Chief executive officer

Closing date for applications: : 6 October 2025 at 12 noon

Salary: £70,000 + discretionary bonus

Contract type: Full-time, permanent

Reporting to: The chair and board of trustees

Location: Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Billet Lane, Havering

Holiday: 20 days holiday pro-rata during each holiday year, plus public holidays (rising to 25 days with length of service).

Step into a leadership role at the heart of a bold, community-rooted producing theatre. This is your chance to shape the next chapter of an organisation driven by sustainability, storytelling and social impact.

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch (QTH) is the producing theatre serving Outer East London and South Essex, with a catchment area of 1 million+ people. As a community hub, over 220,000 people enjoy the programme each year, including the best in home grown theatre, visiting live entertainment and inspiring community projects. Behind the scenes, sets and costumes are lovingly created onsite by a highly skilled carpentry workshop, scenic artists, prop makers and wardrobe team.

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch aims to:
Relentlessly prioritise addressing the under-representation of those people QTH works with and serves, including an increasing focus on D/deaf & disabled artists and participants. Increasingly work in different ways off site to engage with new people, often hyper locally in underserved places. Ambitiously address environmental responsibility in the stories QTH tells and the ways and environment in which these are made and told. Place QTH firmly at the heart of cultural place making within its sub region through the international, national, regional and local partnerships it facilitates and engages in. Secure the future of the award winning 21st century producing theatre QTH has developed into during the last 5 years, through increased levels of public and private investment.

We are seeking a visionary and hands-on chief executive to lead the organisation into its next chapter by providing strategic, financial and operational leadership for Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. Working closely with the board of trustees, you will ensure the theatre delivers its mission to provide homegrown theatre at the heart of a changing community while remaining financially resilient, championing diversity and inclusion, and continuing to innovate as a producing house. This is a solo leadership role, combining executive, financial, and strategic oversight with a collaborative approach to programming and producing, supported by an established senior leadership team.


Responsibilities

Strategic leadership

• Develop and oversee the effective delivery of QTH’s vision and strategic aims, ensuring alignment with QTH’s mission and values, in close collaboration with the board of trustees and senior leadership team
• Foster a collaborative and creative leadership culture across the organisation
• Develop partnerships that support QTH’s strategic goals and cultural placemaking
• To grow QTH’s reputation as a midscale producing venue, overseeing the curation of a broad programme of produced, co-produced, partnership and received work, acting as executive producer on QTH’s lead produced activity both at the theatre and in partnership/on tour
• Represent the theatre locally, regionally, and nationally, acting as a passionate advocate for its work
• Drive QTH’s ambition to become a zero-carbon organisation by 2030

Artistic collaboration

• Lead and develop the work of the senior leadership team and senior management team, to include supporting and developing the shared collaborative creative leadership of the organisation, ensuring excellence and diversity
• Work with artistic collaborators, production teams, and partners to deliver an ambitious and diverse programme
• Support commissioning, co-productions, and touring opportunities
• Champion work for children, young people, and emerging artists

Governance & compliance

• Act as the main liaison and report regularly to the board of trustees and support them in fulfilling their governance responsibilities, facilitating meetings, preparing agendas and papers, and supporting governance processes
• Ensure compliance with legal, financial, employment, health and safety and charitable obligations, delivering best practice charity governance
• Uphold and embed best practice in equity, diversity, and inclusion

Financial & operations

• Lead the financial strategy, including long-term modelling, budgeting, and reporting
• Oversee financial controls, audits, and regulatory compliance, including organisation risk management
• Work with the director of finance and administration to ensure solvency and effective financial management
• Line manage and support senior leaders and senior managers not reporting to a director (this may include any other permanent, temporary or freelance roles required), overseeing HR policies and practices
• Oversee policy development and implementation
• Oversee HR, legal, IT, facilities and other operational functions, ensuring smooth and efficient day-to-day running of the venue
• Promote a safe, inclusive, and supportive working environment

Fundraising & income generation

• Lead on major fundraising initiatives including relationships with Arts Council England, London Borough of Havering, key stakeholders, trusts, foundations, and individual donors, including the preparation of applications, completion and oversight of funding agreements and reporting, and attendance at relevant meetings and briefings
• Develop innovative income streams including commercial ventures and artistic content exploitation
• Maximise earned income through box office, commercial hires, bars, and other revenue streams
• Work with the team to identify and grow new income opportunities

Audience & community engagement

• Champion audience development strategies that prioritise underserved and underrepresented communities, supporting access, inclusion, and relevance
• Develop partnerships that support QTH’s strategic goals and cultural placemaking ambition
• Ensure youth and community engagement, education, and outreach programmes are championed, appropriately resourced and at the heart of all decision making
• Ensure the theatre is welcoming and inclusive for all audiences and participants

Knowledge, skills & experience

Essential

• Proven leadership experience at a senior level in a producing theatre or arts organisation
• Strategic thinker with a track record of delivering organisational growth and development
• Experience working with boards and charity governance structures
• Understanding of the UK theatre funding landscape, including Arts Council England’s National Portfolio
• Strong financial acumen and experience managing budgets and audits
• Experience of producing or managing theatre productions
• Successful fundraising experience across public and private sectors
• Commitment to diversity, inclusion, and community engagement
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders
• Ability to lead and inspire teams and manage complex stakeholder relationships
• Self-motivated, well-organised, and able to work independently as well as part of a team
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook)

Desirable

• Substantial lived experience (and/or a heightened empathy) of working with underrepresented and underserved communities
• A strong understanding of Outer East London and South Essex, including local authority and cultural sector networks
• Experience leading a venue and managing facilities
• Experience in artistic programming or production
• Familiarity with environmental sustainability in the arts

We believe that a diverse team fosters creativity and innovation, enhancing our artistic endeavours. We are committed to equal opportunities, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, abilities, or socio-economic background. Embracing differences, we create an environment where all employees feel respected and empowered. We actively challenge biases, promoting mutual understanding and respect for all voices. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and encourage an inclusive space where everyone can thrive and contribute.

Please state in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.