and legal requirements. Holding us to this standard are our board and company secretaries. Our board secretary makes sure that the board who govern and guide all we do operate effectively and transparently, and our company secretary ensures that all we do is legally compliant and following best practices.
Conservator
Based with the Arts Council Collection, who call the Southbank Centre home, the conservator is on hand to look after the long-term care of their huge collection, ensuring each item is in the best condition it can be for potential display at arts institutions and galleries across the country.
Curator
Our world-renowned Hayward Gallery hosts multiple contemporary art exhibitions every year, and the wider Southbank Centre is also home to an ever-changing display of free public art and interactive installations and experiences. Each of these exhibitions, displays and installations is conceived, co-ordinated and presented by our dedicated team of specialist curators. They work closely with the artists to make sure that their work is being presented in a way that’s as close as possible to their artistic vision, while also being engaging and accessible to our visitors.
Meet a curator
Data analyst
Like any big organisation, data plays an increasingly important part in our day to day work. It helps us to better understand our audiences, and find ways to be more efficient and more effective in all that we do. So our data and analytics team a pretty big deal – they help guide us in the best ways to gather and understand data, they highlight the many different ways we can use that data, and they show us ways we can overcome some of the challenges we face and take advantage of opportunities we may not yet have discovered.
Designer
Ever picked up a monthly what’s on guide from our foyers? Or seen one of our posters on the Tube? Cool aren’t they? We did those. All of our posters, programmes, flyers, guides and programmes are designed by our own in-house designers. Part of our marketing and communications team, they help to make sure that our thousands of events, festivals and activities not only stand out to our audience, but that they can be easily interpreted and understood by them too.
Digital designer
Our digital designers help bring our festivals and our thousands of events activities to life. Part of our marketing and communications team, they design and produce animations that are seen not just in our venues, but across London and beyond through digital and online advertising, and on social media.
Editor
Our editors, part of our marketing and communications team, help to make sure that everything you read from the Southbank Centre, or at the Southbank Centre – from programmes, to signs, to guides, to this website (even this bit) – not only makes sense, but also fits our house style and tone of voice. Without them we’d be an inconsistent mess.
Email marketing
Ever had an email from the Southbank Centre? You’re not the only one. At least we hope you’re not, because we send thousands upon thousands of emails every month, so they better not all be going to your inbox. Making sure that doesn’t happen, are our expert email marketers. They collate and curate a huge array of recurring and one-off marketing emails so everyone knows about upcoming events that are likely to float their boat. And they play a key role in engaging and nurturing our audiences, so that first-time visitors become lifelong devotees, and all the time while ensuring we don’t overwhelm your, or anyone else’s, inbox.
Event manager
No one day is the same for our event managers. It’s their job to ensure that all the incredible experiences we play host to at the Southbank Centre run smoothly, from concerts to in conversations, festivals to free family fun, talks to takeovers. Our event managers are the main point of contact for everyone else helping to make these experiences happen, from the technicians and other teams here at the Southbank Centre to the artists themselves, ensuring everything is all right on the night, or the afternoon, or the morning.
Meet an event manager
Executive assistant
Running the largest arts centre in the UK isn’t easy, and as impressive as our Executive Leadership Team are, they’d be lost without the support of our small but dedicated team of executive assistants. Incredibly organised and masters in the art of project management, they deftly handle demanding diaries, and keep on top of communication and administration in a manner that is, quite frankly, heroic.
Facilities
Our listed buildings – in their sixth and eighth decades respectively – require a lot of TLC. This is where our facilities team comes into play. A team of engineering experts that include electricians and plumbers and even fabric and paving specialists, they help keep our aging buildings looking their best and working safely and smoothly. It’s thanks to our facilities team’s expert understanding of our buildings and how they work that we’re able to host such an incredible breadth of events in our spaces, from concerts to graduations, art exhibitions to outdoor markets.
Finance
Mo money, mo problems? Not for us because we’ve got an awesome finance team. They’re vital to the Southbank Centre, using their expertise in financial planning to ensure everything balances and we’re able to keep doing what we’re doing, both in the short term and well into the future. They keep our financial processes both secure and transparent, and of course, without them artists wouldn’t get paid, contractors wouldn’t get paid, and all the other people on this list get paid wouldn’t get paid either, which is why we like them.
Front of house
Quite literally the face of the Southbank Centre, our welcoming visitor assistants are the people that anyone attending an event here with us are most likely to interact with. They’re the smiling approachable people you’ll see dotted about our buildings, ensuring everyone’s time with us is as easy and enjoyable as it can be. They help people find their seats smoothly for our shows, they share knowledge about exhibitions and artists at the Hayward Gallery, and they answer questions and give guidance across our many buildings. They’re people people, and they’re really great at it.
