Chief Executive

www.queens-theatre.co.uk

Closing date: Monday 6th October 2025, 12 noon

Welcome

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch: where your talents find
their stage.

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch (QTH) is the producing theatre
serving Outer East London & 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 & costumes are lovingly created on-
site 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.

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About the Role

Job Title: Chief Executive

Reporting to: Board of Directors

Responsible for:
Creative Directors, Director of Communities, Director of Audiences &
Development, Director of Finance and Administration, Project Director:
Havering Changing, Director of HR and People, Director of Operations

Duration: Permanent

Salary: £70,000 + discretionary bonus

Hours: Full-Time, requirement to work some evenings and weekend work.

Holiday: 20 days holiday pro-rata during each holiday year, plus
public holidays (rising to 25 days with length of service). The holiday year
runs from 1 April to 31 March.

Probation: Six months’ probation period (during which there is one month’s
notice on either side)

Notice Period: Six months’ notice following successful completion of
probation period

The Turn of the Screw, 2024, Queen's Theatre Hornchurch, Photographer Manuel Harlan

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Handbagged, 2025, Queen's Theatre Hornchurch, Photographer Manuel Harlan

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Responsibilities

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Develop and oversee the effective delivery of QTH’s vision and
strategic aims, with the close involvement of the Board, Senior
Leadership Team and Senior Management Team.

Foster a collaborative and creative leadership culture across the
organisation.

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.

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.

Lead the financial strategy, including long-term modelling,
budgeting, and reporting.

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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.

Champion audience development strategies that prioritise
underserved and underrepresented communities, supporting
access, inclusion, and relevance.

• Work with artistic collaborators, production teams, and

partners to deliver an ambitious and diverse programme.

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Develop partnerships that support QTH’s strategic goals and
cultural placemaking.

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Responsibilities

Continued:

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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.

Support commissioning, co-productions, and touring opportunities.

Champion work for children, young people, and emerging artists.

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.

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.

• Maximise earned income through box office, commercial hires, bars, and other revenue streams.

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Person Specification

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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.

The SpongeBob Musical, 2024, Queen's Theatre Hornchurch, Photographer Zbigniew Kotkiewicz

Person Specification

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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).

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.

Cinderella, 2024, Queen's Theatre Hornchurch, Photographer Manuel Harlan

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How to Apply

Application Deadline:
Monday 6th October 2025, 12 noon

Interviews:
First Interview in-person at QTH: w/c Monday 20th October 2025
Second Interview In-person at QTH: TBC

To submit your application:
The full job description can be found at: QRecruit - Queens Theatre
(queens-theatre.co.uk)

Send CV and cover letter (both should be no more than 2 A4 pages
each) to: jasonh@queens-theatre.co.uk

We ask all candidates who apply to fill out our Equal Opportunities
Monitoring form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/zyNXxMVqD9

For assistance:
Please contact the email listed above.

Queen's Theatre Hornchurch is committed to offering training,
mentoring and coaching support to the right candidates who may
need to develop skills in areas of the person specification. This can
be discussed further at interview stage.

We want to make all opportunities at Queen’s
Theatre Hornchurch accessible to anyone who
wants to apply.

If submitting a written application is not the best
way to tell us about your skills and experience,
please let us know and we will discuss with you.

If you would like an informal conversation to find
out more about the position, in advance of, or
whilst you are considering making an application,
please contact jasonh@queens-theatre.co.uk to
arrange a mutually convenient time.

Please note for interviews we will reimburse
travel expenses, provide BSL interpreters and
language interpreters

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Disability Confident

At Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, we are committed to promoting and protecting the physical
and mental health of all our staff.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer, we have committed to:

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Ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible

Communicating and promoting vacancies

• Offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job

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Anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required

Supporting any existing employee who acquires a disability or long-term health
condition, enabling them to stay in work

At least one activity that will make a difference for disabled people.

Find out more about Disability Confident at: www.gov.uk/disability-confident

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Equality and Diversity

At QTH, we champion a diverse and inclusive workplace, valuing every individual's unique background and perspective.

