Ticket Sales Assistant

Reach
beyond
the
ordinary

HELLO FROM THE
EXECUTIVE TEAM

Hi there,

We both know what it feels like to be where you
are reading an application pack, full of excitement
and nerves about what could be, trying to imagine
yourself in a new place, in a new job, working with
new people.

Natalie has been at Northern Stage since
November 2020, moving cities and jobs in the
middle of a pandemic to take up her post. Kate
arrived in 2015, returning to her hometown after
living and working away for several years.

We work with a company of brilliant people, some
of whom know Northern Stage inside out, and
others who are just starting to put down roots.
They are all passionate about what we do, and
together are one of the friendliest teams in theatre.

You’ll be joining Northern Stage at an exciting
time. A new leadership team, a new artistic vision.
An organisation reflecting on who we are and how
we can be of true service to the audiences and
communities of the North East.

So take the leap. Come on the ride with us. We
can’t wait to meet you.

Natalie Ibu Kate Denby
Artistic Director Executive Director

ABOUT US

Thank you for getting this far - if you are
curious about the opportunity to work at
Northern Stage, take a few minutes to
read on.

The activities that take place on and off our
stages are designed to welcome people to
engage with, participate in and be inspired by
theatre - creating safe spaces based on
tolerance, inclusivity and respect.

As a business and cultural organisation we
collaborate to enable our community and our
local economy to thrive.

Northern Stage is a theatre that has been part of
Newcastle's cultural life since the 1970s. Nestled
in the Newcastle University campus, we make and
present the very best theatre for people of the
North East and beyond.

Proudly Northern, our theatre is a place for people
to come together to socialise, have fun, to work,
think, debate, perform and to imagine new
possibilities for the future.

LIFE AT NORTHERN STAGE

Northern Stage is made up of people from all
walks of life, who are passionate about delivering
the best possible experience for our visitors.

Our flexible working policies mean that staff
can balance work and life to avoid burnout and
prioritise wellbeing.

Many of our roles can be worked via a
hybrid model, meaning we all have the
opportunity to connect with colleagues in the
building on office days, and those who wish to
can work from home when required.

We're big on chat at Northern Stage and
encourage staff to attend weekly Tea Thursdays
in our Cafe Bar for a chance to take a pause
and catch up with friends across departments.

Our recently created book club Northern Page
meets once a month to engage in lively
discussion about books from all kinds of genres
over a cuppa and a slice of cake.

We understand the importance of CPD and
encourage staff to keep learning. For example,
our communications team enjoy weekly
Marketing 101 sessions to keep up to date on
best practice and brainstorm new ideas to keep
our audiences coming back.

OUR WORK

Our performance programme is a
curated mix of self-produced and
presented work from visiting theatre
companies.

Each year we produce or co-produce four to six
shows, including the annual Christmas
production for over 5s in the 'epic space' of
Stage 1 & 2 combined together. We work with
partners at all scales, from independent theatre
companies through to large-scale commercial
producers, and tour our work across the UK.

SOME OF THE FACTS

Stage 1
447
seats

Stage 2
172

seats

Stage 3
100 seats or 70
seats cabaret -

style

Stages 1 and 2 can combine to create our
600- seat in - the - round epic space’

.

In 2023 we hosted

457
which toured to

29 uk venues and

2 international venues

Our annual

turnover is

£3.5
million

We were nominated for15

We have a strong history of artistically excellent
productions and a reputation for bold, visual
shows which capture the imaginations of our
audiences. These range from Red Ellen to The
White Card and the global success of The Last
Ship. Alongside these productions, we deliver a
diverse programme of visiting work including ETT,
Rifco, National Theatre of Scotland, Northern
Ballet, Gecko and Theatre Ad Infinitum, MILK
Presents & Deafinitely Theatre.