Fundraising
Did you know the Southbank Centre is a charity? We believe everyone should have equal access to the arts, and that’s why 55% of our events are free. But keeping this offer up relies on the kindness and charitableness of our audience and supporters. Sourcing these donations and managing them, and the relationships with the kind people and organisations who give them, is the responsibility of our fundraising team. It’s thanks to our fundraising team, which includes roles in individual giving, trusts and foundations and philanthropy, that thousands of people get to experience art, for free, with us, every year.
Gallery installations
Hosting the work of some of the world’s leading contemporary artists is no easy feat. Our Hayward Gallery is not only reconfigured for each exhibition we host, but often rethought; walls are moved, new rooms are created – we’ve even seen its terraces turned into boating lakes and slides descending its outer walls. Ensuring that the gallery is up to the task of showcasing these challenging works in a way in which they can be fully appreciated are our incredible installations team of arts technicians who turn challenging artistic ideas into reality. And their expertise is felt beyond the South Bank too, as they help Hayward Gallery Touring‘s exhibitions to be realised in a variety of galleries, halls and spaces around the UK.
Graphic Designer
Ever picked up a monthly what’s on guide from our foyers? Or seen one of our posters on the Tube? Cool aren’t they? We did those. All of our posters, programmes, flyers, guides and programmes are designed by our own in-house designers. Part of our marketing and communications team, they help to make sure that our thousands of events, festivals and activities not only stand out to our audience, but that they can be easily interpreted and understood by them too.
Health & Safety
There’s a lot going on every single day all across the Southbank Centre, and ensuring all this happens safely is our Health & Safety team. They make sure that we’re following the most up to date guidance across our day-to-day work in our offices and behind the scenes, and they also advise on what’s possible in the incredibly ambitious shows and events we host. From making sure we don’t prop open fire doors, to working out how an acrobat can safely fly over an orchestra; just an average day for our Health & Safety team.
Housekeeping
A lot of visitors to our buildings and surrounding spaces – more than 11 million a year in fact – means a lot of mess. Keeping on top of this and ensuring our auditoriums, galleries, cafes, spaces, terraces and offices are spick and span for everyone who passes through our site is the responsibility of our amazing housekeeping team. Keeping listed buildings looking loved is no easy task, but they manage it every single day of the year.
HR
More than 500 people work across the Southbank Centre regularly, and helping each and every one of us to feel happy and fulfilled in our work is the People & Culture team. They’re with us every step of the way, from hiring us and introducing us to the workplace, to making us aware of opportunities to further our development, and keeping us supported and informed with regular communications and opportunities to offer feedback. They also guide the setting up of social and support networks to help us connect with colleagues we might not interact with day to day. And they support the Southbank Centre as a whole, working to attract new talent, bringing out the potential of those who already work here and giving guidance to ensure we continue to be an inclusive organisation where everyone feels aligned with our values.
Installation technician
Hosting the work of some of the world’s leading contemporary artists is no easy feat. Our Hayward Gallery is not only reconfigured for each exhibition we host, but often rethought; walls are moved, new rooms are created – we’ve even seen its terraces turned into boating lakes and slides descending its outer walls. Ensuring that the gallery is up to the task of showcasing these challenging works in a way in which they can be fully appreciated are our incredible installations team of arts technicians who turn challenging artistic ideas into reality. And their expertise is felt beyond the South Bank too, as they help Hayward Gallery Touring‘s exhibitions to be realised in a variety of galleries, halls and spaces around the UK.
IT
Responsible for a whole lot more than telling us to try turning it off and on again – although they do also do that – our IT team ensures that all our digital systems, infrastructure and networks are safe, secure and running as they should be. They protect us from phishing and cyber security threats and make sure we’re using the best possible systems to keep doing all that we do safely and smoothly. And yep, they make sure the wifi is running too, so our visitors can upload all their FOMO-inducing snaps right there in the moment.
Kitchen staff
We’re not just an arts venue, we’re a social space too, with a number of cafes and bars spread across our buildings and spaces. And in five of these venues we offer a great range of freshly prepared food for our visitors, artists and staff – from perfect pizzas and tempting treats, to seasonal specials and lunchtime light bites. All of these highly palatable plates are made right here too, by a fantastic skilled kitchen team.
(Although this role works closely with the rest of the Southbank Centre team it is managed and recruited by a third party organisation)
Lawyer / Legal counsel
Contracts. Our work at the Southbank Centre involves a lot of contracts. From negotiating terms with some of the world’s best-known artists, to ironing out the details when it comes to hiring contractors and suppliers. Ensuring all this happens as it should, is the job of our in-house legal counsel, giving expert advice to ensure that all of our events, activities and operations remain above board.
