Head of RBO Schools - Learning and Participation

The Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) is a world-leading arts organisation, based largely in the Royal Opera House - one of the world s most celebrated theatres. The RBO is home to The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera and The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

As an organisation we are well known for the world-class ballets and operas that we stage in our theatres and in cinemas and streaming platforms across the world. Our mission is to inspire imagination, ignite emotion and make the extraordinary for everyone.

Learning and Participation (L&P) is central to RBO s mission of making the extraordinary for everyone. Our work in schools and communities up and down the country is driven by our free, curriculum linked programmes give children the chance to be creative, experiencing high quality arts education throughout their school lives. In the face of the squeeze on the arts in schools and the lack equity in arts education geographically and economically, RBO Schools demonstrates our purposeful commitment to change. We currently engage over 1,500 school across the nation with a programme that is distinctive in its vision and scale and underpinned by research. We invest in teacher development for system change, drive innovation through digital learning and build a network of partnerships across the country and high levels of advocacy.

To help with our commitment to growth we are looking to hire a Head of RBO Schools, who will be part of the leadership team within L&P working closely with the Director of Learning and Participation to lead the RBO Schools programme, continuously improving its reach, quality and impact in line with the Strategy to meet the Delivery Plan KPIs

The ideal individual will need to be able to demonstrate key skills in the following areas:

• Substantial experience working as a Senior Leader in the education / cultural sector with strong understanding of the landscape and evidence of making impact and demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of good practice
• Strong leadership skills with ability to influence, inspire and motivate a skilled team
• Excellent strategic planning skills with the ability to prioritise, define goals and plan effectively to effect change
• Strong ability to build and sustain impactful partnership with multiple stakeholders
• Experience of scaling projects for impactful growth with entrepreneurial approach
• A passion for and some knowledge of opera and / or ballet and commitment to widening access to the artforms

A full job description and RBO information pack can be found on the RBO website via the 'Apply' link. To be considered, all applications must be received through the RBO recruitment portal.

Closing date for applications: 8am, 5 th September 2025

First round interviews - w/c 20 th September 2025

Second round interviews - w/c 29 th September 2025