Southbank Centre is a national flagship cultural institution. It is Europe’s largest arts centre and one of the UK’s top five visitor attractions, occupying an 11-acre site that sits in the midst of London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the South Bank of the Thames.
Its impact and reach are significant and it is respected internationally as a convener of great artists and diverse audiences and for being entrepreneurial and innovative in response to a volatile and changing financial landscape. Southbank Centre is a charity that is determined to demonstrate its ambition to remain innovative, disruptive and experimental in what it does and to be highly relevant to the artists it wants to work with and to the audiences it wants to attract.
Southbank Centre believes that a commitment to diversity and inclusion helps it be a more relevant and effective organisation.
Our Artistic Mission
Southbank Centre exists to provide great artistic experiences for everyone. Through art, we invite our visitors to enjoy shared cultural encounters together. To gaze. To listen. To be moved. To discover a new idea or a new perspective. We are proud that for the last 70 years, the performances and exhibitions here have moved millions. We have provided a home for art and for artists. A community centred on art, where everyone, no matter their job, helps make the experience.
We create a place where as many people as possible can come together to experience bold, unusual, entertaining and eye-opening work. We want to take people out of the everyday, every day.
Our values
- Champion Greatness
- We seek out great artists and give them the space to present their best work
- Take the lead
- We make sure we’re at the forefront of the arts – provoking and inspiring, not just following it
- Open up the arts
- Not everyone will love everything, but we make sure there’s something here for everyone
- Have fun
We’re serious about the arts – but not stuffy. Culture here can be playful, provocative, exciting and entertaining. It is a joy not a duty
We are looking for an experienced and talented Event Manager, with a keen interest in and understanding of Contemporary music, to join the Artistic Programming team on a fixed term maternity cover!
Your role will be instrumental with ensuring the smooth delivery of a diverse and dynamic artistic schedule. With a focus on, but not limited to, Southbank Centre’s contemporary music programming you will be committed to delivering live events to the highest standards by managing event schedules, contracts, budgets, payment and travel; communicating the operational needs of assigned events to all necessary internal departments; and undertaking event duty for allocated shows.
Southbank Centre’s music programme is vibrant and diverse, encompassing concerts from world-famous orchestras, chamber ensembles and contemporary artists. Commissions play a pivotal role in the music programming, blending contemporary music with other art forms, as well as bringing non-professional participants and partners together. We have a diverse and distinguished roster of Resident Orchestras (London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Sinfonietta and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment). The Residents alone present more than 140 concerts at Southbank Centre each season, enhanced by an increasing number of education and community programmes, study days and special events. Side by side with the classical programme, we seek to programme an engaging and diverse spectrum of contemporary music artists – both established and upcoming. Finally, we also work with many rental partners who bring regular orchestras, ensembles, choirs, competitions and festivals to Southbank Centre.
We are looking for candidates with the following attributes:
- professional knowledge of Contemporary Music;
- demonstrable professional experience of coordinating live arts events to the highest standards;
- experience of managing event budgets;
- an interest in and extensive experience of working in live events;
- ability to communicate with wide range of internal and external stakeholders at all levels;
- positive approach to work and is able to work flexibly and proactively;
- able to work constructively in a team as well as independently on their own initiative;
- well organised, with outstanding administration and project management skills and precise attention to detail;
- Can manage their own time and can demonstrate they are able to work to and meet deadlines;
- good persuasion skills, including enabling others to meet deadlines;
- Is committed to working hours as required to deliver events to a high standard;
- demonstrable experience of remaining calm under pressure;
- solutions-focussed, with a can-do attitude to resolving issues as they arise;
- excellent IT skills (including MS Office and Google Drive) and experience of working with databases;
- a broad knowledge and understanding of the arts sector.
The Southbank Centre Way
The Southbank Centre Way is a framework that sets out how we want our people to work together, enjoying what we do. It describes the qualities that drive our ability to inspire, provoke and transform lives and illustrates behaviours that make Southbank Centre a warm and welcoming destination in which to work, perform or visit. The language that forms the Southbank Centre Way comes from the people who work here. We have captured their words to help everyone we work with understand us. We believe it is vital for our staff to display these qualities and behaviours for us to be the world class organisation we aspire to be and we will be looking for these attributes as part of our selection process for this role.