Librarian
On Level 5 of our Royal Festival Hall you’ll find the National Poetry Library – the world’s largest public collection of modern poetry. And you can’t have a library without librarians. Ours not only look after this incredible array of poetry, but also co-ordinate special poetry events, exhibitions and celebrations and host school visits.
Lighting technician
Let there be light! And another one over there! And then some cool red ones; and a roving spotlight; and then how about a disco ball effect? The right lighting is key to each of our gigs, concerts, performances and exhibitions, helping set the right atmosphere and turn shows into spectacles. Delivering all this is the job of our light technicians, who cover everything from install to operation, rigging to problem solving, to ensure every event looks the part.
Technical Academy
See how our we’re offering a route into technical jobs like this through our Technical Academy.
Maintenance
Our listed buildings – in their sixth and eighth decades respectively – require a lot of TLC. This is where our facilities team comes into play. A team of engineering experts that include electricians and plumbers and even fabric and paving specialists, they help keep our aging buildings looking their best and working safely and smoothly. It’s thanks to our facilities team’s expert understanding of our buildings and how they work that we’re able to host such an incredible breadth of events in our spaces, from concerts to graduations, art exhibitions to outdoor markets.
Marketing
We host more than 5,000 events every year here at the Southbank Centre, all of which would be a lot less enjoyable for all concerned without an audience. Thankfully our in-house marketing team is on hand to make sure that as many people as possible know about all the wonderful things happening here. Through specially tailored campaigns of online, print and outdoor marketing they use their skills to reach established audiences and new ones too.
People & Culture
More than 500 people work across the Southbank Centre regularly, and helping each and every one of us to feel happy and fulfilled in our work is the People & Culture team. They’re with us every step of the way, from hiring us and introducing us to the workplace, to making us aware of opportunities to further our development, and keeping us supported and informed with regular communications and opportunities to offer feedback. They also guide the setting up of social and support networks to help us connect with colleagues we might not interact with day to day. And they support the Southbank Centre as a whole, working to attract new talent, bringing out the potential of those who already work here and giving guidance to ensure we continue to be an inclusive organisation where everyone feels aligned with our values.
Philanthropy
Southbank Centre is also a charity. We believe everyone should have access to the arts, but to put that belief into practice we need the help of our supporters. Our philanthropy team play a key role in making the most of this help by attracting new supporters and donors, and determining how we (and they) can make the most of their support so more and more people can experience what we do.
Photographer
We’ll happily tell you all about the amazing things that happen here at the Southbank Centre, but often it’s better to show you. That’s why we’ve our own in-house photographer capturing everything from concerts to community groups, from exhibitions to events, from superstars to our super staff.
Press / PR
Read all about it! We’ve thousands of events happening here at the Southbank Centre each year, and our press team are key in spreading the word about each and every one of them. As well as producing press releases and pitching stories to journalists and publications, they organise dedicated press events, monitor media coverage and handle enquiries, often liaising with the many big name and emerging stars we welcome to our stages and galleries.
Producer
As the name suggests, producers make things happen. And at the Southbank Centre there are a lot of things to make happen. It’s the practical expertise and creative vision of our producers that turns ambitious ideas into actual real-life things that people can come and see and do. They work closely with our programmers to make everything from major festivals to one-off intimate events come to life. And they collaborate with a whole bunch of other people and teams here too, to make sure all the right expertise comes together to deliver engaging events with precision and care, and on budget too.
Production technician
A diverse range of events means a similarly diverse range of technical requirements to make them happen. Whether it’s a full-on spectacular orchestra-accompanied headline Meltdown show in our Royal Festival Hall, or a community singalong in The Clore Ballroom, it can’t happen without the skills and expertise of our production team. Sound, lighting, rigging, AV and staging, our technicians handle it all, making sure every event and activity we do is produced safely and to the highest possible standards.
Technical Academy
See how our we’re offering a route into technical jobs like this through our Technical Academy.
Programmer
We host over 5,000 events here at the Southbank Centre every year. Concerts, gigs, exhibitions, talks, performances, shows, experiences; every one of them has been thought up by our incredible team of programmers. It’s their expertise that guides which artists we showcase and which events we put on. Some of our programmers are dedicated to particular art-forms, such as literature, classical music or dance; others are dedicated to particular types of events, such as family-friendly activities or free public events and performances. But all of them are highly skilled in recognising what it is that our audiences love, and what they will love if they get the opportunity to experience it.
Southbank Centre Presents
See how our we’re offering a route into a career in events programming for the next generation.
Public programming
Did you know that 55% of the events and activities that take place here at the Southbank Centre are free? Cool, right? The experts behind this incredible array of events are our public programming team. Prioritising the platforming of underrepresented voices and communities, they work with artists and organisations to make wonderful things happen, from poetry to parkour, dances to drag acts, sculpting classes to soundclashes. All of it without any barriers to taking part, helping more people of all ages to discover and interact with the arts.
