Could you be the new Executive Director of Tobacco Factory Theatres?
The Executive Director is part of a team of three Directors who share responsibility for the leadership of Tobacco Factory Theatres. Together, they ensure that artistic ambition, public benefit, commercial resilience and organisational capability strengthen one another in pursuit of our mission.
The Executive Director leads the organisational conditions. This role combines strategic leadership with direct involvement. Alongside shaping long-term organisational development, the Executive Director will remain actively engaged in the practical realities of leading a dynamic theatre charity, modelling high standards and contributing directly where their expertise, judgement and leadership add the greatest value.
The Executive Director exercises significant delegated authority across the organisation. This role demands composure, sound judgement and the confidence to lead independently within agreed strategic parameters, whilst recognising when decisions benefit from collective discussion or require the agreement of the Artistic Director & CEO or the Board.
We value leaders who are confident in making decisions, comfortable with complexity and thoughtful in knowing when to consult.
The next Executive Director joins Tobacco Factory Theatres at an exciting moment in our journey. We have a strong artistic reputation, an ambitious vision for our future and a clear commitment to strengthening the organisational foundations that will enable creativity to flourish for years to come. This is a rare opportunity to help shape not only the future of a much-loved cultural institution, but the way in which it serves Bristol, its artists, audiences and communities. If this sounds exciting, we’d love to hear from you.
Success in this role will be measured not simply by operational effectiveness, but by the strength of the organisation that is being built.
Ultimately, success will be reflected in Tobacco Factory Theatres’ ability to continue growing in impact and long-term sustainability as a Place of Welcome and Wonder.
To Apply: Download and read the recruitment pack (linked on this page). Then complete the application forms outlining your experience against the personal specification. You can either do this in writing or by recording your answers as audio or video files.
Deadline for application: 10am Thursday 3rd September 2026
A message to applicants from Artistic Director & CEO, Heidi Vaughan:
Welcome!
Tobacco Factory Theatres began with an ambitious idea. That an empty factory could become far more than a building. It could become a place where creativity, community and human connection flourish together.
More than twenty years later, I believe we’re still building. We’re building a Place of Welcome and Wonder. Not simply through the productions we make, but through the organisation we are becoming.
We’re building a stronger business model that allows artistic ambition to flourish.
We’re creating an organisation that is resilient enough to take creative risks, curious enough to embrace new opportunities and connected enough to ensure everyone who walks through our doors feels they belong.
This role is an opportunity to help shape that future.
We are looking for someone who is energised by helping organisations become the very best version of themselves. Someone who understands that exceptional theatre depends upon exceptional leadership, and that the culture of an organisation is every bit as important as the work it produces.
I hope these pages give you a sense not only of the role itself, but of the organisation, its ambitions and the kind of leadership we aspire to.
Heidi Vaughan
Artistic Director & CEO
