Role: Literature Development Officer
Reporting to: Executive Director / Senior Lead
Salary: £17,042.40 (pro-rata of £28,404)
Hours: 21 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Location: Home based, with the option to work from an office in Cardiff or Carmarthen.
Summary
We’re looking for a Literature Development Officer to join our fantastic team at Disability Arts Cymru! Do you have a passion for Literature and a commitment to promoting the rights of disabled people? This could be the perfect opportunity for you. If you’re excited by the power of art to explore social issues and inspire real change, we’d love to hear from you.
What it’s like to work with us
Disability Arts Cymru (DAC) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation funded by the Arts Council of Wales. We’re a membership organisation that produces and promotes art which reflects the lived experience of disabled people in Wales and champions equality across the arts. At the heart of everything we do is the social model of disability. We work to challenge barriers and negative attitudes, helping individuals and organisations understand that it is society and negative attitudes, not impairments, that disable people.
Working for DAC means joining a small, highly experienced, and enthusiastic team based across Wales. Most of our work is home-based, though you’ll be expected to attend events around the country and visit our headquarters in Carmarthen or Cardiff from time to time. Our staff benefit from a generous annual leave allowance, including a Christmas and New Year office shutdown, additional discretionary days, two team social days each year, and a friendly weekly remote coffee chat over Zoom.
What you’ll be doing
You will manage and support the DAC literature group, helping them to create new work, access opportunities, and grow both creatively and professionally. This will include hosting events, developing and leading projects, building and maintaining relationships with partner organisations in Wales and beyond, administering and supporting arts commissions, and delivering training when required.
What we’re looking for
- Practical experience in the arts, specifically within a literature context.
- Proven experience planning and delivering projects to a high standard.
- An effective communicator, able to engage with people at all levels.
- A positive team player, who collaborates well and builds strong relationships internally and externally.
- Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, and work effectively remotely.
- A lived understanding of the experiences of disabled and/or deaf people in Wales, alongside a passion for using art to drive social change.
Knowledge, skills and experience
Essential
- Relevant experience, or demonstrable knowledge, of delivering socially impactful arts projects in Wales.
- Strong awareness of the literature landscape in Wales and relationships with key people in the sector.
- Educated to degree level, or with significant equivalent industry experience.
- Ability to plan, deliver, and support arts projects and events.
- Strong understanding of the lived experience of disability and a working knowledge of the Social Model of Disability.
- Effective interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain relationships, and to communicate effectively with people at all levels.
- Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage time, prioritise workloads, and deliver to deadlines in a home-working/hybrid environment.
- Ability to work positively and collaboratively within a small staff team, including cross-artform collaboration.
- Excellent IT skills, including MS Office and digital communication platforms (e.g. Zoom, Teams).
- Experience gathering and evaluating feedback to report on project impact and member needs.
- Clear understanding of equality, diversity, and access in the arts.
- Ability to write and converse in Welsh is essential for this role.
How to apply
To apply, please complete an application form and equalities form and return them by email with the subject line: “Literature Development Officer”.
When completing your application, please provide examples demonstrating how you meet the knowledge, skills, and experience criteria outlined above.
Please note: Due to the nature of this role, only written application forms will be considered. We especially welcome applications from disabled and deaf people and those from underrepresented communities.
Deadline: 19/12/25
Salary: £25,185.16 per annum pro rata (£13.09 per hour)
Hours of work: 4.5 hours per week on Friday mornings (with potential for ad hoc additional hours)
Annual Leave: 26 days rising to 32 days per year (plus bank holidays) pro rata
Location: Home based with regular travel around Denbighshire and outskirts
Who Are We & How Are You Supported
Vision Support is a well-established organisation with a strong history in promoting independence and support to people with vision impairments (VI) and dual sensory needs. Offering a wide variety of services for vision impaired people across Cheshire, Halton and North Wales, including counselling, digital skills, financial wellbeing and benefits advice, home visiting, community outreach, and peer support. These services complement rehabilitation to create a wraparound service for our clients.
Vision Support’s values are at the heart of everything we do, ensuring that there is a collaborative approach across the organisation, responding proactively to what people say is important to them and supporting people with warmth, dignity, and respect.
Vision Support will fully fund the Deafblind Communicator guide qualification (which entails a 5-day course in Peterborough), for any successful applicant, on the basis of remaining in the role for a minimum of 12 months.
Job Purpose
This role involves working closely with one person, building trust and understanding their individual communication style and preferences.
To transport and accompany the client on shopping trips, medical appointments and any other ad hoc activities; and provide companionship.
This role often involves guiding someone safely in unfamiliar environments and communicating information clearly in ways that suit them (for example, hands-on or tactile communication).
Who You Will Be Supporting
The client values accurate and detailed descriptions, especially when it comes to colours. For example, if a top feels nice, she will ask what colour it is. If you say it is pink, she will want to know what shade of pink. She also needs to know whether an item has a pattern and, if so, what colour the pattern is.
She needs clear information about dates, such as the use-by dates on items both in shops and at home.
When shopping, she appreciates being told about any offers. For instance, she visits Sainsbury’s weekly to buy similar items each time, however she likes to know if there are any deals available, as she may choose to buy those as well.
Overall, when she is given the right information, she can make her own choices confidently, knowing that they are appropriate for her.
Person Specification
All attributes and skills are essential unless otherwise specified.
• Commitment to complete the Level 2 Communicating and Guiding with Deafblind People qualification, and remain within the position for a minimum of 12 months.
• Ability to perform manual hand communication (desirable).
• Be calm and empathetic.
• Own a car and hold a full UK driving licence.
Please note, we reserve the right to close this advert early should we find a suitable candidate.
You may have experience in the following: Guide, Communicator, Communication Support Worker (specialist / Deafblind), Deafblind Manual Interpreter, Intervener (for congenital / lifelong deafblind), etc.
REF-225 277