Executive Director

Creative Scotland; Scotland; On-site; GBP 16,000 - 24,000; Part time

Job summary

A charity focused on music education is seeking an Executive Director to provide both strategic and hands-on leadership. This part-time role offers a competitive salary of £40,000 FTE (£16,000–£24,000 pro-rata) for 0.4–0.6 FTE. The ideal candidate will have experience in fundraising and project delivery, making this an excellent opportunity for an ambitious cultural manager to step into their first Executive Director position. Applications are due by 5 pm on Friday, 9 January 2026.

Qualifications

• Significant experience at managerial level is preferred.
• Experience in arts or cultural organizations is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and hands-on leadership for Sound Waves.
• Build upon strong experience in fundraising and project delivery.

Skills

Experience in fundraising

Project delivery skills

Organisational management

Ambitious cultural management

Job description

Sound Waves is looking to appoint an Executive Director in a new role for the organisation.

Sound Waves is a charity based on the Isle of Mull, which exists to deliver music projects on the island. Our charitable purposes are to:

• Advance education in music for all age groups from pre-school children to post-graduates.
• Encourage live music performance in a range of venues.
• Develop musical talent, providing emerging professional musicians with opportunities to develop their musical talent.

The main strands of our activities are:

Mendelssohn on Mull

Our annual residency when our Artistic Directors, the Maxwell Quartet, invite eight young artists on the brink of a professional career for an immersive week of rehearsals and performances on the inspiring Isle of Mull.

Mull Music Makers

Mull Music Makers, run by Project Manager Laura Mandleberg, offers young people on the island of Mull the opportunity to learn the violin and develop their general musicianship. Weekend workshops, held monthly during term time, are led by the celebrated Scottish musician and educator Patsy Reid.

The team of regular and guest tutors come from the mainland to teach and encourage the young players. Between workshops there are online lessons and videos to help the music makers practise the learning from the weekends.

For the right candidate, the role will be offered on a part-time basis of two or three days per week (0.4–0.6 FTE), with a salary of £40,000 FTE (£16,000–£24,000 pro‑rata).

The Executive Director will provide both strategic and hands‑on leadership for Sound Waves. This new role is an excellent opportunity for someone with experience at this level of role, or for an ambitious cultural manager to step into their first Executive Director position, supported by an experienced Board, building on strong experience in fundraising, project delivery and organisational management.

A full Job Pack can be found on the website here: www.soundwavesscio.org.uk/news/executivedirector

To apply, please send a current CV and a covering letter detailing your interest in the role (no more than two sides of A4) to [e-mail]

Applications from interested individuals should be received by 5 pm on Friday 9 January 2026. Stage 1 Interviews will be held online from the week beginning 19 January 2026, with possible Stage 2 Interviews held on the Isle of Mull the week beginning 2 February 2026.

The deadline is Friday 09 January 2026 at 17:00.