Could you be the new chair of our board?

ZoieLogic Dance Theatre is looking for a new Chair of our Board of Directors. This person will join us as a Non-Executive Director and play a crucial role to help steer the organisation as we enter an ambitious period of growth and development.

Led by founding Artistic Director Zoie Golding, ZoieLogic Dance Theatre challenges perceptions of what dance is, who it is for and how it is presented. We’re on a mission to get more people involved in dance, especially men and boys and those less likely to see or take part in the arts.

What the role involves:

• The Chair of the Board of Directors is a strategic leadership role working closely with CEO/Artistic Director Zoie Golding.
• The Chair will lead our Board of three current Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) and CEO/Artistic Director, and be part of our Advisory Board of 19 members.
• We are a Community Interest Company – our NED Board is recruited specifically to provide independent leadership and clarity of purpose, ensuring that the community’s interests are being served by the company’s activity.
• The Chair will offer guidance, support, expertise and an objective perspective to the Executive Team on strategy, operations, organisational development, commercial and financial affairs, and risk management.
• This role requires a commitment of approximately seven days a year, including eight board meetings, one company away day and ad-hoc advisory conversations.
• It is a voluntary role with travel expenses and access costs (including childcare) paid.

Our new Chair will operate as Chair designate for the first 6 months of the tenure, working alongside our Interim Chair to ensure a smooth transition.

^{Our youth company, FuzzyLogic performing at our mental health awareness platform Headfunk (2021)}

More about us

We make our mission a reality by creating and touring professional dance theatre shows, and through our outreach, engagement, and talent development programmes. 

2022 is our 22nd year and we are navigating our way back to live performance with optimism and resolve, having hit regional and national news with our innovative lockdown dance projects and performances.

“Taking on the role of Chair of ZoieLogic is an opportunity to support a high energy, committed team driven by a desire to deliver socially impactful, accessible, high quality dance theatre. ZoieLogic recognises it can play an important role in society and understands the need for a strong legacy for the individuals and communities involved in its work. It is an innovative and brave organisation with exciting opportunities ahead.”

Suzanne Waggett, Interim Chair, ZoieLogic Dance Theatre

^{Top left: The Grid Experience at Baiter Park in Poole 2021, Top right: From our outdoor performance, Ride (2016-2022), Bottom left: Neil Hanchett rehearsing for Headfunk (2019), Bottom right: From the premiere of our 2020 show, Heist}

Here’s some of what we’ve been up to recently:

• RIDE: Outdoor dance theatre tour to care homes (2020) 
• THE GRID: Live outdoor dance experience for local people (2020)
• Neil’s Journey: Experiences in dance and mental health (2020) 
• FuzzyLogic: Solidarity dance film (2020)
• HEIST: Latest touring work (2020)
• Headfunk (2021)

Who we are looking for

• Spirit, drive and attitude are important to us – we would like a Chair who is genuinely enthused and motivated to come on a journey with us and play a leading role because they believe in our work.
• We want to work with an empowering and approachable changemaker – a strong voice and a passionate advocate for the arts who is a good listener and wise leader.
• We want our board to reflect the diversity of our community, and especially welcome applications from underrepresented and marginalised voices in dance and the arts, including disabled, Black, Asian and ethnically diverse members of our community. 
• A demonstrable commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is essential. 
• We are open minded about prior experience – the qualities and skills we are looking for come in many forms beyond the status quo or traditional image of a Chairperson.
• You do not have to have been a Chair before, but a strong working understanding of Public/Voluntary Sector governance, with senior leadership skills and a commercial flair is of interest to us.

^{FuzzyLogic Youth Dance Company came back together in autumn 2020 after several months of virtual workshops}

Interested?

Before you apply, we strongly encourage you to contact Executive Director Vicky Thornton for an informal chat about the role. If you have any access needs, please let Vicky know.

To apply

Please tell us about the qualities and skills you have to offer in relation to the Job Description and Person Specification, and why you would like to be considered for this role.

Download the Job Description and Perform Specification (Large version available here)

Download the Monitoring Form (Large version available here)

Send your application to Vicky in whichever format suits you best: a video message, an audio file, a letter via email, a CV if you wish along with the monitoring form. 

Contact: Email vicky@zoielogic.co.uk
Deadline for applications: 4th April 2022, 6pm

About the interview process

We aren’t planning on a traditional one-off interview process with a panel. We believe it’s important to bring our work to life and connect in more meaningful and authentic ways for this vital role. 

We will therefore invite shortlisted candidates to first connect with us in person, if possible at a live ZLDT show in April, and have a chat with the team, before having a Zoom meeting with our youth dance company FuzzyLogic. From there we will invite you to join in with a team activity later in the spring, with a more formal interview taking place towards the end of May (all dates tbc).

If the cost of travelling, or for any caring responsibility costs, would mean you are unable to take part in the interview process, we have a bursary available to cover expenses, prioritised to those travelling in from outside Southampton. Please let us know if this is the case in your application.

If you have any questions about the role or the process, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Vicky. 

We look forward to hearing from you!