Wonder Fools is recruiting a Community Connector (x3) to support a new National Residency Network across Scotland. We are looking for candidates with strong ties to our residency locations of Dumfries & Galloway, Lewis and Harris, and Grangemouth. 

The Community Connector is a hands-on, largely in-person, creative role, working within one of these communities to build relationships, strengthen local participation and provide consistent, relationship-based support throughout the project. 

Closing date: 24th September at 23:59

Interview date: w/c 28th September

Fixed term. 20 days of work for a total fixed fee of £4,400

The 20 days will be scheduled flexibly in agreement with the successful candidate and Wonder Fools, according to the needs of the residency and the candidate’s availability. This could, for example, be spread across 10-20 weeks rather than following a fixed weekly pattern. However, the majority of the work will take place in the first three months of the contract.

We recognise that freelance practitioners have different working patterns and commitments. We will agree the schedule collaboratively with the successful candidate, balancing consistency within the community with flexibility around other work and caring responsibilities.

ABOUT WONDER FOOLS & THE PROJECT

Wonder Fools is a socially engaged theatre company and registered charity (SC047673), based in Glasgow and working across Scotland, the UK and internationally. We make ambitious theatre with communities and work to broaden access to high-quality arts experiences.

This role is part of our new Culture Collective programme: a National Network of community-led artist residencies across Scotland. Through long-term, place-based work, each residency will be shaped with local communities rather than arriving with a predetermined artistic outcome. Communities will help determine the themes, activity, pace and ways in which work is shared, with artists working as facilitators and collaborators. The Community Connectors will play a key role in building the relationships, local knowledge and trust that allow each residency to grow from the strengths, stories and priorities already present within each place.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Collaborating with and reporting to the Programme Coordinator and Artistic Directors, the Community Connector will support community mapping for the National Residency Network. You’ll spend time getting to know people, organisations, spaces and informal networks in the area; understanding what is already happening and what matters locally and helping make connections that allow the residency to grow from the community’s strengths. This is a hands-on, largely in-person role where your local knowledge, creative practice and care for people will directly shape the foundations of a new model of long-term artist residency across Scotland.

Our ideal candidate is an artist, creative practitioner or community-focused worker who is excited by asset-based community development and believes that meaningful change starts with listening, trust and local knowledge. The Connector will bring people together creatively, help spark ideas, host workshops, enable others to tell their stories, experiment and make participation enjoyable.

We are recruiting three Community Connectors, one for each of our residency locations: Dumfries & Galloway, Lewis and Harris, and Grangemouth. Each Connector will work independently within their local community, while regularly sharing learning, insights and approaches across the National Residency Network to inform and strengthen one another’s work. You should have strong existing ties to the location you are applying to work in.

Key responsibilities:

• Build trusted relationships with local residents, artists, organisations, and community members
• Listen to the community to understand local histories, strengths, challenges and aspirations
• Map community assets, including skills, spaces, and networks that can support the residency
• Remove barriers to participation, ensuring routes into the arts are accessible to all
• Act as a primary local point of contact for Wonder Fools and project stakeholders
• Support the recruitment and induction of the resident artist by providing essential local context
• Identify practical opportunities, partners, and collaboration spaces for the residency
• Prioritise participant safety and care pathways, escalating risks and maintaining boundaries where necessary
• Proactively identify local risks or tensions and advise the wider team on navigating them
• Co-facilitate learning and connection between the three residency locations across Scotland

The Community Connector will collaborate with artists, communities and partners to support the development of public outcomes emerging from the residency. You will help ensure that resident artists arrive with context, local relationships and a deep understanding of the people and place they are working alongside.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

• Strong existing ties to either Dumfries & Galloway, Lewis and Harris, or Grangemouth
• Background as an artist, creative practitioner, producer, or community worker
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships with diverse community groups and artists
• Excellent active listening and interpersonal communication skills
• Commitment to asset-based community development and local strength-building
• Organised and independent, with the ability to manage time and communicate remotely
• Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Knowledge of safeguarding, professional boundaries and risk escalation
• Ability to work predominantly in person within the local area

Desirable

• Experience supporting artist residencies or place-based creative programmes
• Experience working with individuals who face barriers to cultural participation
• Established networks with local authorities, third-sector groups, or local artists

TERMS AND BENEFITS

Contract: Fixed-term, freelance over a period of 10-20 weeks

Pay & conditions: This is a limited duration contract with a fixed fee of £4,400. Wonder Fools is committed to Fair Work First: fixed-term contracts with defined weekly hours, ITC/BECTU/SOLA-aligned pay, paid induction, CPD, reflective time and guaranteed access costs (travel, disability support, childcare, materials).

Support: Oversight from Programme Coordinator and Artistic Directors; access to organisational safeguarding leads.

Location: In-person within Dumfries & Galloway, Lewis and Harris, or Grangemouth

TO APPLY

Please email the following to contact@wonderfools.org with subject line “Community Connector application”:

• CV (max 2 pages)
• Supporting statement (no more than 1 page) outlining how you meet the essential criteria, why you’re interested in this role and what ideas you have for relationship-building within the community (workshops, open days, etc.). Please include 1 example of a piece of participatory work you’ve done and your availability. 

Please also state any access requirements and any dates when you are unavailable for interview.

Please also complete the equal opportunities form here.

Closing date and interview details:

Closing date: 24th September at 23:59

Interviews held: w/c 28th September

Wonder Fools welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds and is committed to inclusive recruitment.

We also welcome applications from job-share pairs and from individual candidates who would be open to job-sharing – please state in your application whether you’re applying as a job-share pair or as an individual to job-sharing.

If you’d like an informal conversation about the role, please contact Mika Morava at mika@wonderfools.org.