Cultural centre director to cultural policy officer
A cultural centre director already meets 60% of what the cultural policy officer role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
41.6/ 100
1 How much of what a cultural policy officer is expected to do is already part of a cultural centre director’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the cultural policy officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cultural policy officer role treats 9 of its required skills as things a cultural centre director already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- approve reports for artistic project
- build community relations
- cultural projects
- develop cultural policies
- establish collaborative relations
- liaise with cultural partners
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 23 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cultural policy officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a cultural centre director background worth leading with.
- already held develop cultural policies management skills
- already held create cultural venue outreach policies communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage cultural facility management skills
- already held evaluate cultural venue programmes information skills
- already held coordinate community arts activities management skills
- already held approve reports for artistic project information skills
All 23 carried skills, including the 9 the cultural policy officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn establish relationship with the media required
- still to learn advise on legislative acts required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- optional, not held advocate a cause optional
- optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
- still to learn develop media strategy required
- still to learn manage government policy implementation required
- still to learn provide improvement strategies required
- still to learn government policy implementation required
- optional, not held policy analysis optional
- optional, not held study community as a target community optional
- optional, not held perform resource planning optional
- optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a cultural policy officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 establish relationship with the media practise this
- 02 advise on legislative acts practise this
- 03 create solutions to problems practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 23 skills that carry over
- already held approve reports for artistic project skill
- already held build community relations skill
- already held cultural projects knowledge
- already held develop cultural policies skill
- already held establish collaborative relations skill
- already held liaise with cultural partners skill
- already held liaise with local authorities skill
- already held maintain relations with local representatives skill
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held coordinate community arts activities skill
- already held coordinate events skill
- already held create cultural venue outreach policies skill
- already held develop cultural activities skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held develop promotional tools skill
- already held evaluate cultural venue programmes skill
- already held fix meetings skill
- already held liaise with event sponsors skill
- already held manage cultural facility skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held project management principles knowledge
- already held promote cultural venue events skill
- already held work with cultural venue specialists skill
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
- optional, not held advocate a cause optional
- optional, not held policy analysis optional
- optional, not held study community as a target community optional
- optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
- optional, not held perform resource planning optional
27 held skills the cultural policy officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply strategic thinking skill
- not needed by the target role assemble health and safety resources in cultural venues skill
- not needed by the target role assess data collected to improve community arts programme skill
- not needed by the target role budgetary principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role create cultural venue learning strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop inclusive communication material skill
- not needed by the target role establish daily priorities skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate cultural venue visitor needs skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate events skill
- not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage fundraising activities skill
- not needed by the target role manage health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role manage logistics skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage supplies skill
- not needed by the target role organise cultural events skill
- not needed by the target role plan health and safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role promote cultural venue in schools skill
- not needed by the target role promote inclusion skill
- not needed by the target role represent the organisation skill
- not needed by the target role set organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role strive for company growth skill
- not needed by the target role supervise daily information operations skill
- not needed by the target role supervise event staff skill
- not needed by the target role work within communities skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn government policy implementation required
- optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
- optional, not held policy analysis optional
Common questions about this move
Can a cultural centre director become a cultural policy officer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A cultural centre director already covers 60% of what a cultural policy officer is expected to do: 23 skills carry over, 9 of which the cultural policy officer role treats as required.
What skills does a cultural centre director need to become a cultural policy officer?
7 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is establish relationship with the media.
How hard is the move from cultural centre director to cultural policy officer?
Its learning distance is 41.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.