Orchestras Live is looking for a self-motivated and highly organised Administration Assistant to support its data and finance operations. This part-time role (14 hours per week) requires accuracy, efficiency, and strong attention to detail, making it ideal for someone with excellent administrative skills.
No prior experience in the orchestral or performing arts sector is necessary, as full training will be provided. The position offers flexible working options, including remote, office-based (London or Leeds), or hybrid arrangements. Join a dynamic team and contribute to a meaningful organisation that brings orchestral music to communities nationwide.
About Orchestras Live
Orchestras Live is a national producer dedicated to ensuring that orchestras are accessible to everyone. The organization collaborates with communities across England to create opportunities for music and creativity to thrive, bringing world-class orchestral experiences to new audiences.
Now in its 60th year, Orchestras Live partners with artistic and community organizations to deliver innovative and inclusive projects, particularly in historically under-invested areas. These projects take place in schools, care homes, prisons, arts venues, museums, outdoor spaces, and online, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to creative health, music education, and diversity and inclusion.
Orchestras Live stands out in the sector by working in partnership, ensuring collaborative and impactful programming. Each year, its production team of six works with approximately 40 local partners and 20 orchestras, delivering up to 60 projects and creating 35,000 live orchestral experiences. To maintain financial compliance and measure impact, the organization prioritizes robust systems and data management to track its extensive work effectively.
Position: Administration Assistant
Salary: £23,746 a year
Job Type: Part Time
Location: Remote
About the Role
Opportunities
Orchestras Live is looking to appoint an Administration Assistant – Data & Finance (part-time, 14 hours per week) to join our creative, entrepreneurial team and provide us with central administrative and data management support.
We’re looking for someone who is self-motivated, organised and efficient and who can demonstrate accuracy, efficiency and absolute attention to detail. You don’t need to have a background of working in the orchestral or performing arts sector to undertake this role – we’re more interested in your administration, IT, financial processing and data handling skills. We’re excited by people who bring different work and life experiences, perspectives and ways of doing things to the organisation. We’re a small team of 15 employees, based across England.
This is a part-time post (14 hours per week).
The closing date for applications is Thursday 10 April at 9am.
The role
Administration Assistant – Data & Finance
This role is a part-time (14 hours per week) employee position. The Administration Assistant – Data & Finance provides the Orchestras Live team with central administrative and data management support.
Responsibilities
The role sits within the Finance and Operations delivery team.
- Main duties
- Under the direction of the General Manager:
- Support the administrative and financial process (see specific responsibilities) that underpin the smooth running of Orchestras Live’s programme of activity and operations.
- Under the direction of the Production, Data & Insight Analyst:
- Support the effective collection, entry, storage and retrieval of data to enable the organisation to demonstrate its impact and value to a side range of stakeholders.
- Specific responsibilities
Administrative and Financial processes
Using Orchestras Live’s software programmes (Office365, SharePoint and GoodCRM), collect, input and maintain high quality data relating to Orchestras Live activity, including
Financial processes:
- Provide the General Manager with information required for the timely issue of invoices for annual Partnership Investments and partner Management Fees
- Maintain the tab on the General Manager’s invoicing spreadsheet relating to anticipated partnership investment income and management fees, and calculate rates for annual partnership investments.
- Process payments of OL support, maintain detailed financial records.
Administrative processes:
- Administration forms: creating, sending and processing responses from event notifications and partnership agreements, pre-event information including crediting requirements, post-event claim and evaluation forms.
- Monitor the receipt of information from partners to ensure timely responses and compliance with OL financial conditionsLiaise with OL’s Producer team to obtain information required for annual partnership agreements and partnership investment communications
- Ensure all activity data held by OL is consistent, up to date at all times and readily available to access by the wider team. Maintain ‘how-to’ guides for admin processes and software.
Impact and Insight
In consultation with the Production, Data & Insight Analyst, implement administrative processes relating to the planning and monitoring of Orchestras Live activity, including:
- Maintain and edit templates for data storage, including records in GoodCRM.
- Assist the Production, Data & Insight Analyst in implementing areas of the Business Plan strategy relating to impact and insight, developing and implementing procedures for the efficient collection, entry, storage and processing of OL’s data, including internal monitoring data from the production team.
- General responsibilities
- Support the planning and delivery of occasional online and in-person sector events, including providing administrative support where required.
- Play a part in the general development of Orchestras Live as a member of the staff team.
- Any other general administrative tasks as required.
About you
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, age groups and cultures. We are keen to hear from Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse, D/deaf and disabled candidates as they are currently under-represented in our staff team.
We offer access support for people who face barriers to inclusion, meeting in accessible venues, being flexible in scheduling meetings at different times of day, providing written documents and communications in adapted formats where possible, and covering travel expenses as outlined in our Inclusion Statement, which can be found on our website.
Who are we looking for?
You will be self-motivated, organised, efficient and will be able to demonstrate accuracy and absolute attention to detail. You don’t need to have a background of working in the orchestral or performing arts sector to undertake this role – we’re interested in your administration, IT, financial processing and data handling skills. We’re excited by people who bring different work and life experiences, perspectives and ways of doing things to the organisation.
Person Specification
Essential requirements: the knowledge and skills you will need for this job and why.
For this role, you will need:
- Absolute attention to detail with ability to input data accurately and identify errors or inconsistencies
You’ll be responsible for maintaining financial records and project data. Our online data needs to be kept up to date and accurate at all times by you so that the decisions we make – based on analysis of our data – are robust and evidence-based.
- To be efficient, with good organisation and prioritisation skills
As a part-time employee you will be responsible for managing your workload (with support from your line manager) to ensure tasks are completed on time. At busy periods there can be many projects happening at once, requiring efficiency and confidence in deciding which tasks are most urgent and how best to do everything in the time available.
- The ability to work logically and on your own initiative
Orchestras Live staff are dispersed around the country, working remotely using online platforms to keep in touch with each other. You will need to be able to work on your own initiative between contact time with your colleagues. Trust is very important within the team and you won’t be micro-managed. A logical approach to your work will help other team members easily find and track information in our systems.
- IT skills: experiencee of using databases and MS Excel and Word applications
Our systems are cloud-based and you will need to be familiar with standard online software programmes from day one. If we require more advanced IT skills, training and support will be available.
- Written and verbal communication skills
You’ll be required to communicate clearly and professionally – mainly by email – with the Orchestras Live team and our external partners to request and share information promptly and efficiently.
- The ability to think laterally and solve problems
We rely on the efficiency of our systems but need to find alternative ways of dealing with the unexpected when issues arise.
- To support Orchestras Live’s commitment to inclusion, contributing to a culture of respect and collaboration in OL’s internal and external activities.
A commitment to creating a more equal and fair cultural sector and cementing an inclusive approach across everything we do and how we do it is a key value for Orchestras Live and it is essential that our staff team, Board and partners demonstrate this in how they work and act.
The following skills and qualities are beneficial, but not essential for a successful application. They can be developed through on the job training and experience:
- Financial and statistical data management skills
You’ll be working with quantitative and qualitative data as part of the role, including financial records, and we will introduce you to our current storage and analysis processes when you join.
- A broad interest in and commitment to the social and educational impact of live music and participatory performance projects
This is key to what Orchestras Live produces through our projects, but if you don’t have experience of this type of work already we hope you’ll appreciate its value as you learn more about it. We want everyone – right across the organisation – to feel uplifted and energised by the difference our work makes to people in their communities.
Required Documents
- CV/Resume
- Cover Letter
Application Process
To apply for this role, please visit the official website
Application Deadline
Open until filled