Job Description .buttontext1967aeac1bf131b4 a{ border: 1px solid transparent; } .buttontext1967aeac1bf131b4 a: focus{ border: 1px dashed #757575 !important; outline: none !important; }
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Job Requisition ID: 51411
Job Closing Date: Wednesday 30 September 2026
Salford, GBR, M50 2QH

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JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: F
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time
DEPARTMENT: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
LOCATION: Salford
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £85,000-£100,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

We're happy to discuss flexible working. If you'd like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there's no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra is central to the BBC’s ambitions in classical music and to the BBC’s Value for All strategy. We are seeking a new Director who will have the opportunity to build the long-term future for this ensemble on the strong foundations of its excellence, international reputation and audience reach, particularly in the areas of new talent, music education, and innovation and partnerships.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

The role offers the opportunity to lead one of the world’s leading public service media ensembles delivering the highest quality performance with commercial ambition and digital reach for audiences locally and globally in an organisation that prides itself on being a great place to work.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

The BBC ensembles collectively are working to open up the sector to new talent and increase their role in music education via partnerships and innovation. The BBC’s orchestras and choirs have been at the heart of its offer to audiences for over 100 years, and their success has always been built on a willingness to change and adapt in order to deliver for audiences. The new Director will have the opportunity to build on the success of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra as a local and global orchestra with its roots in its community in Salford and Greater Manchester.

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Director will have the opportunity to:

Build on the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s strong partnerships inside and outside of the BBC and across the UK.
Invest more in education, placing learning at the heart of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s work and seeking to enhance the BBC’s digital offer.
Continue to open up the classical sector as a place to work. The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra has a long and distinguished history in developing new talent, there is an urgent need to open up the classical sector as a place where everyone is welcome and the new Director will play a leading role in addressing that need.
Innovate to bring classical music to new audiences. The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra has always been innovative in its approach to audiences, through its collaborations, artists, and repertoire it seeks to redefine what an orchestra is and can be. Working in partnership with BBC colleagues and external partners ranging from Aviva Studios in Manchester to venues in Stoke-on-Trent, Kendal and Leeds to education partners including the Greater Manchester Music Education Hub and the Royal Northern College of Music the Director of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra will lead this passionate and creative ensemble with confidence and vision.
YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
The Director of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra will bring a strong artistic vision, a passion for orchestral music in all its forms, business acumen and strong financial management skills with the ability to develop the commercial, touring and educational priorities for the orchestra. They will be a good communicator and will lead the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra with integrity and conviction. Partnership building will be key to the future of the orchestra, working collaboratively with the musicians and staff of the orchestra, with existing partners both within and beyond the BBC, and building new relationships. The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra prides itself on its local and global identity and reach. The new Director will advocate for the orchestra with a clear understanding of the individuals, the history and the collective identity of the ensemble and its role as a media orchestra with its roots in its community in Salford and Greater Manchester.

The successful candidate will have a passion for high quality orchestral performance, an understanding and commitment to public service broadcasting, and an international perspective that informs local delivery, the knowledge and understanding of the modern orchestral ecology that puts education and learning at the heart of the work of an internationally renowned orchestra; they will be innovative, their creative instincts developing the range of work as the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra builds its commercial income, develops and grows its partnerships internally within the BBC, locally from its home in Salford and globally, reaching wider and more diverse audiences, and continues to be a place where talent can thrive. The Director will have a commitment to opening up the orchestral sector through programming, recruitment and audience reach.

For more details, contact Simon Webb, Head of Orchestras and Choirs, BBC at Simon.webb@bbc.co.uk

Being a leader at the BBC means putting the organisation’s interest, goals and values first, ahead of individual team or function needs. The characteristics of an enterprise leader are: Focuses on outcomes over activity, adapts quickly, and simplifies complexity. They balance short-term actions with long-term impact, take full accountability for actions and decision-making, and prioritise capability development to create teams fit for the future.

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

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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.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Recruitment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.

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

We are unable to accept applications via CV and only applications made online will be considered. Please click on the APPLY NOW button to proceed with your application.

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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.