Les Girafes by Compagnie OFF (Bradford 2025; Photo – Patrycja Maziarz)

Systems Design for Bradford 2025 (August 2024 – present)

Bradford was the UK City of Culture for 2025 and delivered a year-long programme of 1,000+ events and 25 major festivals – a huge celebration of one of the youngest, most diverse and dynamic places in the UK. Bradford 2025 took place throughout Bradford District, which covers 141 square miles across West Yorkshire. It featured performances, exhibitions, events and activities inspired by the extraordinary variety of this landscape, from the city’s historic centre to the stunning countryside that surrounds it. It paid homage to Bradford’s heritage as everything from a former industrial powerhouse to the world’s first UNESCO City of Film. Most of all, it celebrated the people of Bradford, from local artists and creative organisations to the diverse communities who call Bradford home.

I have worked with Bradford 2025 since August 2024 as a Systems and Processes Consultant, overseeing the implementation and ongoing evolution of the organisation’s centralised project management system (built on the Airtable platform). Working closely with teams across the organisation, and alongside developers Simple Stack, I have been responsible for shaping the processes and workflows that underpin the delivery of Bradford 2025’s complex, multi-strand programme. This has involved defining how projects are planned, managed and monitored across departments, ensuring that teams have the tools, systems and reporting frameworks required to deliver effectively at scale.

My work has included workflow mapping and process design, custom database architecture and configuration, the design and build of user-facing interfaces and dashboards, and the development of bespoke automations and scripting solutions to meet evolving operational requirements. Alongside system development, I have led user support, training and continuous improvement, working with teams to identify opportunities to refine processes and embed new ways of working.

I have designed and delivered solutions across multiple departments, including:

Evaluation: Developed a data capture and reporting framework to monitor and analyse a wide range of evaluation metrics.
Finance: Led the design and implementation of a bespoke finance module, enabling teams to build, manage and reconcile project budgets within a single centralised system.
Engagement: Created a comprehensive impact tracking system to capture participation, reach and outcomes across the Community Participation and Cultural Learning programmes.
Venues: Designed operational tools and workflows to support the day-to-day management of Bradford 2025’s venue operations teams.

Read more in Simple Stack’s Bradford 2025 case study here.

• Systems & Processes