Orchestra Manager, BBC Concert Orchestra in City of London

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: D

CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time

DEPARTMENT: BBC Concert Orchestra

LOCATION: Broadcasting House, London

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £50,000 – £60,000 (+ London Weighting of £5,441)

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The BBC Concert Orchestra brings inspiring musical experiences to everyone, everywhere, with the Orchestra’s versatility to the fore. For BBC Radio 3 the Orchestra explores a wide selection of music, ranging from classical to contemporary, and broadcasts weekly in its long running live music programme, Friday Night is Music Night. It has performed on many soundtracks, including Blue Planet, Call the Midwife, Strictly Come Dancing and Wild Isles for BBC One. It performs in BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, which has featured over 16 collaborations with pop artists so far in 2025, including Gary Barlow and Myles Smith, and reaches tens of millions of viewers across social media.

The Orchestra appears annually at the BBC Proms and regularly at London’s Southbank Centre and venues across the UK. Earlier this year, it became the first Associate Orchestra at Alexandra Palace, it has a long‑term studio space relationship with the Watford Colosseum, and is in the third year of its successful partnership with the Universities for Nottingham.

The BBC CO offers enjoyable and innovative education and community activities and is involved in BBC Ten Pieces, the BBC Young Composer competition, and the BBC Open Music programme.

The Orchestra has an outstanding and growing roster of conductors and artists, including Chief Conductor Anna Maria Helsing, Principal Guest Conductor and Curator Edwin Outwater and Associate Conductor Jerome Kuhn.

The BBC CO is also looking ahead to its 75th anniversary year in 2027 and is in the initial stages of planning a series of events celebrating the Orchestra across its full range of activity.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

We are looking for someone who will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Orchestra across rehearsal, recording, broadcast and performance, achieving this through the BBC Values and building trusting, close and respectful relationships with our musicians, the artists we work with, our wider management team, and colleagues across our partners and the BBC.

The Orchestra is part of the Concert Orchestra’s senior management team, alongside the Orchestra Director, Head of Artistic Planning, and Producer.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

• Embody and demonstrate the BBC Values – Audiences, Creativity, Trust, Respect, Accountability and One BBC – across the role.
• Be the immediate line manager of members of the Orchestra, looking for development opportunities and resolving all personnel matters.
• Develop the Orchestral management team and leadership of our operations and production teams.
• Bring a passion and drive for inclusivity, building on our successful adoption of the Ten Point Inclusive Recruitment Plan, and grow opportunities for freelance musicians from all backgrounds in the Orchestra.
• Oversee the contribution of relevant data to BBC Ensembles inclusivity reporting.
• Ensure that the Orchestra works within the rules and regulations governing the employment of orchestral musicians as agreed with the Musicians’ Union and the BBC.
• Work closely with the Orchestra’s MU Representatives and Players Committee on all appropriate matters, including the interpretation of Union agreements.
• Lead on all aspects of Health and Safety for the Orchestra, oversee the completion of risk assessments for all Orchestra activity with particular attention to Noise in the Workplace regulations.
• Monitor orchestral and production costs against budget, working alongside the Director, Head of Artistic Planning and finance colleagues as part of the annual budgeting process.

Due to the nature of the role, the Orchestra Manager is required to travel across the UK internationally and to work on evenings and weekends as dictated by the Orchestra’s performance schedule.

To download a copy of the job pack which includes the full job description, follow the link HERE

For any further information or to discuss the role further, please contact The Orchestra’s Director, Matthew Swann at matthew.swann@bbc.co.uk

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

• Substantial experience working with orchestral musicians and managing musical events.
• Personable manner with the ability to build warm, trustful relationships with colleagues, partners and creative collaborators.
• Substantial management experience, especially the ability to resolve interpersonal situations amicably, with tact, sensitivity, and diplomacy.
• Knowledge of, interest in and understanding of how orchestras engage in a wide range of musical repertoire.
• Clear understanding of budgets, and the ability to monitor and maintain departmental budgets.
• Commitment to and passion for equality, diversity and inclusion principles and action.
• Excellent planning and project management skills.
• Understanding risk and safety, including managing Noise at Work in live music settings.

CP25

DISclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

For any general queries, please contact: bbchr@bbc.co.uk

REDEployment

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.

Benefits

• Fair pay and flexible benefits including a competitive salary package, a flexible 35‑hour working week, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care and gym.

• Excellent career and professional development.

• Support in your working life, including flexible working which you can discuss with us at any point during the application, selection or offer.

• A values‑based organisation where the way we do things is important as what we do.

Benefits may vary if you are joining on an FTC basis.

Commitment to diversity and inclusion

We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual\’s unique contribution, so all our employees feel that they can belong, thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to join us. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio‑economic background, religion and/or belief.

Find out more about diversity, inclusion and belonging in our strategy below.

Disable ment Confident

We are a disability confident employer. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the interview process, or to carry out this role, please contact us via email and we’d be happy to discuss: reasonable.adjustments@bbc.co.uk