Curator: Cultural Programmes
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
About this job
This is an exciting opportunity to shape and deliver ambitious, inclusive cultural programmes within the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham’s Culture and Heritage Service. Based at the Women’s Museum, you will lead the development of exhibitions, public programmes and community engagement that foreground lived experience, storytelling and representation, ensuring the museum’s work is relevant, responsive and rooted in the borough’s communities. You will play a central role in integrating the innovative New Town Culture methodology into the Museum’s programme, embedding socially engaged and care-informed practice that connects culture with civic systems such as social care, youth justice and community services. Working collaboratively with residents, artists, practitioners and partners, you will co-create programmes that widen access to cultural production and place communities at the heart of decision-making. This role is both strategic and hands-on. You will commission and manage artists and practitioners, oversee programme delivery and budgets, and build strong partnerships across local, regional and national networks. You will also lead on documenting, evaluating and communicating impact, helping to grow audiences, deepen engagement and raise the profile of the Women’s Museum and the borough’s wider cultural offer. Through this work, you will help position Barking & Dagenham as a place where culture is embedded in everyday life; participatory, socially engaged and responsive to the needs and aspirations of its communities.
About you
You bring experience in developing and delivering exhibitions and/or public cultural programmes, with a strong commitment to socially engaged practice and participatory approaches. You understand how to co-create work with communities, particularly those who are underrepresented or marginalised, and are confident embedding inclusive, equitable and accessible practices throughout programme design and delivery. You are a skilled collaborator, able to build and sustain partnerships across organisations, communities and sectors, and to work effectively within civic contexts. You are comfortable commissioning and managing artists and creative practitioners, and can balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery, ensuring projects are completed on time, within budget and to a high standard. You are confident acting as a key point of contact for programmes, coordinating across teams and partners, and representing your work in public and professional settings. You also recognise the importance of evaluation, documentation and communication, using these to evidence impact and support future development and funding. Above all, you are committed to championing equality, diversity and inclusion, with a deep understanding of how cultural practice can address issues such as representation, anti-racism, feminism and decolonisation. You are motivated by the potential of culture to create meaningful social change and to strengthen community voice, agency and participation.
About us
It is an exciting time to join the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD), as the borough undergoes significant cultural, social and economic transformation. Culture and heritage are positioned at the heart of this change, with the launch of the Culture and Heritage Strategy 2024–2030 marking a clear commitment to embedding culture within civic life. From social care and youth justice to health, wellbeing and heritage, LBBD is creating a rare opportunity to shape programmes that are not only artistically ambitious but structurally embedded within public systems.
This work sits alongside 'It Starts Here: Partnerships for Change', a major new boroughwide plan that sets out an ambitious, shared vision for the future of Barking and Dagenham. Rooted in partnership, the plan reflects a collective commitment from the Council and key stakeholders - including the NHS, Police, and BD Giving - to improve the lives of residents. Together, they aim to make Barking and Dagenham a place people are proud of, and where they want to live, work, study and stay.
The borough is one of London’s youngest and most diverse communities, with a strong appetite for participation and new cultural narratives. Significant regeneration, investment in cultural infrastructure and partnerships with leading national organisations provide both momentum and support for bold, socially engaged practice. Initiatives such as New Town Culture and the Women’s Museum position LBBD at the forefront of democratic cultural leadership, foregrounding lived experience, inclusion and co-creation.
Through 'It Starts Here', partners across the borough are working together to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing residents, including poverty, inequality, health, safety and the environment. By aligning resources and capacity across agencies, the plan promotes a coordinated, system-wide response to long-term issues. At the centre of this plan are ten missions that will guide work across the borough in the years ahead. These include supporting healthy and thriving children, building financial resilience, improving access to good work, and preventing and managing long-term health conditions. The plan also prioritises independent living, a zero-tolerance approach to domestic abuse, and improving community safety through strong engagement. Alongside these social priorities, the plan commits to delivering better homes, creating clean and sustainable neighbourhoods, and advancing culture and heritage placemaking.
This final mission reinforces LBBD’s belief in the power of arts and heritage to strengthen local identity, foster belonging and drive regeneration. For a curator or cultural practitioner committed to participation, equity and civic impact, LBBD offers a unique opportunity to influence how culture operates at a systemic level.
It is a borough actively redefining what local government cultural leadership can look like, placing collaboration, inclusion and community voice at its core.