Music Service Area Manager

Fixed Term, 12 months

Full Time, 37 hours pwe week

£36,406 to £42,830 per annum

Location: Basildon

Closing Date: 18th October 2026

Interviews to be held 26th October

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

Essex County Council (ECC) operates one of the largest Music Hubs in the UK through funding from Arts Council England and is committed to broadening and enhancing access to high-quality music education for children and young people across Essex.

As part of this ambition, Essex Music Service is seeking to appoint an experienced and inspirational Area Manager for the South Greater Essex Music Hub region. This pivotal leadership role will work closely with schools, communities, partners and colleagues to ensure music provision is inclusive, accessible, sustainable and responsive to local needs.

The post plays a key role in delivering the wider strategic objectives of the Music Service, helping to improve outcomes for children and young people while strengthening engagement with local communities and stakeholders across the region.

The Role

The Area Manager is responsible for the operational leadership and development of music education provision across the South Greater Essex Music Hub area. The successful candidate will ensure high-quality delivery of services, responding to local priorities and supporting the needs of schools, communities, children and young people.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate a strong track record of achieving positive outcomes through partnership working, managing and developing staff, and coaching and mentoring musicians and educators. They will also have experience of identifying local needs and translating strategic priorities into effective and sustainable music provision.

The successful applicant will be an experienced leader and practitioner, with the ability to deliver results within challenging financial constraints while supporting the development of others.

This is a full-time role, with an expectation to work alongside the senior leadership team at an office base one day per week.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Education

Accountabilities

Provide leadership for music service delivery across a designated area, ensuring high-quality teaching, learning, participation, and progression opportunities.
Take responsibility for the line management and support of local music tutors, enabling the delivery of a portfolio of work, engaging tutors in professional development opportunities and supporting the wellbeing of all members of staff.
Contribute to the development of the Music Service’s strategic plans and priorities and translate all plans into effective local delivery.
Ensure that all music tutors within a region have been quality assured following the frameworks and processes set out for use across the whole Music Service provision.
Take responsibility for Health and Safety and other compliance areas across a region in collaboration with the Designated Safeguarding Lead within the Music Service.
Create and maintain a Regional Engagement Plan that uses regular local insight and intelligence to help shape future activity and allocation of investment, create annual development plans and to highlight priority areas for progressing the local music provision.
Maintain and increase buy-in to services offered by the Music Service throughout the community provision offered in the local area.
Identify and develop local Hub partnerships, ensuring activities are wide ranging and diverse to further enhance the local musical offer.
Work collaboratively to support countywide and cross area projects and events including concerts, holiday courses, residentials, tours, festivals and conferences.
Ensure compliance with safeguarding, health and safety, data protection and organisational policies.

Knowledge, Skill and Experience

Educated to degree level or equivalent by extensive experience
Strong understanding of music education practice, curriculum development and progression pathways for children and young people.
Knowledge of the national music education landscape, including the National Plan for Music Education, Music Hubs, and relevant DfE and Arts Council England priorities.
Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire, motivate and develop staff and partners with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to build productive relationships with schools, partners and stakeholders at all levels.
Significant experience of delivering or leading music education programmes in school and/or community settings.
Experience of managing and developing staff, including performance management and professional development.
Experience of monitoring quality, evaluating impact and using data to drive improvement.
Experience of leading change and service improvement initiatives.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, Greater Essex was accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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