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Sage Gateshead

Artistic Planning Manager

Deadline for applications: 9am, Friday 9th June
Reports to: Head of Artistic Planning
Location: Sage Gateshead
Working hours: 36 hours per week, This role involves some evening/weekend work attending concerts and events as required for which Time off in Lieu will be agreed.
Salary: SCP 25 £24,835 – SCP 27 £26,439 per annum

About Sage Gateshead

We are an international music centre based on the banks of the River Tyne. We are a unique venue where artists from across the world perform and audiences from a wide range of backgrounds come to hear, make, and enjoy all types of music.

We support local people to be creative, to develop a passion for music and put music at the heart of communities. Our artist development programme provides local artists with the opportunities they need to develop a career in music. We support young people to make music in our building and in the wider community through programmes such as In Harmony Newcastle Gateshead.

We believe our work makes life better for people in the North East. We’re building a creative, diverse, and passionate team and that’s where you come in…

About you 

Are you self-motivated, happy working in a team environment and flexible enough to adapt to a changing environment? If this sounds like you, here are some specific types of experience that will help you hit the ground running.  

You must have proven experience. skills or knowledge of: 

  • Excellent administrative and organisational skills
  • Ability to work under pressure and prioritise a busy and complex workload
  • Organised and methodical, whilst remaining flexible to respond to changing context
  • Ability to ensure departmental deadlines are met and to identify and find solutions to potential challenges in creative and production processes
  • Confident user of IT systems including Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to work confidently and professionally across the organisation at all levels and externally with partner organisations, visiting ensembles, artists and their agents.
  • Involvement in the delivery of live performance/projects
  • Highly motivated and committed to the values of Sage Gateshead and prepared to go the extra mile to ensure our work is of the highest standard possible
  • UK driving licence
  • Prepared and able to work evenings and weekends as required

It also helps if you have:

  • Working knowledge of OPAS, Artifax and Tessitura planning systems
  • Knowledge of chamber music and standard chamber orchestra repertoire
  • Experience of working with professional orchestral musicians, international artist managements companies and/or artists
  • Ability to read music and/or understand orchestrations

If you’re not a perfect match for the job description and criteria, we encourage you to apply anyway. We are more interested in your determination, positivity, and willingness to get stuck in.

About the role of Artistic Planning Manager at Sage Gateshead 

This is one of six Manager roles sitting within the classical team of 15 people at Sage Gateshead (SG), which includes but is not limited to the work of Royal Northern Sinfonia (RNS). The Artistic Planning Manager plays a key role in managing the scheduling of artistic plans and associated finance and the production of schedules, working with SG systems to ensure that such plans are translated clearly and effectively across the organisation and beyond. This role may particularly suit someone who has experience of working in artistic planning, with a contract orchestra, or closely with artists.

The Artistic Planning Manager is positioned between artistic planning (Director, Head of Artistic Planning and Senior Producer), members of the Royal Northern Sinfonia (RNS) and the operational/delivery team and wider Sage Gateshead operations. The purpose of this role is to advise on and manage the schedule of events across Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Classical Programme in line with the RNS/Musicians’ Union Agreement and organisational planning guidelines, to work on long-term planning, particularly in relation to systems and the classical department budget, and to be a key point of contact within the department for finance and statutory reporting.

Your responsibilities: 

  • Working closely with the Director, Head of Artistic Planning and Senior Producer of RNS and Classical Programme to manage the scheduling of events including but not limited to self-promoted concerts, hired engagements, recordings and BBC broadcasts, ensuring adherence with the RNS/MU Agreement, maximising the efficient use of the orchestra’s time and ensuring outline scheduling is practicable and deliverable.
  • To have detailed knowledge of the RNS/MU Agreement, to be a key point of contact for colleagues regarding its implementation and to monitor hours and keep an up-to-date hours grid.
  • To be the RNS/Classical Programme lead for cross-departmental, organisational scheduling of dates and venues/spaces within Sage Gateshead, representing the interests of the RNS/Classical Team.
  • Act as a key contact for a range of external partners including visiting ensembles and non-commercial classical hires and to be responsible for issuing contracts, overseeing logistical arrangements and financial reconciliations.
  • In conjunction with the Director, Head of Artistic Planning and Senior Producer to undertake research for programmes and artists, lead on the negotiation and contracting of special projects e.g. film concerts and to be responsible for the sourcing and contracting of external venues for rehearsals and concerts as required.
  • Create and issue full monthly and advance schedules for Royal Northern Sinfonia including, where required, liaison with artists and agents, updating internal colleagues as appropriate and liaising with the RNS MU Steward.
  • Issue all contracts including but not limited to artists, visiting ensembles, regional residencies and external engagements.
  • Ensure information relating to artistic planning and programming flows across all relevant parties, both through regular and efficient use of systems and strong interpersonal skills. Communicate key changes as appropriate, including updates and amendments to and cancellations of events.
  • Lead the on-sale process for all Classical events, collating and disseminating all required information including programme details, tech holds and ticket pricing and collaborating with colleagues across Artistic Planning, Marketing and Box Office.
  • To be the departmental point of contact for finance, undertaking the monthly finance review, creating and monitoring the departmental finance tracker, overseeing the finance work of the Classical Administrator and Projects Assistant and providing draft budgets where required in consultation with the Director, Head of Artistic Planning and Senior Producer.
  • To collate information, keep up-to-date records and provide detailed information required by the Finance Department for the submission of Orchestra Tax Relief including such things as number of musicians for each project, venue costs, box office income and streaming.
  • To be responsible for providing information required by colleagues for ACE annual reporting and other funders including but not limited to details on commissions, touring, travel log and external venue ticket sales.

