Development Manager at Sound and Music

Soundandmusic; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Sound and Music in the UK is seeking a Development Manager to accelerate its External Engagement Team's fundraising activity towards its 20th anniversary in 2028. The role focuses on increasing income through trusts, foundations, public funders and corporate partners, alongside growing our individual giving community.

You will be a passionate advocate for music, an exceptional spokesperson and storyteller who can articulate Sound and Music's value to diverse funders and supporters.

Responsibilities

• Researching, developing, writing and submitting high-quality funding applications.
• Managing relationships with funders to maximise engagement and retention.
• Maintaining accurate records, forecasts and learning using our CRM and funding dashboards.
• Supporting individual giving activity, appeals, campaigns and challenge events.
• Helping to design and deliver supporter journeys that deepen engagement and long-term giving.

Skills

Storytelling

Communication

Fundraising

Tools

CRM software

Funding dashboards

Job description

We are recruiting a Development Manager to help accelerate our relationship-building and fundraising activity as we build momentum towards our 20th anniversary in 2028.

If you are interested in finding out more about this key role in the External Engagement Team, or know someone who you think would be perfect to help increase Sound and Music’s reach, value and impact, read on below.

Development Manager

The Development Manager will help drive the External Engagement Team to achieve its ambitious goals for growth in income, engagement and impact. The post holder will be primarily responsible for increasing income through trusts and foundations, public funders and corporate partners, alongside developing our individual giving community.

You will be a passionate advocate for music and its ability to reflect and shape lives, communities, culture and our social fabric. You will understand the individual and collective value of new music to inspire, challenge and connect us. You will be an exceptional spokesperson, communicator, storyteller and influencer, able to bring the unique role of Sound and Music to life for diverse stakeholders, funders and supporters.

Your core responsibilities will include researching, developing, writing and submitting high-quality funding applications; managing relationships with funders to maximise engagement and retention; maintaining accurate records, forecasts and learning using our CRM and funding dashboards; supporting individual giving activity, appeals, campaigns and challenge events; and helping to design and deliver supporter journeys that deepen engagement and long-term giving.

• Interviews and meet the team: Thursday 1 October 2026
• Second interviews: w/c Monday 5 October 2026
• Start date: To be confirmed
• Contract: Permanent contract, full-time 1.0 FTE (5 days per week; flexible working requests will be considered)
• Location: London / hybrid. You could work remotely from anywhere in the UK, with a minimum of two days per month at our London workspace.
• Reporting to: Head of External Engagement

Meet the Team Session

If you’re considering applying for our Development Manager role, join us for an informal online information session to meet members of the Sound and Music team and find out more about the opportunity.

We’ll introduce Sound and Music and the External Engagement Team, talk through the Development Manager role and what we’re looking for, and explain the recruitment process. There will also be plenty of time to ask any questions you may have about the role, working at Sound and Music or applying.

The session will take place on Zoom on Tuesday 08 September 2026, from 11:00–12:00.

We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the specified minimum requirements of this role, and we aim to guarantee an interview to candidates from other significantly under-represented groups who meet the minimum requirements, depending on application numbers.

If you feel you have just some of the required skills and experience but meet the person specification, we would still encourage you to apply.

Sound and Music is the UK’s accelerator for new music and sound.

Our mission is to be the base camp for anyone in the UK who wants to make, experience or support new music and sound to shape the modern world.

For 18 years we have invested in creators to imagine,realiseand excel with creative freedom. We have moved audiences to feel,discoverand connect with the world around them. We have shaped the conditions for independent creators,curatorsand cultures to thrive.

We deliver artist-centred development programmes and essential funding to young, emerging and established artists breaking new ground across music-making in the UK. We lead research , campaigns, networks, archives and collections to further originality, discovery and equity within music.

Reducing barriers and championing inclusion underpins everything we do driven by our sector leading Fair Access Principles .

We are artist-centred. We are curious. We are agile. We are ambitious.