Increasingly, we are working in association with
smaller and independent artists to put the
resources of Northern Stage into the support of
new work, enabling those artists to leverage
additional funds, partners and profile.

different awards and we won7of them:
Trustee Board of the Year at the North East
Charity Awards ; Excellence in Touring for I,
Daniel Blake at the UK Theatre Awards ; Best
Family Arts Activity for Best Summer Ever at
the Fantastic for Families Awards ; Most
Inspiring Employer (small business) at the
North East Chamber of Commerce's Inspiring
Female Awards ; Best Performing Arts Theatre
2023 at the Northern Enterprise Awards ;
Performing Artist of the Year, David Nellist in I,
Daniel Blake at the North East Culture
Awards ; Writer of the Year, Dave Johns for I,
Daniel Blake at the North East Culture Awards.

PARTICIPATION
We believe that everyone is entitled to the
transformative impact theatre can bring. So
learning, engagement and co-creation are
central to our work. We are actively engaged
in three significant initiatives:

BYKER
This famous inner city area of Newcastle is home
to our rehearsal studios at Raby Street. Our
rehearsal presence in Byker has been a catalyst
to a more embedded programme of activity in the
local community.

YOUNG COMPANY
Young Company is our flagship theatre-making
programme for young people aged 14-21. We
offer opportunities to create performances and
experience the many creative and backstage
roles involved in theatre making.

CITY OF DREAMS
An ambitious 10 year-mission helping to make
Newcastle and Gateshead the best place to be
young- developing new long-term activities which
address social challenges faced by younger
people.

INCLUSIVITY AND
RELEVANCE A strong belief in inclusion, equality, tolerance and

Through all strands of activity, we want to make
work that is popular, accessible, politically relevant
and culturally diverse. Across our annual season
we try to create a balanced programme that is
innovative, inspirational and financially sustainable.

We are committed to gender balanced, inclusive
and diverse casting and work proactively to ensure
representation both on and off stage.

UK THEATRE WORKFORCE AWARD

In 2019, Northern Stage won the UK
Theatre Workforce Award, recognising our
targeted participation programmes that
promote a commitment to professional
development and the opening of entry
routes to off-stage roles, particularly for
young people under-represented in the
arts.

OUR VISION
AND STRATEGY

OUR VISION

We passionately believe that everyone should have
access to culture and creative opportunities and
that theatre is a vital part of our cultural lives.

Through the experiences that we create and
present we are part of a Cultural Democracy. A
diverse ecosystem of creative organisations and
individuals coming together to inform, and be
informed by, culture. Experiences that bring joy and
entertainment, inspiration and empowerment.

We create opportunities to explore big ideas, to
debate and to act. So we can all have a voice. To
encourage civic engagement and community
collaborations that can change things for the better.

We share our talent, knowledge and experiences to
build skills for the future. To create a thriving
cultural community for the North East and beyond.

2023-26
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

• Increase the diversity of our workforce, audience

• Improve our working practices and activities in

• Make and present outstanding theatre that

• Deepen and extend engagement in and enjoyment

• Strengthen our civic, regional and sector

• Create space and capacity for dynamic innovation

NEWCASTLE AND
THE NORTH EAST

Newcastle upon Tyne is regularly hailed as one of
the best and most popular cities in the UK. It’s
partly due to the city’s compactness, which
makes it large enough to be vibrant and exciting
while small enough to feel like home.

Famous for its nightlife, sport and the warmth and
generous spirit of its communities, Newcastle has
two universities and a stunning Georgian city
centre. It is the gateway to Northumberland and
some of the most beautiful countryside in England
while the beaches of North and South Tyneside
are only a 15 minute drive or 30 minute Metro
journey from the city centre.

Over the last 20 years the city has developed a
remarkable cultural sector, heralded by Anthony

Gormley’s Angel of the North, spearheaded by a
series of major capital projects that created iconic
new cultural spaces like The Glasshouse
International Centre for Music and BALTIC art
gallery and refurbished and extended existing
assets such as Live Theatre, Dance City, Tyneside
Cinema and Northern Stage itself.

Today the city has a vibrant creative ecology
across all art forms. Northern Stage is a core
member of NewcastleGateshead Cultural Venues
(NGCV, a consortium of ten cultural
organisations, operating 22 venues across visual
arts, performing arts, music, dance, film, writing
and literature, heritage, archives and museums
and science communication in Tyne and Wear.

