Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities

Host organisation: Glasgow Film Theatre

Project title: Cinema For All: Understanding and Demonstrating Glasgow Film’s Social Impact and value

Project description

Glasgow Film is seeking an experienced researcher to help us understand, measure and communicate the social impact and social value created through our work.

Our vision is Cinema For All. Through Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow Film Festival and our year-round learning, community, access and talent-development activity, we aim to make cinema an inclusive, welcoming and participatory part of Glasgow’s cultural life.

We currently collect information about attendance, audiences, programme delivery and individual projects. However, we do not yet have a consistent organisation-wide methodology for identifying and measuring the changes our work creates for individuals, communities, the screen sector and the city.

We wish to develop an approach that is robust, proportionate and capable of being maintained by Glasgow Film after the commission ends.

Outputs

The appointed researcher will be expected to deliver:

  • A clear understanding of Glasgow Film’s current evidence, data quality, baseline position and key gaps.
  • A stakeholder-informed Theory of Change and organisation-wide Social Impact Framework.
  • A practical, proportionate methodology for measuring social impact and social value across Glasgow Film’s activities.
  • An agreed set of outcomes, indicators and KPIs aligned with organisational and external priorities.
  • Tested data-collection tools, templates and ethical protocols suitable for ongoing use by staff.
  • A clear approach to demonstrating Glasgow Film’s contribution to change and assessing how benefits are distributed across different communities.
  • Recommendations on when and how social value, longer-term outcomes and any monetary valuation should be measured.
  • An implementation plan setting out priorities, responsibilities, resource requirements, reporting arrangements and staff training.
  • A final report and prototype impact dashboard, supported by practical case studies, that clearly communicate Glasgow Film’s impact to trustees, funders, partners and the public.

In person/remote/hybrid

Hybrid.

We would be able to make desk space available if the research intern wished to be based in GFT. As an organisation, we follow a hybrid work model.

Benefits to the researcher

This is a chance to work with one of Scotland’s leading cultural organisations and home to Glasgow Film Festival, the second biggest film festival in the UK. You will be able to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including audiences, community participants, industry professionals, filmmakers, funders and partners.

You will help shape how one of Scotland's leading cultural organisations understands, demonstrates and communicates its impact on audiences, communities, the screen sector and the city, while supporting wider sector learning on measuring cultural impact. This in turn could also be shared with other similar organisations, or small organisations we work with, as a framework seeking to help evidence their social investment.

Key relationships

  • Members of the Glasgow Film team
  • Audiences, including those who face barriers to participation in the arts
  • Funders
  • Members of the public not currently attending GFT

Subject areas

This opportunity would be relevant to the following subject areas:

Visual Arts; Curating; Policy, Arts Management and Creative Industries; Media and Communication Studies.

Person specification

A1. Knowledge Base
  • Essential: Research methods – theoretical knowledge; Research methods – Practical application; Information Seeking; Information literacy and management.
  • Desirable: Subject knowledge.
A2. Cognitive Abilities
  • Essential: Analysing; Synthesising; Critical thinking; Problem Solving; Evaluating.
A3. Creativity
  • Essential: Inquiring minds; Intellectual insight; Innovation.
B1. Personal qualities
  • Essential: Enthusiasm; Integrity; Responsibility.
  • Desirable: Perseverance; Self-confidence; Self-reflection.
B2. Self management
  • Essential: Preparation and prioritisation; Commitment to research; Time management; Responsiveness to change; Work-life balance.
B3. Professional & career development
  • Desirable: Networking.
C1. Professional conduct
  • Essential: Ethics, principles and sustainability; Legal requirements; IPR and copyright; Respect and confidentiality; Attribution and co-authorship; Appropriate practice.
C2. Research management
  • Essential: Research Strategy; Project planning and delivery; Risk management.
D1. Working with others
  • Essential: Team working; Collegiality.
D2. Communication & dissemination
  • Essential: Communication methods; Communication media; Publication.

First published: 28 September 2026

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