Edinburgh Youth Orchestra: General Manager

Edinburgh Youth Orchestra

Location: Hybrid between home working and Edinburgh

Salary: £12,600 (£31,500 pro rata)

Deadline: 5pm on 30/05/25

Edinburgh Youth Orchestra is seeking a General Manager to take over the day-to-day running of the charity and its delivery of orchestral and ensemble opportunities for young instrumentalists in Scotland.

The Role of General Manager

Reporting directly to the Board of Directors, the General Manager takes responsibility for the planning, administration and delivery of all EYO activities. The role will suit an exceptionally well organised, self-motivated individual with a passion for orchestral performance with young people. It is expected that the General Manager will:

● Be a key contributory member of the organisation

● Develop a mutually supportive and close working relationship with the Board of Directors and supporters of the orchestra

● Implement policy decisions in a way that reflects well on the organisation

● Promote the work of the organisation in all circumstances, and seek opportunities for so doing

● Be well informed about the provision of music education in schools and colleges and through

specialist courses, both in term-time and holiday periods

● Maintain strong and progressive links with all who are or have been associated with the EYO

Key Responsibilities

● Planning, organising and administration. To make all arrangements necessary for courses, rehearsals and concerts, and meetings of the Board of Directors. To respond to enquiries from parents and others. To keep all records up to date.

● Attending courses, rehearsals and concerts. To be present at all EYO events and ensure their smooth running.

● Financial management. To prepare and regularly update an annual budget. To keep accurate financial records on a day-to-day basis and to liaise with others in the preparation of the annual accounts. To oversee the allocation of bursaries for attendance at EYO courses.

● Fundraising. To research and apply for funding of EYO activities to trust funds, foundations, businesses and individuals, and to report on EYO events as required by each funder.

● Monitoring and reporting. To ensure members of the Board of Directors are consulted and kept informed as appropriate. To schedule, contribute to, and take minutes at Board meetings. To seek feedback from course participants in order to inform future activities. To create an annual report to accompany the annual accounts.

● Legal Responsibilities. To assist the Company Secretary and others in communication with OSCR, and to be the official representative for EYO with Disclosure Scotland, ensuring statutory requirements are met, and ensuring compliance with data protection and child protection responsibilities.

● Staffing. To research, recommend and book staff as appropriate for EYO courses, in consultation with members of the Board as necessary. To support staff and volunteers, practically and emotionally, in their work with EYO.

● Librarian. To source and organise hires of scores and parts for selected repertoire, and to organise copying and printing of rehearsal scores and parts as necessary.

● Publicity. To arrange for publicity leaflets for all courses and events to be printed and distributed, and to prepare concert programmes as appropriate. To keep the orchestra website and social media feeds up-to-date, and to prepare adverts and press releases as required.

● Strategic Planning. To work in consultation with the Board of Directors to ensure that EYO is run in such a way as to aid its development in the long term.

Person Specification

It is expected that the new General Manager will:

● Have a strong interest and experience in music education, and in particular orchestral and ensemble performance.

● Have previous experience in organising musical and/or educational events.

● Have an existing network in the field of music education and orchestral performance.

● Be well-organised, calm and supportive.

● Have integrity, energy, stamina, patience and a sense of humour.

● Be proactive, self-motivated and able to work flexibly and to deadlines without supervision on a daily basis, prioritising and seeking help and advice as necessary.

● Have the ability to think creatively, solving problems and taking initiative as necessary.

● Have excellent written and verbal communication skills.

● Be computer-literate, including familiarity with spreadsheets, and the ability to learn to use software packages such as the orchestra's Customer Relationship Management tool.

● Have a keen eye for detail.

● Have strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to ensure that pastoral care and well-being of participants is at the forefront of all EYO activities.

Who we are

EYO was formed more than 60 years ago with the aim of bringing together young musicians from Edinburgh, the Lothians and across Scotland to perform orchestral and ensemble music. Through anumber of holiday courses, the orchestra is able to offer high quality orchestral and ensemble playing to very able young musicians, working with professional conductors, soloists and tutors, as well as supporting the development of younger players who otherwise may have few or no opportunities to participate in group music-making.

A job description outlining key responsibilities is also available.

How to apply

To apply, please send a CV (no more than two sides of A4)and a covering letter (no more than a single side of A4) to David Elliott, Chair of the Board of Directors, via email to davidelliott.eyo@gmail.com. Please include details of two referees. Applications should be received by 5pm on Friday 30 May 2025. Interviews will take place in early June.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact the current General Manager, Wendy Elliott, initially by email: wendyelliott.eyo@gmail.com.

The deadline is Friday 30 May 2025 at 17:00.