Chief Operating Officer

Nottingham Playhouse; Nottingham; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 69,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Cycle to Work

Discounted parking

Free tickets for performances

Staff pension

Birthday day off

Job summary

Nottingham Playhouse seeks an outstanding Chief Operating Officer to join the Executive Team, guiding finance, commercial activity, people, systems, operations and buildings. The role ensures resources, organisation and resilience to deliver artistic ambitions and charitable purpose.

You will work closely with the Chief Executive and Board, turning ambitions into clear plans and monitoring performance, opportunities and risks across a complex organisation.

Qualifications

• Significant senior leadership experience in a complex organisation.
• Experience turning plans into action and taking responsibility for results.
• Strong financial or commercial experience and the ability to understand evidence, ask the right questions and make balanced decisions.
• Experience in leading senior managers, giving people the freedom to do their jobs while being clear about expectations and performance.

Responsibilities

• Turn strategy into clear, achievable business plans and priorities.
• Lead long-term financial planning to keep the organisation financially secure.
• Drive commercial development to grow income and optimise use of spaces/assets.
• Provide timely information about performance, opportunities and risks to the CEO and Board.
• Set expectations for senior managers and empower delivery while addressing issues when off-plan.
• Oversee capital projects and the management of the Grade II* listed building and estate.
• Ensure structure, people, technology and ways of working support strategic aims and affordability.
• Develop new income streams and partnerships while safeguarding artistic and charitable purpose.
• Deputise for the Chief Executive when needed and represent the Playhouse to funders and partners.

Skills

Senior leadership

Financial experience

Strategy development

People leadership

Board interaction

Job description

Nottingham Playhouse is looking for an outstanding leader to join our Executive Team as Chief Operating Officer.

We are in a strong position, with sustained significant artistic achievements as well as progress in our finances, income generation and the way the organisation works. We are looking for someone who can build on this and help us take the next step.

This is a wide-ranging role covering finance, commercial activity, people, systems, operations and our buildings. At its heart is a simple purpose - making sure Nottingham Playhouse has the resources, organisation and resilience to deliver its artistic ambitions and charitable purpose.

You will work closely with the Chief Executive as their principal strategic and operational partner, alongside the Artistic Director, Board and Senior Management Team. You will help turn our ambitions into clear and achievable plans and make sure we understand how we are performing, where the opportunities are and where action is needed.

You will lead experienced senior managers across Finance, Commercial, Operations and Facilities, People & Culture and IT. They will have the authority to run their areas. Your role is to set direction, support and challenge them and make sure the organisation delivers what it has agreed to do.

You might already be a COO, CFO, Finance Director or Commercial Director, or hold a senior leadership role in another complex organisation.

We are particularly interested in people with strong financial or commercial experience who can also think across a whole organisation. You will need good judgement, curiosity and the ability to lead people with expertise different from your own.

The opportunity

As Chief Operating Officer, you will:

• Turn our strategy into clear, achievable business plans and priorities.
• Lead our long-term financial planning and help ensure the Playhouse remains financially secure.
• Lead our approach to commercial development, looking for opportunities to grow income and make better use of our spaces and other assets.
• Give the Chief Executive and Board clear and timely information about performance, opportunities, choices and risks.
• Set clear expectations for senior managers, give them the authority to deliver and address problems when things are not going to plan.
• Help shape the long-term future of our Grade II* listed building and wider estate, including major investment and capital projects.
• Make sure our structure, people, technology and ways of working support what we are trying to achieve and are affordable.
• Develop new income, partnerships and uses of our spaces and assets while protecting our artistic and charitable purpose.
• Deputise for the Chief Executive when needed and represent Nottingham Playhouse with funders, partners, public bodies and other organisations.

What you will bring

We are looking for someone with:

• Significant senior leadership experience in a complex organisation.
• Experience of turning plans into action and taking responsibility for results.
• Strong financial or commercial experience and the ability to understand evidence, ask the right questions and make balanced decisions.
• Experience of leading senior managers, giving people the freedom to do their jobs while being clear about expectations and performance.
• Good judgement when dealing with risk, investment and competing priorities.
• The confidence to question assumptions, work effectively with a Board and explain complicated issues clearly.
• An inclusive approach to leadership and an understanding that financial sustainability must support our artistic ambitions, public purpose, accessibility and environmental responsibilities.
• Curiosity, resilience and the willingness to learn.
• Experience in theatre, the arts or culture would be useful, but it is not essential.

We welcome applicants from charities, public bodies, commercial businesses and other organisations where success means balancing financial and operational demands with a wider purpose.

Experience of capital projects, property, organisational change, public funding or working with a wide range of stakeholders would also be useful.

How you will lead

We need someone who can see the whole organisation and understand how its different parts connect.

You will give senior colleagues genuine authority and support to do their jobs while keeping a clear view of how the organisation is performing. You will spot problems early, ask difficult questions when necessary and step in when something needs Executive attention.

You will bring clear thinking and financial discipline, but you will never lose sight of why Nottingham Playhouse exists - to make a difference through theatre, with our audiences and communities at the heart of what we do.

If this sounds like a role in which you could make a difference, we would like to hear from you.

Please do not rule yourself out because your experience is stronger in finance than commercial leadership, or stronger in commercial leadership than finance. We are interested in what you know, how you think, how you lead people and your ability to work across the whole organisation.

Tell us how your experience and approach would help you succeed in this role.

Nottingham Playhouse is committed to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. We welcome applications from people with different backgrounds, perspectives and career paths. Please tell us if you need any adjustments or information in an alternative format at any stage of the recruitment process.

Why work at Nottingham Playhouse?

Nottingham Playhouse is one of the country's leading producing theatres. We were named Theatre of the Year at The Stage Awards 2025 and create bold, brilliant and relevant theatre for Nottingham and beyond.

Our commitment to our audiences and visitors has also received national recognition. We were named Most Welcoming Theatre at the UK Theatre Awards 2023 and received Silver for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2026.

Our environmental work has been recognised too, including the Nottinghamshire Tourism Award for Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism in 2025 and Silver Carbon Literate Organisation status.

We work from our Grade II* listed theatre, home to Anish Kapoor's Sky Mirror. Our new workshop and storage facilities give us further opportunities for artistic production, commercial development and more sustainable ways of working.

Our work goes far beyond our stages. We run more than 60 participation programmes for people of all ages, with our local communities at the heart of what we do.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Nottingham Playhouse is committed to equality of opportunity and to building a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we work with.

We particularly encourage applications from people from the Global Ethnic Majority and Disabled people.

Applicants who tell us they are from the Global Ethnic Majority and/or are Disabled will be guaranteed an interview for workforce vacancies if they meet the minimum criteria in the person specification.

We are a Disability Confident employer and are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to make our recruitment process accessible.

We also welcome applications from people with caring responsibilities and from people looking for a positive work/life balance.

£65, 000 to £69, 000 per annum (depending on experience)

Hours

37.5 hours per week

Complimentary programme for Nottingham Playhouse produced shows, Cycle to Work scheme, Discounted parking at Mount Street and St James NCP, Discounts on our bars offer, Free and/or discounted tickets for performances, including Press Nights, Free Playhouse Pass membership, Holiday increases with length of service, Opportunities for Flexible Workingn, Paid day off for your birthday, Relaxed working environment with informal dress code, Staff pension, Staff social events, Training and professional development opportunities

08-11-2026

Job attachments

Recruitment_Pack_Chief_Operating_Officer_October_2026.pdf