Overall Purpose of the role

You will be working with the Director, Music to develop policy, and support and manage relationships with key stakeholders both internally and externally. You will undertake key planning, fund development and relationship manager co-ordination roles nationally.  These roles will address objectives within the appropriate artform plan and the Arts Council plan.

Main day to day responsibilities

You will liaise with Director, Music and National Music Team Assistant to plan and coordinate National Music Team meetings, compile agendas, prepare papers and presentations and ensure any developed actions arising are carried out.

You will retain an overview of working groups across the National Music Team, coordinate sub-genre and other relevant meetings and collate information as required as well as disseminate key information to the National Music Team.

You will liaise with investment Centre colleagues to collate and analyse data across funding programmes nationally (e.g. DYCP, Elevate, NLPG).

You will be liaising with the data team to ensure the data library and reports are up to date and correct including Quarterly investment reports.

You will support the Director, Music in the delivery of national objectives for music and keeping corporate plan up to date and ensure the equality objectives align with development of national music projects and plans.

You will support Director, Music in commenting on applications made through relevant funding schemes and programmes to ensure a consistent approach, contributing expertise and knowledge as appropriate.

You will support specific initiatives responding to music-related equality and inclusion agendas in the UK and aligning any arising plans to the national diversity agenda.

You will support the delivery of ongoing funding programmes including, as required, fulfilling the role of relationship manager for one or more Investment Programme Support Organisations in Music.

You will liaise with other artform and discipline Senior Managers to ensure music is represented in discussions and aligned to national initiatives and policies.

You will bring your expertise in music to national discussions and advice-giving framework to ensure there is national consistency.

You will support intelligence gathering, respond to questions and input as required into national policy team.

You will act as an advocate for the Arts Council, acting as a deputy to the Director, Music where appropriate.

You will combine specialist knowledge and expertise with a flexibility and curiosity to work beyond that specialism, drawing on the expertise of colleagues as needed and contributing to areas outside of specialism to support the execution of the ACE 2021-24 delivery plan.

Finally, you will actively contribute to and champion the organisation’s commitment to diversity and its implications for the arts and culture, promoting a diversity perspective in all aspects of your responsibilities.

Key relationships

You will work across the organisation with Directors, Senior Managers, Senior Relationship Managers and Relationship Managers as well as the Policy, Governance and Planning teams and the Investment Centre. 

You will also work with investment partners and others to support the development and management of national funding programmes.

Organisationally, we operate as a fully interconnected structure and you will be expected to work in an environment that relies on collaboration, flexibility and the ability to manage both formal and informal reporting relationships.

Essential (Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours)

Knowledge and understanding of the music sector and its current challenges and opportunities is essential: outstanding administrative skills and a love for music are key: knowledge and experience of working in or with one or more genres of music is an asset. You will have a developed understanding of the current context for external partnerships in the arts and culture sector.

You will have the ability to absorb and analyse complex information and to develop understanding across a number of policy areas in addition to your own expertise in an artform or cross cutting policy area.

You will have proven senior experience of policy development at a national level, and a proven ability to work at both national and local level. You will also have strong analytical skills, policy expertise, experience in overseeing the delivery of complex and multiple projects, coordinating teams, and demonstrate the capability of taking on a management role.

You will have extensive experience of working closely with arts and cultural organisations at executive and board level, advising and supporting them on a range of artistic and management issues.

You will need to have a good understanding of organisational dynamics – including business planning, financial reporting, performance management and governance – to underpin your advice and support both internally and externally, to drive up sector performance.

You will be a credible advocate for both the Arts Council and the arts and cultural sector to partners and stakeholders in other sectors.

You will need leadership skills, with proven experience of leading, supporting and mentoring teams and focusing them on delivering agreed objectives and outcomes: particularly when working in a collaborative, interconnected structure wherein individuals have dual roles and a range of accountabilities.

You will have a good understanding of the Arts Council’s duty as a public body under current diversity legislation, the current diversity agenda and its relationship to the arts and culture.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and we participate in the ‘Offer an Interview’ scheme, which means that we offer an interview to any disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role they’re applying to, subject to the volume of applications received. Disabled candidates, those living with a long-term condition and/ or neurodivergent candidates may be eligible for this scheme.

Our Code of Ethics requires that employees of the Arts Council are not able to receive an Arts Council grant, investment or loan funding - either in person, as a member of a partnership, or for any organisation they own. There are also limitations on board or CEO positions employees can hold in organisations we fund. For more information on this, please talk to the recruiting manager or contact recruitment@artscouncil.org.uk

 1st Interviews: (virtual) 4 November

2nd Interviews: (virtual) 13 November