Job Advert
Salary: £45k (salary band £45k - £50k)
Hours: Full time 35 hours per week or 0.8FTE. Permanent. Occasional evening and
weekend work may be required
Holiday: 25 days' holiday plus bank holidays
Reports to: CEO
Direct Reports:
Head of Marketing
IT Manager
Events & Venue Manager
Technical Manager
Housekeeper
Location: Working across two sites in Bristol (St Pauls and Kingswood)
Hybrid and flexible working will be considered.
Safeguarding: This role involves working in an organisation that engages children
and young people. Appointment will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check.
The Role
This is a new senior leadership role, combining Deputy CEO responsibilities with Director of Operations duties.
As Deputy CEO, you will deputise for the CEO at Board meetings and external events, represent Circomedia in networks, and help shape strategy and direction
As Director of Operations, you will ensure Circomedia is well-run with the systems and information in place to support our ambitions
You will join the Strategic Team (joining the CEO, Director of Engagement & Participation, Director of Education & Training) and play a pivotal role in nurturing future generations of circus and physical theatre artists.
Governance and Leadership
* Ensure the organisation has appropriate and effective organisational policies, processes, systems and management structures, including human resources management, health and safety, communications, customer relationship management systems, sustainability, data management and data protection
* Support the CEO by writing the operational reports for the Board and attending Board meetings, preparing agendas, minutes, meeting arrangements (places and dates), onboarding and offboarding Trustees, and ensuring compliance requirements are met
* Attend monthly Strategy Group and staff meetings and quarterly SMT meetings, taking the lead on sessions where appropriate
Finance
* Ensure appropriate and effective systems for financial management and internal financial controls, including budgeting, business planning, forecasting, management accounting, delivering financial targets and financial compliance
* Manage the outsourced finance support (bookkeeping, payroll, VAT, invoicing)
* Contribute to funding bids and prepare reports for successful bids
People
* Support an organisational culture that nurtures staff and freelancer wellbeing, implements fair and competitive pay benchmarked to the subsidised arts sector and provides professional development opportunities with clarity of progression routes
* Establish a Salaries & Remuneration Working Group
* Manage the outsourced HR team to: use Breathe HR software effectively, deliver fair recruitment, induction, onboarding and offboarding ; oversee line management, job reviews and contract, collect equality data and run the annual staff wellbeing survey
* Keep HR policies and procedures compliant and up to date
Property
* Work with the CEO and Board to ensure that Circomedia has the space needed to provide first class circus and performance training ; liaise with landlords on maintenance, repairs and lease discussions; arrange purchase or repair of infrastructure and equipment as needed; manage cleaning and maintenance contracts ; oversee the property maintenance checklist and ensure the correct licences and insurance are in place
* Maintain robust administration and Health & Safety systems, ensuring staff are trained (IOSH/NEBOSH), follow procedures, and keep thorough records
IT and Data
* Support IT functions to remain user-friendly, fit for purpose and cost effective with essential planning in place to manage risk
* Audit and review evaluation and data collection systems that contribute to the draft evaluation framework and train staff in the use of these systems.
* Access and use data to write and contribute to information for stakeholders and to influence decision making
Personal Specification
Essential
Champions an inclusive working culture that welcomes people from diverse backgrounds and promotes creativity, equality, accessibility, learning and enjoyment
Senior leadership experience in operations, ideally within the charity, education, or cultural sectors
Proven track record in financial management and HR
Strong understanding of charity governance and compliance
Experience as a line manager including managing outsourced provision
Experience of leading health & safety
Desirable
Accountancy, HR, or Health & Safety qualification
Experience managing property portfolio
Experience in the arts or subsidised cultural sector
Other skills
Strong advocate for the arts
Strong communicator, written and verbal
Confident and reliable to lead under pressure
Ability to build relationships and represent the organisation
Commitment to achieving environmental good practice
Circomedia's Values
Ambitious: We push boundaries in education, performance and participation
Collaborative: We work with artists, communities and partners to create opportunities and share knowledge
Creative: We embrace innovation and celebrate difference
How to Apply:
Access Needs
If you need any access support for your application, please reach out to us.
What to Send
Your CV including contact details for two referees in a Word document or pdf
format to One of your referees must be your
most recent employer/client and neither will be contacted until the position is
offered and we have your consent
A covering letter (no more than 2 pages) in a Word document or pdf format OR
a short video (max. 5 minutes – send via We Transfer)
Please fill in our anonymous equal opportunities form here
What to Cover
In your application, written or video, please tell us:
Why you want to join Circomedia.
How your skills and experience match the responsibilities in this pack.
How you embody our values: ambitious, collaborative, creative.
What excites you about helping us grow the future of circus and physical
theatre.
The Process
Closing date: 12noon Monday 3 November 2025
Shortlisting: We'll review all applications against the person specification.
First Stage Interviews: will take place online on 12 November. Shortlisted
candidates may be asked to complete a short task.
Second Stage Interviews : will take place in person in Bristol on 19 November.
Final decision: We aim to appoint shortly after the second interviews.