Other Duties

  • Act as organisational lead for OPAS, inputting plans and developing its use across the team and using it (together with Artifax) to create central points of information for colleagues in the classical team and across the organisation.
  • Monitor and report on achievement against the department’s KPIs in line with the current business plan and related action plans.
  • Keep accurate records of orchestral personnel against all Media activity.
  • Where required, to represent the Classical Team at events and to be a member of the classical team duty rota, driving artists to venues and/or travelling with the orchestra.
  • Play an equal and active part in coordinating the weekly Classical Management Team (CMT) meeting.
  • Arrange departmental and company-wide meetings as required.
  • Attend the Royal Northern Sinfonia Players’ Committee Meetings and any other MU meetings as required.
  • Undertake other duties appropriate to the seniority of the post and in line with the needs of the organisation.
  • Accept appropriate individual responsibility for the observance, promotion and implementation of Health & Safety, Safeguarding, Customer Care, Inclusion, Equity and Diversity, Discrimination, Bullying and Harassment and all other policies with the Trust.
  • Where relevant, ensure appropriate safeguarding is in place for CYP and adults at risk, working closely with relevant colleagues to maintain consistency and high standards.

Our commitment to your development

At Sage Gateshead, we’re always learning. Through training and support, we’ll help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to thrive in your role. This may be through gaining a qualification, on-the-job training or learning within your team.

We provide you with training in areas such as health and safety and safeguarding when you start work, and you’ll receive annual refreshers.

Every staff member is on their own training and development journey. You’ll work closely with your manager to identify what your journey will look like at Sage Gateshead. If you have a specific interest or you would like to develop your skills in a certain area, we want to hear about it.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

At Sage Gateshead, we encourage a working environment that’s welcoming, inclusive, and diverse. Different backgrounds, views and experiences are valued so everyone can be themselves.

Our venue and programmes are for everyone, so we want to make sure this opportunity is available to everyone, no matter your background or the challenges you’ve faced.

For example, we would love to hear from you if you:

  • Are D/deaf. Have a disability, learning difficulty or significant long -term health condition which affects your daily life
  • Describe yourself as neurodiverse (this might include dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autistic spectrum, and others)
  • Grew up in a family receiving Universal Credit or state benefits
  • Have ever lived in council or social housing or been on the housing register
  • Have ever lived in sheltered accommodation or experienced homelessness
  • Experienced being in care at any point in your life
  • Have been a refugee or asylum seeker
  • Are from the African, South, East and South–East Asian, Middle East, Latinx or North African diaspora, or have experienced racism
  • These are some common examples of challenging circumstances but there may be others.  Everyone is welcome to apply.
  • We do not discriminate because of race, colour, religion, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or expression, age, disability or any other protected characteristic as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.  

Safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expect all of those that work with us to share this commitment. We operate a robust safeguarding framework and continuous assessment and development to support safer working practice across out workforce. Our roles are subject to a safer recruitment process which includes relevant background checks and the disclosure of criminal records, sanctions, and investigations where appropriate.

Click here for more information and to apply

Closing date for applications: 9am, Friday 9th June

Interview date: Thursday 15th June

We understand that interviews can be a nerve-racking experience. We want you to feel comfortable so you can be yourself and shine!

If you have any questions about the role or the application process, please contact Lois, People Coordinator at recruitment@sagegateshead.com

Photo: Mark Savage