Vocal Lead Officer

Vocal Lead Officer

Fixed Term, 12 months

Full Time, 37 hours per week

£35,632 to £41,920 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: Midday, Friday 6th November 2026

Interviews to be held at County Hall, Chelmsford on Friday 13th November 2026 

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 a grant from Arts Council England and continues to strive to broaden and improve its musical offer to the young people of Essex.

The Opportunity

The Music Service Vocal Lead Officer is responsible for developing, coordinating and delivering high-quality vocal and singing opportunities across the Greater Essex Music Hub area. The postholder will champion singing as a core component of music education, ensuring accessible, inclusive and progressive opportunities for children and young people in schools and community settings, alongside a vibrant programme of performances throughout the year.

The Vocal Lead Officer will work collaboratively with schools, partners, music practitioners and cultural organisations to increase participation, raise standards and support progression pathways from early engagement through to advanced performance opportunities.

The Vocal Lead role offers a rare opportunity to shape and influence vocal music education across a large and diverse region. The successful candidate will lead the strategic development of singing opportunities from early years through to advanced youth choirs and progression pathways.

The role sits at the heart of our Music Hub partnership, providing the opportunity to:

• Lead the development of vocal music across hundreds of schools.
• Design and deliver high-profile massed singing events and festivals.
• Influence music education strategy at borough, county and regional level.
• Work with professional artists, music industry contacts and cultural organisations.
• Develop inclusive programmes that engage children and young people from all backgrounds.
• Shape progression routes for talented young singers into county, regional and national ensembles.
• Support and inspire a network of vocal practitioners and choir leaders.
• Create innovative approaches to singing that reach communities currently under-represented in music education.

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

Accountabilities

• Lead the strategic development of vocal provision across the Music Hub region, ensuring planned delivery responds to local needs, and increases participation.
• Design, coordinate and oversee high-quality vocal programmes, including running choirs, workshops, festivals and large-scale performance opportunities.
• Support schools to strengthen singing and vocal education, providing advice, guidance and resources that enhance musical outcomes for children and young people.
• Develop inclusive vocal pathways that encourage participation and enable progression for learners of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.
• Build and maintain effective partnerships with schools, cultural organisations, community groups and Music Hub partners to expand and enhance vocal opportunities.
• Monitor, evaluate and report on the impact of vocal provision using data and stakeholder feedback to drive continuous improvement.
• Lead and support the development of vocal practitioners, providing mentoring, coaching, training and opportunities to share best practice.
• Ensure all events planned carefully to ensure a good quality experience for young people, ensuring all events are engaging, inclusive, safe and professionally managed.
• Manage delegated budgets and allocated resources effectively, supporting income generation and ensuring the sustainability of vocal programmes.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, health and safety, inclusion and data protection requirements, promoting a positive and safe environment for all participants.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to degree level or equivalent by extensive experience
• Qualified Teachers’ Status or equivalent similar experience
• High standard of music education delivery and teaching
• Effective project, staff and pupil management
• High-quality music partnership engagement
• Quality assurance of vocal provision to effect best practice
• Effective leading of ensemble provision
• Effective use of data and reporting systems to inform planning
• Successful event planning
• Planning and leading on the delivery of training provision

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 are dedicated to making a positive difference for residents, communities and businesses across the county. 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.

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

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