Learning & Participation Producer

ETO is seeking an ambitious Producer to join our award-winning Learning Participation team. We are looking for someone with strong organisational skills, who thrives in a busy environment and is passionate about producing new children’s opera which is accessible for all. You will be driven by getting the logistics right, so creativity can flourish across multiple freelance teams and a variety of stakeholders.

The role is an integral part of a small team, working closely with the Head of L P. Central to ETO’s programming is our award-winning Learning Participation (L P) department, which annually works with over 8,000 children in schools nationwide. With inclusion, participation, and co-creation at its heart, we work with schools, families and communities to open up access into the world of opera. Every year, we commission, produce, and tour two bespoke participatory operas for children. We perform nationally over 65 times in schools, libraries and venues to both school and family audiences.

Each Autumn we tour a sensory-friendly opera, co-created with and for children in SEND schools, and each Spring we commission work for a KS2 primary school audience. As testament to our groundbreaking work with young people across England, The Wish Gatherer, ETO’s Spring 2023 opera for Key Stage Two won the 2023 Best Opera Award (powered by RESEO) at the YAMawards, and our Spring 2025 opera, The Vanishing Forest recently won a Fringe Theatre Award 25/26 for Theatre for Young Audiences (Music) and the production is about to tour schools in Wales with the Welsh National Opera.

This is a unique position offering the opportunity to produce two new children’s operas each year, whilst also working across our school and community workshop programmes. The ideal candidate will be a proactive, outgoing individual with excellent interpersonal skills. The role requires rigorous attention to detail, and an ability to work well under pressure. Whilst a knowledge and passion for opera and theatre is useful, it is not essential and we welcome applications from people who have worked more generally across the arts and education sectors.

The role will be based in our Sheffield office, and with some remote work and international travel. The role will require travel to performances, meetings, and events around the country especially during touring seasons (usually October - November and February - May).

Duties and Responsibilities

• Booking schools and supporting teams on ETO workshop programmes including ETO Lyrics, ETO Perform and Turtle Song
• Coordinating freelance teams, organising logistics and leading on evaluation for workshop programmes ETO Lyrics, ETO Perform and Turtle Song informed by the Arts Council’s Let’s Create and Levelling Up strategies.
• Support Head of L P to develop and maintain relationships with schools, music hubs and regional venues
• Liaise with Head of L P on curation of L P output including new children’s opera commissions.
• Lead on the production elements of the L P operas alongside Head of Learning Participation working closely with the freelance stage manager and creative team.
• Act as Production Manager in rehearsals for L P productions
• Act as Sustainability Champion for L P productions working closely with freelance design team to achieve Theatre Greenbook
• Lead on schools booking for ETO’s L P tours alongside Head of Learning Participation
• Lead on DBS checks and child licensing when needed
• Write and manage Access Pack and contribute to Teachers Pack for L P productions
• Write copy for L P evaluation reports, ETO programmes and teacher information packs
• Manage L P project evaluation and data processing in liaison with the Head of L P, Development and Marketing teams
• Lead on integrating accessibility into L P productions, including writing and/or operating captions for L P performances if necessary
• Undertake the role of Deputy Designated Safeguarding Officer
• Process invoices for the L P department, update budgets and process travel and subsistence payments for singers and instrumentalists on tour
• Work closely with Head of L P to contribute to L P’s overarching strategy
• Ensure that all activities fully comply with ETO’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) policy.
• Keep up to date with best practice and developments in arts fundraising in order to maintain a strong presence for ETO in the sector
• Contribute to the work of other departments within ETO and carry out, within reason, other duties to further the objectives of the company
• Act as an ambassador for the company at all times
• Regularly attend performances during ETO’s tours, across England

Person specification

• A highly motivated, resourceful, and creative individual who can operate as self-starter
• Prior experience of producing professional children’s opera and/or theatre
• Relevant experience in an arts or arts education-based environment, with a good knowledge of the National Curriculum
• A confident writer and communicator with strong interpersonal skills to interact with wide range of stakeholders
• A passion for the arts, music, access and ETO’s mission.
• Strong organisational, scheduling and planning skills
• Expertise in inclusive practice and producing workshops and/or productions for Learning Disabled audiences
• Budgeting, invoicing and contracting experience for arts projects
• Willingness to travel and work regionally within the UK, including staying away from home

How to apply

Please email your CV (maximum two pages) and a covering letter (maximum two pages) outlining in detail why you are applying for the role and how your skills and experience make you a suitable candidate via the button below. If you would like to submit your cover letter and submission of interest in a non-written format, please submit a video or voice recording (or a link to one). Please ensure these are no longer than 5 minutes. Please also fill in the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form, which will be anonymised, stored separately from your application, and will not be considered as part of it. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact admin@etopera.org.uk. We actively encourage applications from disabled people, working class people and people from global majority backgrounds, as these groups are currently under-represented in the cultural sector.