Association of British Orchestras

Head of Development & Communications

Southbank Sinfonia at St John's Smith Square By Negotiation Closing date 07 October 2021
Southbank Sinfonia at St John’s Smith Square is the exciting coming together of two much-loved and well-respected music organisations: the orchestra - Southbank Sinfonia, and the venue – St John’s Smith Square. Now one organisation, with a unified management structure, Southbank Sinfonia at St John’s Smith Square is a dynamic beacon for classical music.

This new position will see you playing a leading role in the organisation’s future development as part of the Senior Management Team. You’ll be working in a supportive, vibrant and fast-paced environment, collaborating with a wide array of colleagues, artists, stakeholders and supporters.

This is a breakthrough time for our organisation, as we embark on the 20th anniversary of the orchestra, a capital campaign for the concert hall, and the review and implementation of branding across the whole organisation.

You may have worked in development with an orchestra, a venue, or another art form before. Equally, you might bring a blazing passion for music from your development experience elsewhere. What’s crucial is that you’re eager to think creatively and are excited to join us.

The successful candidate will be a member of the Senior Management Team (alongside the Head of Operations, the Head of Finance and the two Co-Directors) and will provide leadership across the Development, Communications and Sales team.

Key Responsibilities/Duties
Lead the development of strategy and work plans for revenue and capital fundraising; marketing, communications and PR; and data management and ticket sales.

Duties include:
• Leading the Development Team, setting and delivering ambitious fundraising targets to support our work, including working with individual donors, trusts and foundations, corporate sponsors, and government/agency partners as appropriate (c.£1 million per annum for revenue and c.£10 million for the capital project);
• Breaking down agreed annual targets and delivering strategies for each fundraising source for both capital requirements and annual fundraising;
• Leading the Communications Team to ensure the organisation’s work reaches a wide and diverse audience;
• Leading the Sales and Data team to ensure sales are maximised and that the organisation’s data is maintained and used efficiently and in full compliance with GDPR regulations.
• Collaborating with Trustees and other stakeholders to maximise opportunities for the organisation.
• Preparing reports and participating in Board meetings;
• Engaging with artists, audiences, donors and stakeholders and involving them in the life of the organisation; in conjunction with colleagues, develop, and maintain individual giving Friends and Membership schemes and initiatives to drive revenue and regular patronage;
• Provide all donors with high quality stewardship, including thanking and acknowledging donations, making regular updates, ticket bookings (as appropriate), etc;
• Manage the Development budget.

Head of Development and Communications – Person Specification

Southbank Sinfonia at St John’s Smith Square is able to achieve all it does thanks to a dedicated, hard-working team. Within this, each colleague plays a singular role, vital to the organisation. We are now looking for someone who is, first and foremost, excited and inspired by our work, and who has the potential to make an integral contribution to our future.

We are keen for individuals with a wide range of professional experiences and backgrounds to apply for this role, and are happy to consider applicants without direct work experience of every element of the key responsibilities above.

You should be articulate and imaginative: we want someone who can make a great case for why music matters today. You should equally know what it takes to work in a busy organisation, able to balance numerous priorities and fulfil them all with efficiency and style.

Applicants are also encouraged to draw on any relevant experience they may have gained in voluntary work or in their own projects. There are, however, a number of qualities we are looking for:

Essential
• A broad knowledge of and interest in classical music and the performing arts;
• Substantial and evidenced experience of fundraising in the arts;
• Experience of communicating with diverse audiences across a range of media;
• Proven success in devising and delivering fundraising strategies, including fundraising from Trusts and Foundations, securing gifts from a range of individual donors, and corporate sponsorship;
• Motivated by results – a strong and valued team member who can also work independently and achieve goals.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills and a meticulous eye for detail;
• An enthusiastic networker and advocate with good social skills and the ability to engage with donors successfully;
• A pro-active “can do” attitude;
• Ability to manage and prioritise a diverse and fast moving workload, anticipating and meeting deadlines as required;
• Ability and willingness to work weekends and evenings as appropriate;
• Experience of working with trustees and stakeholders;
• A proven track record of seeking out new opportunities and prospects;

Desirable
• Educated to degree level or equivalent;
• Experience of working on a capital appeal;
• Experience of devising strategy;
• Strong IT skills, including knowledge of Adobe In-Design and CRM and ticket sales systems;
• Experience of managing people;
• Experience of working with classical music.

Salary and Terms and Conditions
Full time – part-time or flexible working will also be considered
Salary: commensurate with experience
Pension: Southbank Sinfonia at St John’s Smith Square operates a work-place pension scheme, operated by Nest Pensions (www.nestpensions.org.uk). Current contributions rates are 5% employee contributions, augmented by 3% employer contributions, making a total of 8%
Hours: 35 hours per week (full-time), with TOIL scheme for additional hours
Annual Leave: 25 days per annum + statutory bank holidays
Probationary period: Six Months
Notice Required: Three Months
Office hours are 9.45am to 5.15pm at St John’s Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HA or 4 Millbank, London, SW1P 3JQ. Flexible working, with a mix of office and home working is also possible
You may be asked to work outside office hours and in other locations from time to time as required.

Please apply by filling in the Job Application Form, found here: https://www.sjss.org.uk/vacancies and send this, by email, to Barbara Wołczek on Barbara@sjss.org.uk. Please note that CVs will not be accepted. As part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, all applications will be anonymised before consideration for shortlisting by the selection panel.

If you would like to have an informal conversation about the role please contact Simon Over by email: simon@southbanksinfonia.co.uk or Richard Heason by email: richard@sjss.org.uk.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Thursday 7th October 2021, 3pm
INTERVIEWS: Week Commencing Monday 11th October 2021

Contact details

barbara@sjss.org.uk
02072222168
Southbank Sinfonia at St John's Smith Square
St John's Smith Square
London
SW1P 3HA

Annual Conference

The next ABO conference will take place in Gateshead,
hosted by The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, from 5-7 February 2025.