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.

Join us in celebrating diversity and inclusion, shaping a vibrant theatre community where every individual is valued, respected, and
inspired, guided by a passionate new Creative Directors team of inspirational leaders.

Here, you can make your mark, learn, and grow. Be part of a team that enlightens and engages audiences locally and beyond.

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About Queen's Theatre Hornchurch

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch (QTH) is proud to be a producing theatre serving Outer East
London and South Essex. Stretching from Stratford in the west to Colchester in the east,
with a catchment of over one million people within just 30 minutes’ travel time, QTH
serves as a vital cultural hub for communities across the area.

Our annual traditional family pantomime grows in popularity, with Cinderella (24/25)
welcoming over 29k audiences members seeking their festive fix, as well as a growing
and embedded access offer, including British Sign Language within the narrative and an
expanded programme of BSL and captioned performances.

We produce and present bold, engaging and entertaining work on our stages and in our
communities, alongside a year-round creative participation programme for people of all
ages.

Audiences are guaranteed a warm welcome from this three-year winner of UK Theatre’s
Most Welcoming Theatre, London Theatre of the Year 2020 (The Stage Awards) and 2023
finalist for 8 of the Off West End Theatre award categories for the public’s favourite venue.

QTH commissions new writing and champions its onward life. After a successful
Hornchurch run, Jonathan Maitland’s Wilko transferred to Southwark Playhouse,
Leicester Square Theatre and Everyman Theatre Cheltenham. Anne Odeke’s Princess
Essex, first produced at QTH before being expanded by the Globe Theatre.
Alongside our core produced work we host a broad range of visiting work, one-
nighters, live music, comedy, family shows and local community groups throughout the
year, for a great night out.

QTH is poised for its next chapter with the ambition to be a values-driven charity, shaping
a programme that belongs to, and reflects, the communities we serve. Last year
(2024/25) was another exceptional year for QTH, with over 95k people visiting us to
experience live performance and with a further 35k getting involved in one of our many
community participation activities.

QTH’s producing scale and partnerships continue to grow. Our production of Moira
Buffini’s Handbagged toured to 13 venues across England as part of Theatre Nation
Partnerships, supported by the National Theatre, reaching over 19k people across 91
performances and forging new producing relationships. Recent and current co-producers
include New Wolsey Theatre, Theatre by the Lake, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg
and the East Anglia Touring Consortium.

We are also partnering with with Rifco, ZooCo, Complicite, Tara Theatre, The Future
Laboratory Programme, Separate Doors and Birkbeck University on projects such as touring
work, residencies, assistant director placements and the development of new work,
including a brand-new musical commissioned with support from Arts Council England due
to be announced for summer 2026.

Communities work reached over 35,000 participants, spanning 1,720 sessions with
114 partners, from creative health projects to schools’ engagement. QTH's Youth
Theatre (QYouth) production The SpongeBob Musical involved more than 180 young
people on and off stage in a sold-out summer production (2024).

Havering Changing, the Creative People and Places programme for which QTH acts as
the lead organisation, puts local people in Harold Hill, Orchard Village, Rainham and
Romford in the lead of choosing, creating and taking part in arts and culture. In the
latest funding round, Havering Changing secured £250k from Arts Council England for
April 2025 to March 2026, supporting community-led programmes across the
borough.

Situated in the borough with the 4th lowest arts engagement in London, and as the
11th fastest changing borough in the country, QTH is leading new local cultural
education and creative health voluntary sector partnerships. Each year an astonishing
45% of QTH’s audience are new to the Theatre and 61% are from underserved areas.

As a much-loved registered charity, QTH receives regular funding from London
Borough of Havering and Arts Council England. This is alongside increasing support
from a generous range of supporters.

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Queen's Theatre Hornchurch
Billet Lane
Essex
RM11 1QT

Box Office: 01708 443333
www.queens-theatre.co.uk

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        QueensTheatreHornchurch