Director of Culture and Events

Job Description

We believe everyone deserves a great Glasgow life and that starts with the people who work here.

Glasgow Life is a charity like no other. Our vision is to improve the lives of everyone in our city. To help us achieve that, we are looking for a Director of Culture and Events to join our leadership team.

Bursting with energy, passion and personality, Glasgow is Scotland’s cultural and sporting powerhouse and one of Europe’s most vibrant and dynamic cities. The UK’s first UNESCO City of Music, Glasgow is home to world-class museums, galleries and attractions, a rich architectural heritage and a thriving and diverse food and drink scene. Its outstanding programme of year-round events and festivals is recognised globally.

As one of Scotland’s largest charities, Glasgow Life sits at the heart of the city. We champion the life-changing benefits of culture and sport, while promoting Glasgow on a global stage.

Working across museums, arts, music, events, marketing and communications, development and fundraising programmes, we are committed to ensuring everyone can benefit from participating in culture and sport. Our passionate colleagues and volunteers support and inspire people across Glasgow to access the experiences that matter most to them.

If you’re excited by the idea of being part of that, this could be the job for you.

What you’ll do

As a Director of Culture and Events, you’ll be a part of an established senior team, reporting to the Chief Executive. You’ll lead the delivery of Museums & Collections, Arts & Music, Events, Marketing & Communications, and Development, across Glasgow Life.

You’ll oversee major strategic projects and transformational change, driving innovation, inclusion, financial sustainability, and service excellence. As a key member of our Senior Leadership Team, you’ll also help shape Glasgow Life’s future direction, strengthen our income base, and lead engagement with strategic partners locally, nationally and internationally.

Your work will make a visible and lasting difference.

Who you are

We’re looking for a strategic, inspiring and collaborative leader who brings energy, credibility and vision. You’ll have a deep understanding of how culture and heritage improve lives.

You’ll bring strong business acumen, a people-focused approach, and a commitment to delivering public value in a complex, high-profile environment. You’ll be able to balance social impact with income generation and lead inclusively and authentically.

We’re looking for:

• A degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline, with evidence of ongoing professional and leadership development.
• Senior leadership experience in a large, complex organisation delivering customer-focused services.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to manage diverse, high-level stakeholder relationships.
• A commercial mindset and excellent financial and budget management skills.
• Knowledge of the challenges facing the delivery of culture and events across public and commercial contexts.
• A proven track record in leading successful change and redesign projects.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with experience of driving performance and continuous improvement.
• Experience working across organisational boundaries, with a solid grasp of political, governance and decision-making frameworks
• An understanding of the wider public and third-sector landscape in Scotland.
• A personal and professional commitment to Glasgow Life’s values — demonstrated through inclusive, values-led leadership

If you are interested in finding out more about the role, please contact our recruitment partner, Mary Few, Saxton Bampfylde, at mary.few@saxbam.com

For further information please visit https://roles.saxbam.com/advert-details/?id=bc0f7a28-9844-f111-bec6-7c1e5203f73a.%20Job%20Reference%20(DBHQD)

Interested candidates should send their CV plus covering letter to Mary Few at: mary.few@saxbam.com. Applicants will be asked to complete an equality and diversity monitoring form.

What you need to know

Important Dates:

The closing date for this job is 11.59pm on 31 May 2026. First stage Interviews are provisionally scheduled for w/c 20 July 2026, with final stage interviews w/c 3 August August 2026.

Hours: 35 per week.

Salary: £106,495 - £120,944 per annum.

Contract type: Permanent

Pay details: The listed salary is for a full-time role.

Location: Hybrid. You will have the flexibility to spend part of your week at home, and part of your week in one of our offices.

Diversity and Fair Work at Glasgow Life

We’re working to build a team that reflects the rich diversity of Glasgow’s communities — where everyone feels valued, respected, and able to be their full, authentic selves at work.

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident and Carer Positive employer, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. Learn more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/the-small-print/an-inclusive-employer

We’re also committed to Fair Work First principles, including effective voice, opportunity, security, fulfilment and respect for all our staff. Learn more about our approach to Fair Work First here: https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/about-us/fair-work-first

We’re working hard to address underrepresentation in our workforce. We especially welcome applications from people with disabilities and from ethnic minority communities.

What we offer

At Glasgow Life, our work changes lives. As a charity, we bring communities together and support wellbeing through sport, culture, heritage, and learning.

Learn more about Glasgow Life in our 10 Facts video in the Further Information section on MyJobScotland.

We support you to live a great life. Inside and outside of work. Some of our benefits include:

Holiday

When you join, you’ll get 30 days’ holiday. Plus 6.5 public holidays if you’re full-time. This increases to 35 days after 5 years of service.

Fancy a bit more time off? You can buy extra holiday too!

Pension

Join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) – a Defined Benefit scheme that provides you with a secure pension for later life.

Support

Sometimes we all need support and a listening ear. Our free and confidential Employee Assistance Programme can support your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.

Discounts

As a colleague, you can enjoy discounts on the things you love, from Glasgow Club memberships to our museum shops and our online store. We are also part of the cycle-to-work scheme, helping you stay active.

Flexibility and development

We are proud of our flexible and inclusive work policies, which help you balance work and life. We also offer support for learning, development and career progression.

Please note that Glasgow Life is an Arm’s Length External Organisation to Glasgow City Council. We are currently completing a Job Evaluation exercise and introducing a new pay and grading structure. This may impact current salaries quoted in job adverts. To learn more, visit - https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/jobevaluation.

We’re excited to hear from you. Let’s shape a great Glasgow life — together.

We want everyone to be able to apply. If you need the Application Pack in another format, like Braille, large print, or another language, please call us on 0141 287 1054.

If we need to post it to you, we’ll send it by second-class mail within three working days. Please allow enough time to complete and return your application before the closing date. If you think you might need more time because of accessibility needs, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.

There are also a number of Accessibility Tools compatible with the myjobscotland website which may assist you with your application. More information on these can be found at https://myjobscotland.gov.uk/accessibility-statement.

Further Information

For further information about working for us please refer to our website https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/work-with-us