THE ROLE

• To provide a professional welcome to the theatre

• To maximise sales to individual customers and

• To maximise fundraising income through the active

• To provide administrative support for customer

• To ensure data collection is accurate, maintained

• To provide cover for external box office duties

• To cash up and ensure accurate reconciliation of

Ticket Sales Assistant
Responsible to: Sales and Box Office Manager
Key relationships: Communications Department

Purpose of the Role: To ensure that the theatre sales function operates to a high level of
efficiency and quality and to always ensure exemplary customer service. You will be the main point
of contact for Ticket Sales via phone or in person. To provide administrative support for all customer
facing activity.

• To participate in departmental and team meetings.

• To deal effectively and efficiently with customer

• To ensure the Front of House, Box Office and

• To assist in the training of new staff members

• To work with the Communications & Sales Team in

• To deputise for the Sales Manager as required.

• To participate in departmental and team

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• To maximise sales to individual customers and groups in person, by post, online

• To maximise fundraising income through the active promotion of the company’s

• To provide administrative support for customer facing activity across the

• To monitor public facing email inboxes, respond to queries, disseminate or

• To ensure data collection is accurate, maintained and updated constantly.

• To deal effectively and efficiently with customer problems and complaints.

• To provide a professional welcome to the theatre for all visitors.

• To provide cover for external box office duties where necessary.

• To cash up and ensure accurate reconciliation of sales at the end of each shift

• To participate in departmental and team meetings

• To ensure the Front of House, Box Office and reception areas are kept clean and

• To assist in the training of new staff members when appropriate

• To work with the Communications & Sales Team in the creation and

• To deputise for the Sales Manager as required

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Previous experience working in a customer

• Confident and experienced using IT and using

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• Ability to manage multiple projects/tasks

• Good attention to detail

• Commitment to delivering an accessible and

• Passion and enthusiasm for arts and culture

ESSENTIAL

DESIRABLE

• Previous experience in a Ticket Sales

• Previous experience using Spektrix

• Previous experience providing professional

TERMS & CONDITIONS
SALARY
£23,400 FTE

(Pro rata: £4,992 (8hrs pw) /
£7,488 (12hrs pw) / £12,480
(20hrs pw)

CONTRACT TYPE
Permanent, Part Time

WORKING HOURS

Permanent, Part-time 1x 20 hours or 1x8 hours

and 1x12 hours. Core hours Monday to Friday

12-4pm

OVERTIME
No overtime payments are available. Northern
Stage operates a Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) system.

HOLIDAYS
28 days per year including Bank Holidays - (pro-
rated with part time hours) rising to 33 days
after 5 year’s continuous service. The option to
buy up to 5 days holiday each year.

PENSION
Northern Stage operates a contributory pension
scheme (employer 3% / employee 5%).

PROBATIONARY PERIOD
This post is subject to a 1 month probationary
period.

LOCATION
Northern Stage, Barras Bridge, Newcastle NE1
7RH

OTHER BENEFITS

• Training and personal development

• Discounted and or complimentary Theatre

• Access to our Employee Assistant Programme

• Staff discount at our Cafe/Bar

• Annual Season Ticket Loan Travel Pass

• Annual flu jabs

• Cycle to work scheme

• Holiday buy or sell scheme - option to buy or

• Generous company sick pay after 26 weeks

• Enhanced maternity leave pay

HOW TO APPLY
Please send a copy of your CV and a cover letter
outlining your interest in this role and what skills
and experience you would bring to Northern Stage.
Please refer directly to the job description.

Your cover letter should be no more than one side
of A4. If you are requesting a flexible working
pattern job share you may include one additional
page of A4 to outline your proposal.

Your application should be addressed to -
Chris Mecrow (Sales and Box Office Manager).
Along with completing your CV and cover letter,
please also complete the Equality Monitoring Form.

Please send your application and Equality
Monitoring Form by email to
hr@northernstage.co.uk
(Email subject - Ticket Sales Assistant)

Alternatively, you can apply by sending a short
video or audio file, telling us about you and your
experience.

If you need any support to help you apply, please
don't hesitate to get in touch and we will do our
best to meet your needs. We particuarly welcome
applications from people of the Global Majority,
people who are disabled, neurodivergent and
people who are currently underpresented in our
industry.

Reciept of your application will be confirmed by
email.