Opera Holland Park is a world-class opera company which does things differently. Without a penny of public funding, we thrive thanks to the support of our members, loyal audience, trusts and foundations and corporates. This year we celebrate our 30th birthday.

The centrepiece of our work is our summer festival from May-August which take place in the semi-rural setting of Holland Park in the heart of London. We also perform throughout the year at venues across the city and beyond.

We are looking for someone to join our friendly and effective development team and help us to further strengthen our relationships with creative and corporate partners. If you’d like to work in a creative, supportive environment with the opportunity to help an ambitious organisation deliver even greater impact, this is the role for you.

You don’t need an in-depth knowledge of opera, but you will need the ability to communicate well, look after our highly valued partners with care and build new long-standing relationships with partners from multiple sectors.

Alison Langer as Oscar with members of the Opera Holland Park Chorus in Un ballo in maschera at Opera Holland Park © Ali Wright

Overview

This is a great opportunity to make an impact in an inspiring creative environment. You will inherit some strong existing partnerships and have the opportunity to grow new ones, benefitting from a pipeline of warm prospects. A team-player you will also be able to work independently, possess excellent communication and negotiation skills, and be curious about or have an interest in the arts and culture. Our work culture is friendly and supportive. Many staff members are long standing, yet new ideas are always welcome and if they are good they can be delivered at speed.

The Practicals

Job Title: Partnerships Lead

Department/Team: Development

Reports to: Head of Development

Contract type: F/T permanent contract (P/T will be considered)

Location: Based in the Kensington office with occasional working from home days to be agreed.

Hours: Core hours are between 10am and 6pm, five days per week depending on the time of year. Minimum three days in the office. Some evening and weekend work will be required especially during our summer season. Salary: £40,000 per annum

Key Responsibilities

Sponsorship and Partnership Development:

  • Source headline sponsorships for Opera Holland Park’s productions, events, and community programmes.
  • Identify, research and approach potential corporate prospects aligned with Opera Holland Park’s mission and values including paid partnerships, in kind support and hospitality bookings.
  • Develop compelling tailored proposals, sponsorship packages and partnership opportunities, producing relevant collateral as needed (i.e. written proposals, print, web pages etc)

Relationship Management:

  • Act as the main point of contact for our existing corporate partners, as well as hospitality and venue hire relationships
  • Manage the delivery of partnership agreements, identifying opportunities to deepen engagement and ensure all partners receive the appropriate level of stewardship and recognition.
  • Track and report on partnership performance, ensuring expectations and agreements are met.
  • Work with members of the board (trustees) to access their networks and leverage support.

Events and Activation:

  • Coordinate and manage corporate partner events/hospitality, including ticket booking, catering, and hosting.
  • Plan and deliver special events for corporates and prospects
  • Work closely with the Marketing team to activate partnerships, including recognition in programmes, on-site branding, and digital channels.

Other:

  • Play an active role as part of the fundraising team at Opera Holland Park, attending donor events, identifying opportunities across income streams and any other duties as may reasonably be required.

Essential Skills and Experience:

  • Strong relationship-building and networking skills with the ability to engage with senior executives and provide high levels of customer care.
  • Ability to create new leads and contacts with a creative approach to business income generation.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages for different audiences.
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a collaborative but independent environment.
  • Exceptional organisational and project management skills.
  • Flexibility to attend evening/weekend performances and events as required

Preferred Skills and Experience

  • Experience in corporate partnerships, sponsorships, ideally within the arts, culture, or non-profit sectors.
  • An interest in or curiosity about the arts

Person Specification

You need to be able to build relationships quickly and steward partners well. As part of a busy team, you will also need to be:

  • Self-directed and supporting, flexible and adaptable.
  • Resourceful, with the creativity and initiative to identify and effectively target new contacts.
  • Able to manage a varied workload and prioritise in line with company objectives.

Key internal relationships

  • Head of Development
  • Head of Marketing
  • Development team
  • CEO and Director of Opera
  • Head of Ticketing and Customer Insights On site Front of House lead

HOW TO APPLY Please submit your CV and a supporting statement (no more than two sides of A4) by email to Info@operahollandpark.com. We do not have a fixed closing date for this role.

We will reply to shortlisted candidates within two weeks.