Orchestras Official

Do you have knowledge and experience of the orchestral sector and the working lives of orchestral musicians in the UK? Do you have good negotiation skills, and an understanding of collective bargaining agreements? You could be the person we are looking for to join our Orchestras team. This role could be well suited to professional orchestral musicians who have been active in Union work and are considering a career change, or individuals with detailed knowledge of the orchestral sector.

The Musicians' Union (MU) represents over 36,500 musicians across the UK working in all sectors of the music business with over 5,000 working in the orchestra sector. We are currently recruiting a full-time, permanent, Orchestras Official. This is a high-impact role at the forefront of supporting and championing orchestral musicians across the UK. You’ll lead in negotiating the collective agreements that shape musicians’ working lives, representing the views of members and shaping sector-wide change.

You’ll also be a trusted representative for MU members, providing individual support on workplace issues with confidence and care, including accompanying members to disciplinary, grievance or other workplace meetings. The successful candidate will have the ability to undertake frequent travel across the UK, sometimes requiring overnight stays. They will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills as well as the ability to prioritise workload, multitasking to effectively meet deadlines. An understanding of employment law is desirable.

The Orchestras Official will work as part of a team of four in the Orchestras department, line managed by the National Organiser Orchestras. The role can be carried out anywhere in the UK with hybrid working predominantly from home and linked to your nearest MU Office.

We are offering a salary of £67,130, plus London or Regional Weighting, as well as excellent staff benefits including a contribution towards a personal pension, flexible working and access to ongoing training and development. The annual leave entitlement for this post is 30 days, excluding public holidays.

For an application form and full job description, please visit our website. The closing date for applications is Thursday 19 February 2026 at 12:00 Midday. Interviews will be held in-person at our Head Office in London Bridge in mid-March / early April 2026. Applications are only accepted using our Application Form - we do not accept CVs / Resumes.

If you require the Application Form in a different format or reasonable adjustments to be made to the recruitment process, please contact recruitment@themu.org to discuss how we can accommodate your needs.

The MU’s mission is to create an equitable music industry where all musicians can thrive. We’re committed to doing the same with our workplaces. As our membership becomes more diverse, we’re working to make sure our teams reflect our members. At the MU we welcome people with diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. You’ll be encouraged to be your authentic self, and you’ll have the freedom to develop professionally and personally in a supportive and empowering workplace.

Actions speak louder than words so to further our culture of inclusion, we invest in several ED I initiatives. We encourage people from all sections of our community to apply for roles with us. We particularly welcome applicants from the Global Majority and Disabled applicants as these communities are currently under-represented in our workforce. The MU are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for this role.