Retail
We’ve three shops across our buildings, each one selling a great range of arts-themed gifts, from books to birthday cards, clothing to candles. All of which, along with our popular online store, is looked after by our wonderful retail team of sales assistants, supervisors, stock controllers and administrators. From helping customers to make the perfect purchase, to maintaining supplier records and sales records, it’s all looked after by our retail team.
Security
Security is hugely important to us, as we want everyone who stops by the Southbank Centre, whether you’re calling in for a coffee or appearing on the Queen Elizabeth Hall stage, to feel safe during their time with us. Making sure that’s the case are our security team; friendly and approachable they keep a watchful eye on everything happening throughout our buildings and our surrounding site to ensure it all goes ahead safely and smoothly.
(Although this role works closely with the rest of the Southbank Centre team it is managed and recruited by a third party organisation)
Social media
Incredibly there are still some people out there who’ve not heard of the Southbank Centre. We know! Anyway, helping us to reach these people and introduce them to the incredible array of things that happen here are our social media team. They stay on top of the latest trends in social and video content, and give them a suitably Southbank Centre twist, to help us not only reach a new audience, but to keep those of you who already know about us aware of the great things we’ve got coming up.
Sound technician
Audio is a big deal at the Southbank Centre; after all there’d be no point hosting some of the world’s leading musicians, performers, vocalists and sound artists if their work couldn’t be heard at its very best. Making sure it is, is the job of our skilled sound technicians who handle everything from setting up, maintaining and deinstalling sound equipment to recording and live mixing performances. They also make sure our permanent sound systems are in the best possible condition so that the quietest recital can be heard just as clearly as the most emphatic orchestra.
Technical Academy
See how our we’re offering a route into technical jobs like this through our Technical Academy.
Stores
We’re a big organisation, and that means there’s a lot of things to keep track of, not only in our buildings already, but also getting delivered (or collected) every single day. Keeping on top of all this are our Stores team; ensuring that everything we need is here, in working order, is kept track of and is safely distributed around our buildings. Our stores team keep us all ticking.
Meet our store keeper
Sustainability
Sustainability is integral to the Southbank Centre and sits at the heart of much of what we do. Helping us in our commitment to improving our sustainability is our sustainability manager who, as their title suggests, guides us on improvements and adjustments we can all make as part of our commitment to tackle the climate crisis – from changes to how our buildings work and operate, to the changes we can all make in our day-to-day work.
Technical analyst
As a large-scale arts centre that runs a huge number of events every single week, having efficient technology systems is crucial for ensuring that everything runs smoothly, from ticketing and payment processes to digital networks and security. Ensuring that we’re always using the right systems and technologies to do everything we want to do as well as we want to, safely and securely, is our technical analyst with the support of our wider IT team.
Technician
A diverse range of events means a similarly diverse range of technical requirements to make them happen. Whether it’s a full-on spectacular orchestra-accompanied headline Meltdown show in our Royal Festival Hall, or a community singalong in The Clore Ballroom, it can’t happen without the skills and expertise of our production team. Sound, lighting, rigging, AV and staging, our technicians handle it all, making sure every event and activity we do is produced safely and to the highest possible standards.
Technical Academy
See how our we’re offering a route into technical jobs like this through our Technical Academy.
Ticketing
Tickets don’t sell themselves, which is why, with over 5,000 events and performances a year happening at the Southbank Centre, we have a whole team dedicated to ticketing. Our ticketing team make sure our ticketing system is up to the job, whether that’s dealing with huge in demand on-sales, or handling specific requests to make everyone’s visit here as smooth as possible.
Meet a ticketing manager
Videographer
Ever watched a video about one of our events, festivals or activities? We probably made that, or more specifically our videographers did. Part of our marketing and communications team, our in-house videographers and video editors help to document all that we do, and produce engaging video content to help our audience continue to grow.
Visitor assistant
Quite literally the face of the Southbank Centre, our welcoming visitor assistants are the people that anyone attending an event here with us are most likely to interact with. They’re the smiling approachable people you’ll see dotted about our buildings, ensuring everyone’s time with us is as easy and enjoyable as it can be. They help people find their seats smoothly for our shows, they share knowledge about exhibitions and artists at the Hayward Gallery, and they answer questions and give guidance across our many buildings. They’re people people, and they’re really great at it.
Website
With over a million users a month, our website is vital to what we do at the Southbank Centre, communicating the thousands of things happening here and handling over 735,000 ticket purchases a year. Our website team makes sure that all this works smoothly in a way that is accessible for as many people as possible, and they help to keep it looking this good too, so you can find out everything you need to know about all that we do.