About the organisation
The Royal Ballet School is an international centre of excellence. Since its founding in 1926, the School has contributed immeasurably to our rich dance heritage, producing dancers and choreographers of international renown for generations. Our mission is to nurture, train and educate exceptional young dancers for The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and other leading UK and international companies, and to inspire the future of classical ballet training.
Admission to the School is based purely on talent and potential, regardless of academic ability or personal circumstances, and 84% of current students rely on financial support to attend. The School offers an eight-year carefully structured dance course alongside an extensive academic, pastoral and healthcare programme, ensuring students are fully-equipped to flourish in their future careers, both within and beyond the world of classical ballet. Alongside this, the extensive Training and Access programme continually works to broaden access to the School’s unique expertise and experience, with dedicated programmes for primary school pupils, dance teachers and the general public.
Former students include greats such as Margot Fonteyn, Anya Linden, Kenneth MacMillan, Lynn Seymour, David Wall, Antoinette Sibley, Anthony Dowell, Marguerite Porter, Stephen Jefferies, Darcey Bussell and Jonathan Cope. And now, there’s a new generation making its mark on the world stage – Lauren Cuthbertson, Francesca Hayward, Steven McRae, Vadim Muntagirov, Marianela Nuñez, Edward Watson and Christopher Wheeldon, to name a few.
About the role
The Royal Ballet School Governors are seeking additional members of the School’s sub-committee for Finance, Operations, Audit & Risk. The role will require working with other members of the Committee as well as the senior leadership team to help secure the financial sustainability of the school, ensure its risk management framework is effective and proportionate and its operations are run efficiently.
Candidates will bring relevant expertise and broaden the skill set of the sub-committee. This role is not a Governor role but are a chance for individuals to participate in the development of the School’s strategy and the delivery of the annual business plan and budget.
Committee members meet up to five times a year with each meeting lasting approximately two hours. Meetings will generally held at the School’s offices in Covent Garden. Committee members should be willing to offer additional time and support to the executive on an ad-hoc basis. This would be in the region of 10 hours per year.
Members of the sub-committee will be initially appointed for a three year term and serve a maximum of six years.
Our ideal candidate
Candidates must have senior-level, financial management experience and expertise, ideally with an understanding of charity governance and accounting.
Commercial, collaborative and strategic, the successful candidate will be a strong communicator and will be comfortable advising and appropriately challenging a high-achieving Board and Executive Leadership Team.
Charity board experience is not essential but would be welcomed.
The successful candidate must have a keen interest in ballet and a passion for the transformative impact that The Royal Ballet School has on society and the arts.
What’s in it for you
This is an opportunity to support a prestigious arts organisation with an unrivalled track record in classical ballet education. The Board includes a diverse range of individuals with expertise across finance, commerce, ballet and sport. It is a particularly exciting time to join the team as they look forward to their centernary celebrations in 2026.
Apply for the role
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Please provide a cover note if it is requested in the role description. Applications which are personalised, setting out your motivations for volunteering for the organisation and relevant skills/experience, are far more likely to be successful.
