Vacancies

RicNic Foundry Programme Lead

£28,080 FTE | Part‑time (10 hours per week) Fixed‑term until March 2027

Do you thrive in creative environments and love empowering young people to express themselves? RicNic is searching for an imaginative, organised and community‑minded Programme Lead to lead on RicNic Foundry, our rapidly expanding youth creativity programme.

About Foundry

Foundry brings free, high‑quality creative opportunities directly into communities through after‑school clubs, holiday projects and special artist‑led activities for under‑18s. Every project is youth‑led, giving children and young people the chance to shape ideas, take ownership and collaborate with professional creatives.

We’re already delivering exciting work across Walsall, and with support from the National Lottery Million Hours Fund, we’re ready to grow – reaching more young people across the borough and sparking even more creativity.

What You’ll Do

As our Foundry Programme Lead, you’ll play a central role in shaping and delivering this inspiring programme. You’ll:

  • Lead and support a team of freelance creative facilitators
  • Design imaginative themes and project ideas for term‑time sessions
  • Build a lively programme of holiday activities for local young people
  • Manage the practical side of delivery; room bookings, scheduling, communication with parents and partners
  • Contribute to marketing and outreach to help sessions thrive
  • Bring your own creative skills into the mix through occasional workshop delivery
  • Support visiting artists and step in to cover sessions when needed
  • Visit projects regularly to ensure quality, engagement and youth voice remain at the heart of everything we do

This is a role for someone who wants to make a real difference; someone who enjoys working hands‑on with communities, collaborating with artists, and helping young people discover what they’re capable of.

Who We’re Looking For

Our ideal Programme Lead is:

  • A creative thinker with experience working with children and young people
  • Confident leading a small team and reporting within a supportive staff structure
  • Comfortable guiding freelance facilitators and nurturing a positive, collaborative environment
  • Knowledgeable about safeguarding and committed to safe, inclusive practice
  • Able to travel across Walsall regularly, with occasional wider Midlands travel

Essential

  • Enhanced DBS
  • Experience working with children and young people

Desirable

  • Full clean driving licence and access to a vehicle

NB. This role is currently offered on a fixed term basis to March 2027.  Extension of this contract and an increase of hours is our long-term aim, subject to successful funding in the future.

To apply for this role, please send a cover letter detailing your suitability for the role against the job description above.  This can be sent in video format if this is a more accessible option for you.  Please also send a current CV, detailing experience to date, any relevant qualifications and training.

Applications should be sent to [email protected] with the subject heading PROGRAMME LEAD.

Closing date for applications is 13th April 2026.

Freelance Creative Facilitator – Foundry Makes Carnival!

Join RicNic and help young creatives bring their ideas to life

Do you thrive on imagination, colour, and the buzz of working with young people? RicNic is looking for an inspiring Freelance Creative Facilitator to help lead our Foundry creative club next term as we dive into a joyful, youth-led Carnival-themed project.

RicNic’s Foundry programme offers community based after-school clubs, holiday activities and special creative projects, which are free to access and aimed at under  18s.  The programme supports children and young people to build and share their own creative skills and ideas, by working with creative professionals and artists.  All of our projects are youth-led, allowing the young people’s ideas to be at the forefront and for them to take on individual roles within a project.  We also offer Young Leader opportunities for older participants to learn more about creative facilitation and the wider arts sector. We currently run several Foundry projects in Walsall and are planning to grow these across the Midlands in future.  Each Foundry project is co-led by two facilitators, with administrative and safeguarding support from our Foundry Lead in the core staff team. 

You can find more information about RicNic and our programmes throughout this website.

At Foundry, our young people take the reins. Your role is to guide, encourage, and empower them as they dream big, experiment boldly, and shape their own creative journey. We’re looking for someone with a broad creative toolkit (whether that’s performance, movement, costume, design, storytelling, or something wonderfully unexpected) who can help turn their ideas into something spectacular.

What You’ll Be Doing

You’ll be working with a brilliant group (aged approx 7 – 15 years) who meet weekly and are full of energy, curiosity, and imagination. This term, they’re gearing up to take part in the Pelsall Carnival on 4 July 2026, and they’re excited to explore everything from site-specific performance to costume-making, carnival float design, and more.

Each session is co-led with another facilitator, and together you’ll support up to 25 young people as they create, collaborate, and build something they can be proud of.

Key Details

  • Fridays, 4.30pm–6.30pm 17 April – 10 July 2026 Manor Farm Community Centre, Rushall, Walsall
  • Carnival Day: Saturday 4 July 2026 (must be available)
  • Rate: £50 per weekly session.  Carnival dates and any agreed additional hours arranged on an hourly rate.
  • Enhanced DBS: Essential
  • Driving licence / access to a vehicle: Desirable

If you’re passionate about nurturing creativity, love working with young people, and want to help shape a truly joyful community project, we’d love to hear from you.

If these dates do not fit your schedule, but you are interested in working with us please consider applying to join our Creative Facilitator pool.  We have regular opportunities for facilitators to deliver across our projects.

To apply please send a cover letter / short video and a current CV to [email protected].  Please include the subject heading: Carnival Facilitator

Join RicNic’s Freelance Creative Practitioner Pool

RicNic is expanding its network of freelance creatives to support our youth‑led programmes for children and young people across Walsall. We work with ages 0–25, creating spaces where young people take the lead; shaping ideas, driving the creative process and developing their own artistic voices. We’re looking for practitioners who can champion that ethos and help young people bring their ideas to life.

RicNic delivers 3 core programmes, supporting in the community (Foundry), on an individual level (Forge) and in education settings (Flourish). All programmes are underpinned by our reputed youth-led approach. 

Pathway 1: Workshop Leaders

We’re seeking dynamic facilitators from all creative backgrounds (performance, visual arts, music, digital media, writing, design, craft and more) who can deliver engaging, inclusive workshops. You’ll support young people to experiment, collaborate and create work that is truly their own.

Pathway 2: Creative Career Support

We’re also building a pool of industry professionals who want to share their skills and experience with the next generation. RicNic provides training, mentoring and hands‑on work experience for young people exploring creative careers, and we’re looking for practitioners, advisors and role models from across the creative industries to contribute to this work. If you’re passionate about opening doors, offering guidance and helping young people navigate creative pathways, we’d love to hear from you.

Work is offered on a flexible, freelance basis.

Rate: £25/hr | Enhanced DBS required | Driving licence desirable

Please send CVs and a brief covering note, including your interests and preferred disciplines, to [email protected]. We apologise that we may not be able to respond to every email that we receive, but we will be in touch if suitable opportunities arise.