Paul started his career in the funding system in England, working for Arts Council England, West Midlands in the Visual Arts and Policy departments. He went on to work for a music social enterprise organisation, developing innovative approaches to music education whist presenting commercial events with hip-hop, UK garage and grime musicians.

A move into dance, initially as a producer, led to Paul working for DanceXchange on the inaugural International Dance Festival Birmingham, going on to lead the programming, producing and artist development activity of the organisation and festival from 2008 until 2014.

On leaving DanceXchange, Paul began a period of freelance consultancy. As well as leading UK-wide projects on artist development and international showcasing, he undertook a number of short-term leadership roles with major UK dance organisations including Yorkshire Dance, Greenwich Dance, The Place and Dance4. He moved to Edinburgh to take up the post at Creative Scotland.