Head of Lighting
Head of Lighting
Permanent
Full time (37 hours per week)
£41,529.00 per annum (Anti-Social Hours options available)
Closing date Sunday 1 November 2026
Join the Marlowe Theatre as our Head of Lighting, a key leadership role within the Technical team at the heart of one of the UK's leading regional theatres. We are seeking an experienced, creative and collaborative professional to lead our lighting department, delivering exceptional technical support across our Main House, Studio, touring productions, artist development work and special events. You will be responsible for the planning, operation and maintenance of our lighting and video and atmospheric systems, ensuring every production is delivered safely, efficiently and to the highest professional standards.
As Head of Lighting, you will lead a talented team of technicians, fostering a supportive and inclusive culture that enables everyone to thrive. Working closely with artists, visiting companies and colleagues across the organisation, you will provide expert technical advice, solve complex production challenges and drive innovation in our technical delivery. As a senior member of the team, you will oversee resource planning, training and equipment maintenance, contribute to the department's future development, and act as deputy to the Technical Manager when required.
As part of delivering our diverse programme, the role includes regular evening and weekend work and anti-social hour options.
The Marlowe Theatre is an inclusive and Disability Confident employer. We value difference and recruit by merit through fair and open competition. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique.
You can contact the hiring manager, David Beaumont (david.beaumont@marlowetheatre.com), for a pre-application discussion or the Recruitment team at recruitment@marlowetheatre.com if you have a general query about the role.
Closing date is Sunday 1 November 2026
Interviews will be held on Friday 13 November 2026
About Us
The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury is one of the UK’s most successful large-scale regional theatres (UK Theatre of the Year in the Stage Awards 2022). Our mission is to be the engine house for the performing arts in Kent, shaping the spirit of our region.
We bring West End musicals, national companies, a symphony orchestra season and high-profile tours to Kent audiences, in a year-round programme of theatre, dance, opera, music and comedy in our 1,200-seat Main House. This year we begin producing large-scale plays made in Kent and touring nationally. Our 150-seat Studio is dedicated to the development of new ideas, with a mix of R&D with resident and visiting companies, sharings and presented shows.
Our ground-breaking work with young people focuses on skills development and includes co-delivery of a UAL Level 3 Performing Arts course with East Kent Colleges Group; being the national home of Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures’ Cygnet School and the RSC’s Associate Theatre in the South East. We launched our Writers’ Room, developing regional talent and supporting our producing aspirations. As the largest performing arts employer in the region, we are committed to developing the workforce of the future, providing apprenticeships and work experience opportunities for over 100 young people every year across all areas of theatre-making.
We are also fast outgrowing our spaces and developing major capital projects as a result, including turning the 800-year-old Poor Priests’ Hospital within the city walls into a Creative Learning Centre and free heritage destination, with support from Levelling Up and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We are also looking towards the long-term development of our theatre building, increasing our technical and producing capacity.
Our investment in our loyalty strategy has ensured that we have consistently strong and engaged audiences for our varied programme. We’ve also received recognition from our industry, winning a Stage Award for our innovative approach to supporting the theatre sector and a Workforce Award from UK Theatre for our investment in our People Plan, ensuring our high calibre team are rewarded and supported.
We are a Creative Green organisation and are committed to taking action on climate change and environmental sustainability.