Describe your sector in a nutshell
Gibraltar Cultural Services caters to the events and arts and cultural sectors, offering opportunities for different roles across a number of varied departments. This sector is all about entertainment and engagement and providing opportunities for growth and development as well as educational initiatives. It would be suited to outgoing individuals who work well with the public and understand Gibraltar’s artistic and cultural needs. Ideal candidates should be passionate about delivering this service and willing to work hard to ensure events run smoothly and the offering is relevant and appropriate. There are opportunities too for administrative roles and finance related opportunities, as well as technical roles relating to the theatre and production, as well as maintenance and labour.
What are the different career opportunities/ jobs available?
The business is wide ranging offering part time and full-time employment within GCS. GCS also engages with freelance professionals for the delivery of specific services.
GCS employees the following positions across its Events, Facilities, Finance & HR, Development and Operations Departments.
- Gibraltar Cultural Director (CEO)
- Head of Department
- Executive Officer
- Administrative Officer
- Sound & Light Technician
- Maintenance & Operations Support
- Administrative Assistant
- Gallery Attendant
- Library Attendant
- Facilities Attendant
What’s fun attractive about your sector ?
This sector is a fun and entertaining one to work in, at times giving you behind the scenes access to many events, shows and performances. The diversity of the industry means the work is extremely varied catering for a broad spectrum of the community, which could see you working on large scale public events as well as small intimate offerings and more one to one customer delivery too. You could be involved in the organisation of many different cultural initiatives and be part of the team that is instrumental in its delivery. The work is extremely rewarding and fulfilling, as long as you’re prepared to work hard, some unsociable hours and at times put the needs of the community before yours. The rewards if you are committed to the industry are invaluable, as the arts bring joy and fulfilment to those delivering it and to those on the receiving end of it too.
What is on offer/ what skills are beneficial ?
The Events Department benefit from people who have experience in events management and hospitality and are good organisers, can multitask and are able to understand the needs of the community when it comes to entertainment and the arts. Experience in dealing with the public is always beneficial as is an understanding of Gibraltar’s artistic landscape. The work is wide ranging and involves the organisation of exhibitions, competitions, and large community events like National Day.
The Development Department builds on many of the events on offer providing further opportunities for growth and development. For those working in the Library, Library qualifications are always welcome as is knowledge of books and authors and all things literature. People skills and customer care are a must as this public venue, where you deal with people of all ages and walks of life. A passion for the written word is encouraged as is knowledge of local authors and general awareness of popular titles and writers. And, if you are a natural storyteller, you can easily join the weekly sessions run for our younger members.
GCS also manages Gibraltar’s main Art Galleries and the Government’s Art Collection so a History of Art graduate with knowledge of art, curation and understanding of valuation would be suited to this role. Gallery initiatives and school tours to engage with the collections on display and related activities are some of the events delivered, with new ideas embraced and encouraged to maximise the footfall and attract more visitors. The Gallery attendant role involves public engagement and an ability to give tours and information on the artwork and artists on show.
GCS relies on social media and other promotional tools to promote the events it organises to ensure maximum participation and exposure. Therefore, knowledge of marketing tools, website management and social media understanding are valuable assets.
Technical skills and qualifications are also very much encouraged with our technicians managing sound and lights in the theatre and for other productions. A show is heavily reliant on this knowledge and our in-house technicians are kept busy all year round with varied productions and shows. Their expertise can be broader too with videography and photography skills also encouraged as part of our in-house promotional delivery.
The Finance Department is responsible for managing the Finance, Human Resources (HR) and Administration functions of GCS. The Finance Department ensures that all financial records are maintained accurately, and timely and financial reports are produced to assist management in the effective running of the company. In addition to managing the financial transactions of the company, the Finance Department also looks after the HR requirements and company administration. This includes tracking staff leave, payroll, keeping up to date company records, liaising with the Employment Training Board, arranging training, the overseeing of staff appraisals and keeping the company’s staff policies and procedures up to date.
The role of the Facilities Department is to ensure the provision of an efficient service to users of GCS facilities including local artists and the public. It is the responsibility of the Facilities Department to manage the bookings of all venues under the GCS umbrella, including Theatres, Galleries and Community spaces and to inform users of the specific conditions, fees, limitations, and terms relating to each cultural venue. The Facilities Department also manages over 200 Government premises for HM Government, with responsibility for minor works and repairs, direct liaison with tenants and overseeing of major refurbishment projects, amongst others. Good organisational skills and customer elation experience is certainly advantageous as is an awareness of the needs of the industry.
The Operations Department handles all maintenance and logistics for the cultural estates and wide range of cultural events. These range from the maintenance and refurbishment of existing venues to overseeing new projects at any of our premises. The maintenance team carry out works and repairs, refurbishments and other construction projects which fall under their remit depending on the scope of works. The Operations Department also works on events and various projects such as setting up, artworks hanging, transportation and collection of goods and any other assistance the different GCS department might require. Here we encourage individuals who enjoy physical work and have manual trade skills relating to these areas.
Advice to young people starting out in the sector.
We recommend anyone wanting to start out make the most of any hands-on work experience as this will give you the knowledge and flavour of the industry, as expectations can sometimes be slightly flawed. Networking and making contacts and where possible having mentors to guide and assist you in your journey are other recommendations. GCS is always keen to support young people interested in the sector creating opportunities for voluntary and paid work to ensure the development of skills. Immerse yourself where possible, if you’re interested in events attend these, speak to staff working at public counters to learn more about their delivery and really understand the work that is involved. Organising events relies on many factors but ultimately good teamwork is a must to ensure the smooth running and delivery of any project.
