Canon Precentor for the Metropolitical Cathedral of Christ at Canterbury with responsibility for Liturgy and Music, co-ordination of our Congregational Development and Deputy Safeguarding Lead for Children and Young People.
The Crown with the Bishop of Dover in consultation with the Dean and Chapter wish to appoint a priest as Canon Precentor. As Head of Worship and Liturgy you will be essential in the preparation for the installation of the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. This role also leads the safeguarding for our work with children and young people as we prepare for our INEQE audit scheduled for November 2026, and helps to coordinate our courses and learning for our congregations.
We seek a colleague with creative flair who will support the Cathedral’s life, sustaining all that is good and helping us to fulfil our prayer of ‘inspiring life in all its fullness’.
We are looking for someone to lead our worship teams, helping them build on their strengths while also guiding change and growth. Our goal is to deepen how we pray, connect with God, and celebrate culture and life through our many events. Our plan commits us to be at the forefront of fostering the Anglican Choral Tradition. We want these moments of encounter in the building and beyond to help people (directly or indirectly) experience the Gospel in fresh ways.
We need a creative and collaborative team-player who will inspire others by living out the liturgy among our wider community of staff, volunteers, congregations, and visitors. Strengthening our connection with local communities is essential, helping more people encounter God in Jesus Christ in ancient and modern ways.
As Head of Liturgy and Music
* Develop a 21st-century pattern of worship for Canterbury Cathedral, blending as appropriate excellence in the English Choral tradition of worship with other worship traditions of the Church of England and wider Anglican Communion;
* Oversee liturgy and music on behalf of the Chapter and in consultation with the Dean, so that the corporate worshipping life of the Cathedral may be supported, resourced and enacted with care and compassion.
* Act as line manager for the Head Virger, Director of Music, Liturgy Administrator and others as required;
* Take the lead in singing the majority of the sung services where a cantor is required;
* Revise and implement a new cathedral Liturgical Plan including fresh consideration of online provision;
* Ensure that worship in the Cathedral supports the ministry of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of Dover and the Diocese of Canterbury through close liaison with the Bishop’s Office, Diocesan Office and staff at Lambeth Palace;
* Work with the Director of Music and others to develop and to embed our music outreach programme to young people including addressing social justice and inclusion;
* Oversee, encourage and train volunteer Minor Canons who assist with the leading of worship;
* Participate (as negotiated) in national bodies relating to the ministry of Precentor.
As Deputy Safeguarding Lead for Children and Young People
* Support Cathedral Safeguarding as a deputy lead with a focus on children and young people (including the Cathedral’s choristers), working closely with the Canon Missioner who is our lead for Safeguarding;
* Provide cover in the absence of the lead and/or Cathedral Safeguarding Officers.
As Residentiary Canon
* Take a share with the Dean and Residentiary Canons in periods of residence (two-weekly rota), presiding at the Eucharist, leading services and preaching;
* Assist in the development and enactment of the Cathedral’s Annual Delivery Plan;
* Prepare and oversee delegated budgets in areas of responsibility;
* Contribute to the processes of fundraising, especially in relation to liturgy and music;
* Take part in governance and management bodies, including Chapter, the Senior Leadership Team and the Clergy Meeting;
* Collaborate closely with Chapter colleagues and staff members to ensure consistency of service and to liaise on cross-cutting issues, avoiding silo working or the guarding of territory;
* Read papers, prepare for meetings and contribute to negotiated schedules of work within overall governance function in a timely manner;
* Along with the Dean and other Residentiary Canons, support parishes in the diocese with an expectation that each will be out in the diocese for approximately one Sunday service per month.
The successful candidate will be a priest of at least six years standing in holy orders and ordained in the Church of England or a church in communion with the Church of England.
We are looking for candidates who are able to demonstrate:
* A person of prayer who is spiritually resilient and will be fed and nurtured by the Cathedral’s round of prayer and worship and working
continuously in varied teams.
* A priest of at least six years standing in holy orders and ordained in the Church of England or a church in communion with the Church of England and with the right to work in the UK.
* An organised completer finisher with high IQ and EQ who will be a non-anxious presence, always working collaboratively whilst seeking to learn from successes and failures and deeply committed to the vision of the cathedral.
* Demonstrable theological and liturgical skills in developing and leading public worship, relating liturgy to discipleship and turning liturgical texts into three dimensional worship or events.
* Sing to cathedral standard with developed understanding of the Anglican Choral tradition and flexibility towards other local and global worship traditions.
* A delight and proven track record in helping individuals and congregations to grow in faith through study, discussion, reflective practice and experience.
* Proven experience of embedding cultures of effective Safeguarding within the church.
* Good written and IT skills with experience of writing detailed plans, proposals and reports able to work with multiple teams with resilience within an exciting yet demanding place.
As the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion and a site of Christian worship for over 1400 years, Canterbury Cathedral is dedicated to Christ and has a ministry based on Christ the Good Shepherd. The Cathedral is both a special and sacred place and an iconic heritage location with World Heritage status. Worshippers, pilgrims and visitors come to Canterbury from all over the world. As the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, it has over the centuries been the home of many events of national and international significance.
The closing date for receipt of completed applications: 14 July 12noon
Interviews are scheduled to take place over two days from lunchtime 22 July to end of afternoon on 23 July
Canterbury Cathedral is committed, within our Cathedral community to the safeguarding and protection of vulnerable people. This encompasses those who live, work, worship and visit here.
As part of our commitment to both child and adult protection, we carefully select and train paid and voluntary staff who might come into contact with these groups, using the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) if appropriate amongst other tools, to check their suitability.