Company: Scottish Music Industry Association Ltd.
Location: Remote working / Glasgow (hybrid) – The SMIA currently operates a hybrid working policy, with the team working from home and from the Scottish Music Centre, Glasgow.
Reports to: CEO and Creative Director
Salary: £29,000 p.a.
Contract Term: Permanent (subject to on-going funding)
Working hours: Full Time – 40 hours per week (including one hour paid lunch)
Deadline: Midnight on Sunday 13th April 2025
About the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA)
The Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) exists to strengthen, empower and unite Scotland’s music industry.
Our mission is to….
- Create and nurture a diverse, accessible and inclusive membership community that reflects the full spectrum of Scotland’s music industry
- Ensure that Scotland’s music industry has an effective voice within government, parliament and development organisations that facilitates understanding and awareness of key opportunities and challenges
- Produce and support projects and programmes to stimulate sustainability, domestic and international growth, development and innovation
… In order to strengthen and increase the value of Scotland’s music industry both at home and on the world stage; economically, socially and culturally.
Membership of the SMIA is free and open to anyone working in music in Scotland. The organisation currently has over 5,500 members who work across the music industry ecosystem.
The SMIA receives Regular Funding from Creative Scotland, the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits. Creative Scotland distribute funding from the Scottish Government and The National Lottery.
From 1 April 2025, the SMIA will join Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Funding Portfolio (2025-28).
Role Description
We’re looking to recruit an Equalities and Industry Development Officer to join our small and dedicated team.
The global pandemic and subsequent cost of living crisis has amplified existing inequalities. Launching and sustaining a career in music has become more challenging than ever, and for those from diverse backgrounds, barriers to participation have only extended further.
This role has been designed to identify and respond to challenges being faced at present, as well as lay the foundations for meaningful, long-lasting change that will place equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility at the heart of development initiatives for Scotland’s music industry. The successful candidate will be key to shaping the future strategic direction of the SMIA’s work both internally as a company and externally through our projects, programmes, partnerships and sector support initiatives.
The Equalities and Industry Development Officer will report to the CEO and Creative Director and undertake a range of activities centred around reducing inequality, increasing diversity, enabling inclusion and enhancing access within Scotland’s music industry. They will work across SMIA sector support initiatives such as training and professional development programmes, as well as on projects including the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award and the SMIA Summit. The successful candidate will also take a leading role in the coordination of the SMIA’s EDIA Advisory group, and the implementation of a sector-wide strategy and action plan currently in development.
Candidates with experience in equalities, policy development/implementation, community outreach or advocacy would be well-placed to meet the objectives of this role. The Equalities and Industry Development Officer will have excellent listening and communication skills, along with a key interest in research and analytics to inform strategy and decision-making.
Key Responsibilities
- Identify equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility issues within Scotland’s music industry to inform SMIA strategy and support the company in making wider recommendations for industry development.
- Introduce new policies and review existing practices to embed equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility across all SMIA initiatives and projects supporting Scotland’s music industry.
- Coordinate and support the SMIA’s EDIA Advisory Group to develop and implement an industry-wide equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility action plan; centred around enhancing opportunities for those from diverse backgrounds.
- Deliver targeted outreach and needs-led activations to support, enhance and stimulate music business activity from individuals from diverse backgrounds.
- Increase the SMIA’s organisational capacity to engage with and respond to the diverse needs of Scottish music practitioners.
- Consult with SMIA members in relation to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility; offering guidance and support to allow them to engage with the industry-wide equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility action plan.
- Monitor SMIA membership to identify and address areas of under-representation to ensure it reflects the full spectrum of Scotland’s music industry.
- Undertake ongoing consultation with the SMIA’s membership and the broader sector to see the development of needs-led SMIA initiatives, designed to support cultural change.
- Monitor, report and evaluate the impact of activity delivered as part of the role, and oversee reporting to relevant stakeholders.
Person Specification
Essential
- Passionate about music with a solid understanding of Scotland’s music industry.
- Able to work as part of a team but also a self-starter.
- Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) with attention to detail.
- Experience of building diverse relationships and able to adapt style to suit the audience.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to handle multiple projects/priorities.
- Enthusiastic and collaborative with a positive approach.
Desirable
- Experience responding to equality and diversity issues; especially in a music/culture sector context
- A knowledge and understanding of equal opportunities issues and legislation
- Experience in human resources, youth and community work or social work
We understand that overcoming structural and systemic barriers is often led by grassroots activism, and many of these roles are undertaken outside formal settings. We welcome applicants with experience of responding to equality and diversity issues across all areas, formal and informal.
How To Apply
If you meet the majority of the criteria we require for this role then we want to hear from you. The SMIA is committed to ensuring equal opportunities in employment. No discrimination will be made throughout the recruitment process based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, gender or socio-economic background. The SMIA values the understanding that lived experience brings.
To apply for the role of Equalities and Industry Development Officer, please send your CV and a cover letter to jobs@smia.org.uk.
If you have any questions, or would like to arrange an informal conversation about the role in advance of submitting your application, please contact Aja Garrod-Prance (General Manager): aja@smia.org.uk
Once you have completed your application, please fill in the SMIA equality and diversity monitoring form. If you have any questions about the form, including requests for reasonable adjustments, or if you would prefer to complete an offline version using Microsoft Word, please contact jobs@smia.org.uk. Please note, all questions are optional and filling in this form is voluntary.
If you require any reasonable adjustments to be made to the application process, for example, submitting your responses via audio or video, please contact jobs@smia.org.uk
Application Deadline
The application deadline is Midnight on Sunday 13th April 2025.
Interviews will be held in person in Glasgow on Wednesday 7th May 2025. Should you be unable to attend in person we can accommodate requests for alternative arrangements.
We look forward to hearing from you.