The role

The Philharmonia Orchestra is looking for a keen and efficient assistant to join our busy and friendly marketing team.

You will help the team to attract and retain the broadest possible audience for all aspects of the Philharmonia’s work, from live concerts to groundbreaking digital projects. You will work on our email marketing, concert programmes, and website, sell tickets over the phone, welcome our audience at concerts and other events, and provide administrative support for the department.

You will gain a thorough grounding in arts marketing, and have the opportunity to attend our world-class concerts.

Key information

• Salary: £20,111 To be reviewed in line with the Living Wage Foundation agreed increases in autumn 2022.

• Contract: 12-month, fixed term contract

• Pension: the Company will contribute 6% of salary to a qualifying pension scheme.

The Philharmonia Orchestra is committed to ensuring equitable opportunities and a welcoming environment for all those that engage in our work. We strive for a more representative workforce and encourage applications from under-represented groups in the UK arts workforce, particularly those from Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority backgrounds, from lower socio-economic statuses, d/Deaf and Disabled applicants, and those from the LGBTQIA+ community. We are a Real Living Wage employer and a Disability Confident Employer. If you require any Reasonable Adjustments to apply for this position or attend an interview, please email 

ka***********@ph**********.uk

The Orchestra

It is an exciting time in the Philharmonia history – in September 2021, Santtu-Matias Rouvali took up the baton as Principal Conductor, and his partnership with the Orchestra has received critical acclaim. He is just the sixth person to hold that title since the Orchestra was founded in 1945. On his appointment, he said: “This is the start of a great adventure. The players of the Philharmonia can do anything: they are enormously talented and show an incredible hunger to create great performances… we will do great things together.”

Based in London at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, the Philharmonia creates thrilling performances for a global audience. Through its network of residencies, the Orchestra has a national footprint, serving communities across England both in performance and through its extensive outreach and engagement programme. Founded chiefly as a recording orchestra in 1945, the Philharmonia continues to work in the studio – recording movie scores and game soundtracks, and a huge range of classical and commercial projects. With a truly international presence, the Philharmonia uses the latest digital technology to connect with audiences beyond the concert hall and are sector leaders in the production of immersive experiences and online media. The Philharmonia is a registered charity. It relies on income from a wide range of sources to deliver its programme, and is proud to be generously supported by Arts Council England.

The team

The Philharmonia’s busy Marketing and Communications Department is responsible for the Orchestra’s reach, revenue and reputation with audiences and the media. At the core of the team’s work is the creation and delivery of marketing and communications campaigns for the Orchestra’s UK residencies: over 35 concerts a season at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, and concert series at the Philharmonia’s residency towns and festivals across England. The Marketing team also manages the Orchestra’s press and publicity, brand and social media, promotes the Philharmonia’s commercial recordings, and is closely involved in the Orchestra’s award-winning audience development projects.

Role reports to:

• Senior Marketing Manager

Works closely with:

• Marketing and Press Officer

• Senior Digital Marketing Manager

• Customer Relations & Ticketing Manager

Role and responsibilities

Role objective:

• To provide vital support to the Marketing Director and Marketing Managers in delivering marketing campaigns and audience development projects across the Philharmonia Orchestra’s programme

Marketing campaigns:

• To work with the team to support marketing campaigns for series and individual concerts

• To work with the team on brochure production, direct mail and distribution, copywriting and email marketing, and sourcing artist and promotional images

• To liaise with Southbank Centre’s marketing team to ensure accuracy and maximise coverage for Philharmonia Orchestra concerts within their web site, audience communications, marketing materials and on-site

• To assist with the implementation of the Philharmonia’s offline advertising strategy

• To lead on the marketing of the Philharmonia Chamber Players series

UK and international programme:

• To work with the Marketing and Press Officer to supply promotional materials to promoters for the Philharmonia’s UK and international programme

• To support the Marketing and Press Officer as required, on the marketing for audience development initiatives throughout the UK

Digital:

• To work with the Senior Digital Marketing Manager on the content management of the Philharmonia website, taking responsibility for updating time-sensitive sections, including but not limited to the homepage, concert pages, news and blog

• To support the Senior Digital Marketing Manager to develop social media audiences and engagement for the Orchestra, and keep abreast of the latest developments in social media

Concert programmes:

• To support the production of concert programmes for the Philharmonia’s London, Bedford and Leicester Seasons, including compiling materials, proof reading, circulating proofs and collating corrections

• To lead on the creation of event freesheets for concerts and free performances

Other:

• To provide administrative support for the marketing team, including compiling and circulating press reviews, archiving materials, keeping records of programmes sold/distributed and numbers of people at unticketed events

• To support the Marketing Director with ad hoc projects

• To support the Customer Relations & Ticketing Manager taking bookings over the phone for London and Bedford Season concerts

• To attend concerts in London and across the UK on a rota basis, undertaking public-facing roles including at the box office, at Southbank Centre’s welcome hub, or hosting groups of audience members as part of audience development initiatives

• To support the implementation of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Cultural Diversity and Arts and Disability initiatives, seeking opportunities for involving people from protected characteristic groups wherever possible

• To ensure that day to day activities embrace environmental sustainability and wherever possible make choices that reduce the Philharmonia’s impact on the environment by minimising waste, maximising recycling, saving energy and reducing the Marketing Department’s carbon footprint

• To undertake such other duties as may reasonably be required

Person specification

• A strong interest in arts marketing and classical music

• A proven ability to write creative targeted sales copy for online and offline use

• Outstanding attention to detail

• An eye for design and willingness to learn to use design software packages

• Good customer service skills

• Ability to work efficiently within a busy environment, managing multiple tasks and deadlines

• Willingness to travel within the UK as required

• Flexible approach, and willingness to work at concerts and events during evenings and weekends

Additional information

• Salary: £20,111 To be reviewed in line with the Living Wage Foundation agreed increases in autumn 2022.

• Hours: 9.30 – 17.30, Monday – Friday (35 hours per week) plus evening and weekend work as required

• Hours can be split between the office at 6 Chancel Street, London SE1 0UX, and working from home, at the discretion of your Head of Department

• Annual leave: 33 days per annum, including public and bank holidays

• Pension: you will automatically be enrolled into our pension scheme (subject to the provisions of auto-enrolment legislation) upon completion of a 3-month qualifying period, into which the Philharmonia will pay 6% of salary

• Other benefits: access to an interest-free season ticket loan, Cycle to Work scheme and free tickets to the Philharmonia’s London season concerts