Head Music Service & Music Hub

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Lead a high-performing Music Service delivering outstanding music education which inspires children to flourish, reaching hundreds of thousands of participants each year.

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Employer

Norfolk County Council

Location

Norfolk and Suffolk

Contract Type

Full-Time Permanent

Closing Date

5th October 2026 at 09:00

Norfolk County Council is seeking an inspirational, strategically minded and musically credible leader to step into the Head of Service role. This is a unique opportunity to lead one of England’s largest consolidated music hubs, covering Norfolk and Suffolk.

Following the successful merger of the separate county music hubs in 2024, you will champion high-quality music education across both regions.

You will provide strategic oversight of a joint annual turnover of c. £4.5 million, nurture a dedicated team of 35 staff and work in close collaboration with c. 70 diverse local, regional and national partners. Based within our Ofsted-graded 'Outstanding' Children's Services team, you will ensure every child has the opportunity to flourish.

If you are a collaborative change leader who believes in music’s transformative power, we invite you to help shape our future.

The Norfolk Music Service is a highly successful, centrally retained teaching team that supports schools, families and young people by providing access to music education that inspires and supports children from all backgrounds. Funded by the Department for Education and administered by Arts Council England, the Service is also the Hub Lead Organisation for the Norfolk and Suffolk Music Hub, nationally recognised as an exemplary model of high-quality music education which works at scale.

Norfolk County Council receives c. £2 million in reportable revenue grant funding and the music service works in partnership with around 70 local, regional and national partners. Through direct trading, generating an annual traded turnover of £1 million.

Annually, we deliver music activities to c. 650,000 young people across c. 850 schools throughout Norfolk and Suffolk. Operating on a secure local authority foundation, we are deeply committed to driving integration and collaboration to support all children, including those from rural or deprived backgrounds and those with SEND.

Reporting directly to an Assistant Director in Children's Services, the Head of Service provides visionary, forward-thinking leadership to meet the National Plan for Music Education.

This role has financial accountability for £4.5 million annually and is accountable for the Arts Council England (ACE) funding agreement, business planning and financial sustainability across grant-funded and traded income. The time split is approximately 30% in schools and 70% in the wider partnership and community delivery.

• Strategic and Financial Oversight
  Lead all business and financial planning, managing complex traded income (£1m) and grant funding (c. £2m ACE grant, plus additional grants), ensuring strict compliance with purchasing, procurement and contract policies and procedures.
• Partnership Evolution
  Manage, align and nurture relationship frameworks with around 70 diverse local, regional and national partners, navigating competing priorities and implementing outcome-focused commissioning processes.
• Workforce Leadership
  Lead a team of 35 teachers, middle managers and support staff, implementing structural developments to drive colleague engagement, high performance and individual creativity.
• Safeguarding & Governance
  Act as the safeguarding lead for the entire service, ensuring…