Location: Home working with access to shared workspace in Sheffield.
Reports to: Head of Programmes
Hours: 15 hours a week including evenings and weekends as necessary
Annual Leave: 25 days paid leave pro rata
Contract: Four months Fixed Term Contract
Salary: £31,824 pro rata
Benefits: 6% employee contribution pension, Employee Assistance Programme, home working allowance
Deadline for applications: 12pm, Friday 11 October 2024

You can download this job description as a PDF at the bottom of the page

Background to the role

The Choir with No Name (CWNN) run choirs involving people affected by homelessness across England and Wales. We were founded on the premise that singing with others makes you feel good; it distracts you from all the nonsense in life and helps you to build confidence, skills and genuine, long-lasting friendships. Each choir gets together to rehearse every week and share a meal together at the end of rehearsal, welcoming everyone, regardless of background, characteristics or idiosyncrasies.  We want everyone involved in the Choir with No Name to feel they belong in our community. 

The Sheffield Choir pilot is being established in partnership with the Archer Project and Sheffield Cathedral, who support homeless and vulnerable people in Sheffield. Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday evening at 6.30pm at Sheffield Cathedral. Our rehearsals follow the usual Choir with No Name format of tea, biscuits and a chat before rehearsal, then 1 ½ hours of joyful singing (mostly pop and rock, arranged for mixed ability in 3- and 4-part harmony) followed by a free hot meal for members. Splendid!

We are committed to co-production. Co-production means that people with lived experience of homelessness work alongside others to deliver all aspects of our work. Our Sheffield Choir Manager will be vital in helping us achieve this aim, working alongside choir members to develop the skills needed to steer their own choir projects and fully share the control and direction of the organisation.

The Sheffield Choir pilot aims to run for three months (12 weeks) with space either side for training and evaluation. We hope to be able to continue the pilot beyond the 12 weeks and are actively fundraising to make the Sheffield Choir a permanent fixture in the Sheffield cultural scene.

As Sheffield Choir Manager you will have the ability to project manage the choir so that our members can safely access weekly rehearsals on a Wednesday evening and perform a minimum of two gigs during the pilot.  You will do this in close partnership with the choir director who will lead the choir musically and you’ll manage a small group of dedicated volunteers who will also help with preparing a hot meal after rehearsals. You may need to signpost our members to specialist services on occasions, and you will need to event manage our gigs and outreach workshops alongside working closely with other CWNN staff and partner organisations. It’s a busy and varied role which should be a lot of fun as well as challenging at times! 

Job Description

Member recruitment and liaison

• Support choir members and develop lasting positive relationships.
• Arrange workshops to spread the love and recruit choir members, ensuring that the opportunity to attend choir is available to as many potential members as possible.
• During work hours and at rehearsal, be the first point of contact for potential and existing choir members.
• Where appropriate, aid members in crisis by signposting or referring them to specialist services and act as Safeguarding lead for the Sheffield choir.   
• Enable and support choir members to take an active role in their choir e.g. taking-up informal roles at choir, joining steering groups and just involving them as much as possible

Rehearsal and Volunteer Management

• Be the person responsible for all aspects of running a smooth rehearsal (except the musical bits!)
• Recruit and manage all Sheffield volunteers, including supporting them in their support of choir members.
• Arrange induction and training for volunteers.
• Be responsible for the health and safety and food hygiene at choir.

Gigs and workshops

• Arrange and promote regular gigs for the Sheffield choir, in partnership with the Choir Director.
• Arrange regular outreach workshops (and occasionally larger-scale community projects) within the homeless, mental health and other relevant communities.

Administration

• Set and deliver an appropriate work plan for the Sheffield choir, ensuring that it follows the agreed priorities of CWNN and that the choir reaches people with experience of homelessness in Sheffield.
• Follow operational policies and procedures consistently and help to keep them relevant and up-to-date.
• Contribute to measuring the social impact of the choir through conducting member surveys/focus groups and compiling results.
• Complete quarterly reports and impact data.
• Be responsible for the Sheffield choir budget, ensuring spending is reasonable and in line with predicted costs.
• Shared information with the organisation to be included in national communications, communicate the achievements of your choir to your local community (via social media and other channels). 

Person Specification

Essential

• Commitment to our vision, mission, and values at CWNN and a passion for the choir and its members’ potential.
• Demonstrate an understanding and knowledge of working with people who have experienced complex trauma.
• Good understanding of coproduction strength-based working and psychologically informed environments.
• The ability to act calmly and decisively in emergencies, and to work positively with challenging behaviour.
• Highly motivated self-starter with initiative to make things happen.
• Organised and methodical
• Ability to keep accurate financial records.
• IT literate (Microsoft Office including Word and Excel)
• Compassion and respect for all members of society, including a commitment to equal opportunity.
• Excellent written communication skills.

Highly desirable

• A love of music!
• Experience of co-production and working in a co-produced way.
• Previous experience of safeguarding adults at risk of abuse.
• Knowledge of the principles and methods of impact measurement.
• Proven experience of volunteer management and budget planning.
• Experience of managing events.
• Knowledge of the homelessness sector in Sheffield.

HOW TO APPLY

In the interest of a non-biased approach to recruitment, all applications will be anonymised before they reach the selection panel.  We are not, at this stage, asking for information about your work experience or education, we are only seeking the answers to questions that will demonstrate the skills required to deliver the role. 

Please follow these steps:

• Copy and paste the questions on the final page of this document onto a separate Word document.
• Answer the questions, trying not to use more than 300 words per question. 
• Don’t put your name or any identifying information on the document. 
• Email the document as an attachment to info@choirwithnoname.org, by 12pm on Friday 11 Octoebr 2024.  Include your phone number in the email. 
• If you are shortlisted you will be invited to an interview on the week commencing 21st October 2024

NB. There is a Sheffield Choir with No Name showcase event happening at Sheffield Cathedral on Wednesday 16th October at 6.30pm. You are strongly encouraged to attend this event if you are shortlisted so you can see the Liverpool Choir in action. (Even if you are not shortlisted, you are warmly welcome to come along anyway!)

If you have access needs that make any aspect of the application process difficult, please contact us at info@choirwithnoname.org and we will make reasonable adjustments.  You can also use this email address if you have any questions about the process. 

Thank you so much for your interest in working with us at the Choir with No Name, and good luck with your application!

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Try not to use more than 300 words per question – thank you.  Don’t feel you need to use the full word limit if you can answer more succinctly. 

1. Why is the Choir with No Name Sheffield where you want to be, and why now?
2. Can you tell us about when you have supported or advocated for someone.  What was the outcome, and would you have done anything different next time?
3. This is a varied part time role.  Tell us about how you would prioritise work and ensure that the right stuff gets done.
4. Scenario: You receive a call from a distressed member of the choir.  They say another member has sent them threatening text messages.  They don’t know why this has happened but want it to stop.  What steps would you take to ensure everyone was safe and supported?
5. Scenario: You have a big gig coming up.  You need to make sure the members get there and feel supported and safe.  What would you do to make this happen and ensure everyone has the best time ever?  Think about how you would first prepare, and what steps you would take to communicate to members, volunteers, the venue and CWNN staff.