ESNS is looking for a General Manager
Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) is the most important music platform for talent development within and outside Europe for European artists and professionals working in the music sector.
The primary activities are the annual conference, the Eurosonic and Noorderslag festivals in Groningen and the European projects: the Music Moves Europe Awards and ESNS Exchange. ESNS also organises projects such as Hit the North, Radar & Analytics and the Music Moves Europe Dialogues.
The position of the General Manager
The general manager is ultimately responsible for the substantive and business policy of the Eurosonic Noorderslag foundation.
The Director:
- sets out the strategic objectives,
- directs the day-to-day operations,
- is the most important point of contact for national and international partners and stakeholders,
- pursues a financially responsible policy, and is chairman of the management team.
The Eurosonic Noorderslag Foundation
Every year in January, ESNS attracts hundreds of European acts, as well as thousands of professionals and visitors to Groningen. It offers a stage and a springboard for new talent, both on and off stage. New developments in music and the music business are often presented here first.
The hundreds of performances and three days of conference activities attract the attention of national and international media, companies and institutions in the music industry and a large and diverse audience. This makes it the most important music event in Groningen and the most prominent in Europe.
But ESNS is more than a festival. Throughout the year, we work on talent development projects such as Hit the North, and European projects such as Music Moves Europe Awards, ESNS Exchange, Radar & Analytics and the Music Moves Europe Dialogues.
The main policy objectives in the coming years are: offering European artists exposure worldwide, putting Dutch artists center stage, alongside being a source of inspiration for the sector in the areas of sustainability, innovation, rejuvenation, diversity and inclusion.
ESNS works according to the Diversity & Inclusion Code, the Fair Practice Code and the Culture Governance Code. The foundation is also affiliated with the Green Deal and Keychange. ESNS wants its organization to reflect the world we live in.
Eurosonic Noorderslag is organized into the following departments: Programming, Marketing, Production, Business & Development and Operations. The foundation works with an annual budget of more than 6 million euros. About half of its income consists of contributions from the European Commission, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the province and municipality of Groningen, and public and private funds. In addition to income from ticket sales, companies’ sponsorship contributions are important for the financial result.
ESNS is looking for a professional with extensive experience in managing complex organizations in the music sector or other related cultural sector, strong affinity with thorough knowledge of financial management and entrepreneurship, familiar with working in an administrative political environment, a strategic leader with a vision for the positioning and profiling of Eurosonic Noorderslag as the stage and engine for innovation in the music sector, an inspirer with an eye for the qualities of individual employees, an independent, critical and creative thinker who identifies developments, determines the course and maintains it, a leader with broad knowledge in the field of music and the music industry, a relevant network, and a connection with Groningen is an advantage.
With diversity and inclusion as guiding principles, ESNS wants to represent our society through the composition of its employee base. Emphasis is placed on applications from candidates who complete the organization from that perspective.
ESNS offers an important position in the Dutch and European music sector, the opportunity to lead a dynamic organization with solid development plans and the ambition to further strengthen its position worldwide, a full-time appointment, plus a salary commensurate with the weight and complexity of the position.
The procedure
Are you interested? Please submit your CV and letter of motivation before November 1, 2023 via our application form on the website.
Consulting the list of references in consultation with the candidate and submitting a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) are part of the procedure. An assessment may also be part of this.
For further information or an exploratory discussion, please contact Jeroen van Erp, chairman of the Supervisory Board, or Frans Vreeke, acting director, via frans.vreeke@esns.nl or 050 744 03 35.
The conversations will take place at a location in Groningen in the second half of November.