Innovation Associate

Job reference number: 500-26

Closing date: 9am Monday 14 September 2026

Interview date: Monday 21 September 2026

Salary: Grade 8, £49,035 - £56,086 per annum.

Appointments will normally be made to the first point of the grade.

Founded in 1882, The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a world leading music conservatoire with a prestigious history and contemporary outlook. Our excellence was recognised by the 2026 QS World University Rankings, in which we were ranked as the No. 1 institution in the UK and Europe, and second globally, for both Music and Performing Arts. The College has held global first and second positions in Performing Arts for five successive years, while Music is a new subject introduced to the rankings in 2024.

To help expand our distinctive work in science-based executive performance training, the Royal College of Music is seeking to engage an Innovation Associate to join its Centre for Performance Science. We are looking for candidates with the following attributes:

• You should have or be about to complete a PhD (or equivalent) in performance science, psychology, education, pedagogy, or a related discipline focusing on theories and practices underpinning expert performance.
• You should have experience coaching or teaching performance at a high level.
• You should have experience in designing, conducing, and analyzing qualitative and/or quantitative empirical research.
• You should have excellent skills in spoken and written communication, public presentation, building and maintaining professional relationships, and performing in high pressure settings.

This post is offered on a fixed-term (9 month), part-time (0.4 FTE) basis and is available from 1 October 2026.

For full details of this position please read the Applicant Information Pack, available to download from the RCM website:

www.rcm.ac.uk/jobs

To apply, please complete our

1. Application form and
2. Equal Opportunities form (available to download from the RCM website)

and submit in Word or PDF format by email to recruitment@rcm.ac.uk

CVs without an application form will not be accepted. Please ensure that you include the Job Reference Number when submitting your application.

The RCM is committed to nurturing diverse and inclusive environments for all staff and students to work and learn. We positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from diverse backgrounds, including race, disability, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion and belief, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, and caring responsibility.

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