Chief Operating Officer

Tewkesbury Abbey

Tewkesbury Abbey

  • Location Tewkesbury Abbey
  • Sector Faith
  • Client Tewkesbury Abbey
  • Job Type Permanent
  • Salary/Remuneration £50,000
  • Reference GSe123474
  • Closing Date 17:00, Monday 11 August 2025

For over 900 years Tewkesbury Abbey has been at the heart of the community - as a place of gathering, worship, celebration and remembrance.  Down the centuries we have been a Benedictine Abbey, a parish church and a place of refuge in times of flood and war. Today the Abbey is a thriving parish church with hundreds coming here to worship each week, drawn by our commitment to daily prayer and our traditional choral worship. We are a ‘Major Church’ within the Church of England, and we are larger than fourteen of our country’s cathedrals. We are also a venue for concerts, large civic events, fairs and festivals working in partnership with colleagues throughout the region, the Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury Cultural Consortium and Gloucester Cathedral. With the recent success of a National Lottery Heritage Fund bid, our team has grown and there are real opportunities for further growth in developing a sustainable business model.

Our new Chief Operating Officer will be key in ensuring these ambitions are achieved together, as a positive and collaborative team, as they work closely with staff, clergy and volunteers alike. As COO, you will work with the Vicar and PCC to shape and deliver our future activity, bringing operational expertise and commercial acumen to bear in doing so. You will be responsible for leading our people, for shaping a collaborative and trusting working culture, for managing the day-to-day operation of the Abbey, and for optimising resources and commercial activities, whilst nurturing our Benedictine character and vision. 

We are looking for candidates with a significant track record of leading a complex and diverse operation and nurturing multi-disciplinary teams. We are genuinely open minded as to your background as we seek a broad set of skills for this unique role. You will be a proven leader, with outstanding relationship building skills across multiple and competing stakeholders. You will be comfortable working within complex environments, able to bring people with you as you achieve results together. With demonstrable financial and commercial acumen, you will bring vision, innovation and a sense of entrepreneurship to all the work that you do. Above all, you must be able to demonstrate an empathy with the values, ministry and mission of the Abbey and have a passion for its contribution to the life of Tewkesbury.

We want our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion for all to be reflected in the composition of our staff. We are particularly keen to receive applications from candidates from communities currently underrepresented at senior levels in the Abbey.

For further information and for an informal conversation to explore the role and your suitability, please click on Apply or contact tim.hills@gatenbysanderson.com or matt.malone@gatenbysanderson.com.

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Contacts

Tim Hills: 07393 011 130

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