Jo Hills

Experience

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  National Youth Music Theatre

  Jan 1988 - Jan 1992

  Wardrobe & performer
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  Opera North

  Sept 1992 - Jul 1995

  Development Officer

  First job out of university. Undertook all aspects of fundraising and corporate development from individuals, trusts and companies including making initial contacts, cultivating them, developing the best product for them and then hosting events and receptions as required.

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  Mecklenburgh Opera

  Jul 1995 - Jan 1996

  General Manager

  Sole full time employee of award winning, small scale contemporary opera company. Responsible for all aspects of the company management and administration. Commissioned and presented new operas across the UK. Undertook arts education work in the Czech Republic, Scotland and London.

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  Arts Projects Management (self employed)

  Jan 1996 - Jan 1999

  General Manager

  Self employed as arts manager for a range of small scale arts companies. Also freelanced for Opera North, the Arts Council, the Association of British Orchestras on a variety of projects.Many of these projects focused on capacity building with clients, usually small to medium sized arts organisations and as such involved high levels of training and change initiation.

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  Voluntary Service Overseas

  Feb 1999 - Feb 2000

  Fundraising & Management Consultant (volunteer)

  Sarvodaya is the largest indigenous NGO in Sri Lanka, active throughout the war torn island. The organisation was going through a period of managerial transition necessitating the review of many core processes, documents and tenets with which I was involved.Undertook a range of tasks including the following:- Developed and co-wrote the new 5 year strategic plan for the organisation with the CEO. - Trained staff in fundraising planning and research techniques, and instigated fundraising discussion groups facilitated by CIDA (Canadian Aid Organisation).- Responsible for the administration of the 1st Regional Meeting of the NGO Working Group on the World Bank in Delhi in January 2000 and represented Sri Lanka at that conference.- Developed and implemented a comprehensive Volunteer Support and Training Scheme for use by both national and international volunteers. Show less

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  Oxfam UK

  Mar 2000 - Feb 2001

  On the Line Events Co-ordinator

  On the Line was a millennium project exploring and celebrating the lives of people who live along the Greenwich Meridian line. It linked people and places from the UK through to West Africa through a range of programmes and activities using media, music, arts, sport and formal and informal education projects to raise awareness of development issues. It was a unique collaboration between a wide range of voluntary organisations, a commercial broadcaster and government bodies. The emphasis throughout was on learning from life experiences rather than from academic learning. - Planned, co-ordinated and ran a performance, exhibition and reception for the major high profile end of project Finale Event at the FCO in January 2001 that summarised the entire project. Directly managed all the staff and sub-contractors. - Edited and produced the final two editions of the On the Line education newsletter sent to over 5,500 schools throughout the UK and West Africa. The project had a multi-national core team who were based in three different countries, and presented significant challenges in adapting working practices amongst and between the partner and contributory organisations. Show less

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  University of Bradford

  Sept 2002 - Jul 2016

  Within the newly established Programme Management Office, worked closely with a number of external consultants and with a wide range of internal stakeholders.The role involved working across a variety of areas within the University to facilitate the substantive changes required to move the organisation forward in order to realise its' new Corporate Strategy. Regularly utilised my facilitation, influencing and people skills alongside undertaking data analysis and delivering presentations and training sessions. Show less - Provided expertise in Project Management for corporate services within the University. - Responsible for development and implementation of a bespoke project management methodology (based on PRINCE2 TM). - Delivered training and mentoring of project managers and project sponsors across all scales and types of projects.- Monitored and reported on progress of all capital projects within two iterations of the Investment Plan portfolio. Was also the key contact for all submissions to the capital investment group discussions during both cycles.- Managed a range of institutional level projects including hosting the hugely successful British Science Festival 2011; the instigation of an Emergency Response Protocol for the University; and undertaking an intensive series of Academic Reviews and Professional Services Reviews. Show less - Managed a portfolio of high quality CPD courses and consultancy projects in the Bradford Centre for International Development for clients including the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the China Development Bank, the UN and national governments.- Led a small constantly evolving team that interacted with a fast changing range of stakeholders including international post-graduate students, academics, politicians and civil servants and both internal and external suppliers. Was closely involved throughout the lifecycle of all the work from tendering for the contracts, to shaping and planning them with the client and our academics before implementing them and reporting back to the clients.- Achieved an increase in income of over £0.5m within the department that was a critical part of their funding.- Delivered a number of lectures and seminars both in the UK and overseas during this time. Show less

  • Change Project Manager

    Sept 2015 - Jul 2016

  • Senior Advisor, Projects & Programmes

    Jul 2008 - Aug 2015

  • Chevening Programme Manager

    Sept 2002 - Jul 2008
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  Noisy Owl

  Oct 2016 - May 2018

  General Manager/Project Manager/Administrator

  Working as a freelance project manager. Areas covered include general company management, day to day administration including financial planning and management, strategy development, HR, financial planning, tour administration, logistics, contracting, bid development, fundraising strategy development, market research and all aspects of small scale contemporary performing arts administration.Recently worked with Director Iain Bloomfield to establish a new way of engaging with artists and audiences and new ways of developing their work. Show less

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  Ginger & Teal

  May 2018 - now

  Owner/Designer/Milliner

  Running a small business as a freelance creative, working on a wide variety of projects in a wide variety of roles, making the most of my tendency to be a polymath.I am developing online project planning coaching with arts organisations and had significant success mentoring the organisers of one of the first online steampunk festivals to take place during lockdown in April 2020. The event ran smoothly and generated significant interest for all the international performers, leading the way to other opportunities for them all.I have been the Event Manager for several events in both Scotland and the north of England of varying sizes (150 up to 5000 attendees; two bands in a bar up to two floors of traders plus talks plus evening entertainment).At short notice, I was the Production Manager for The Raven's Ball in early February 2019, a role which I am repeating in 2021 with a significantly longer lead-in period. This was held in Kirkcaldy, Fife and was, we believe, the first Venetian Carnival Masked Costume Ball to be held in Scotland. Raised money for Autistica through ticket sales, a silent auction and various other activities.The ethos underlying my creative work is to up cycle materials as much as possible into usable items, be they theatrical/steampunk costumes and props, normal clothing or items for the home. I enjoy the challenge of finding the right design from whatever items find their way to me and turning them into something desirable.When there was so little work available during the pandemic, I fulfilled a lifetime ambition by studying millinery which is now a significant passion and has re-energised my approach to my portfolio life. Specialising in one-off designs, often tending towards the more abstract in style, it is a craft that brings many of my skills together to achieve show-stopping results. For further information please visit www.gingerandteal.scot Show less