Philanthropy Officer

English Touring Opera Ltd; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 60,000 - GBP 80,000; Full time

Job description

Closing Date: 9am on Monday 9 March 2026

The Role

ETO are seeking a Philanthropy Officer to join our busy Development team as we continue to grow our voluntary (fundraised) income to support our work on the stage, in schools and in the community. The role will be an integral part of a small team, working closely with the Head of Development and alongside a Development Manager and Trusts & Foundations Officer.

Please see full responsibilities and specifications in the attached job pack.

About English Touring Opera

ETO is an Olivier award‑winning opera company with a mission to make our artform accessible to all. Since 1979, ETO has toured outstanding live productions and impactful education and community projects to more towns and cities than any other UK opera company, reaching over 30,000 people per year. As an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, we tour exceptional and ambitious theatre‑based productions across the country, performing rare, unjustly underperformed repertoire that is neglected by the rest of the sector. With an average ticket price of £26.81, we are committed to breaking down financial barriers to opera and challenging the perception that the artform is elitist. It is an exciting time for ETO, as we establish ourselves in our new base of operations in Sheffield as part of the ACE Transfer Programme.

ETO creates award‑winning educational opera experiences as part of our Learning & Participation (L&P) Programme. We tour participatory opera across the country for infants, children, families, and learning disabled young people and we deliver creative workshops for young people in secondary schools and alternative provision settings. Through our multifaceted approach, we work carefully with participants to deliver activities that reflect their backgrounds, interests, and needs, alongside important issues such as climate change and mental health.

How to Apply

Please email your CV (maximum two pages) and a separate document (maximum two pages) that answers the following four questions to [e-mail]. Please use the following four questions as headings:

Tell us about your biggest success or a piece of work of which you are most proud.

This role will involve persuading individuals to donate money to ETO. Please can you write a short paragraph outlining how you would approach a conversation with someone in which you are asking them for financial support for our work?

You’ll have to work as part of a busy team in this role, working closely with your own department and other teams. Please can you give us an example of how you’ve worked in a team before and how you have managed your workload or relationships before?

Please tell us if you have any previous fundraising experience, or previous experience which has given you skills which are transferable to fundraising.

Applications without answers to the above four questions or equal opportunities monitoring form will not be assessed. Please quote Philanthropy Officer in the subject line. If you have any questions about the role, please email [e-mail].