Candidate Information Pack - Head of Communications and Marketing March 2026 (Final v2) PDF
Introduction and Welcome
Welcome, and thank you for your interest in applying for the role of Head of Communications and Marketing at Durham Cathedral.
Durham Cathedral is blessed to be a well-known and well-loved centre of Christian worship in the North-East of England and holds a foremost role in regional society and identity. Durham Cathedral holds over 1,300 services a year and welcomes around 400,000 visitors to enjoy all that this place offers. Durham Cathedral is an active and an energetic place, and our people expect to achieve high professional standards in all areas of the Cathedral’s life. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key part in the life of this vibrant and historic centre of Christian worship and mission at a significant point in our development.
As you will read in the pack below, Durham Cathedral is at an important stage in developing future plans across all areas of the Cathedral’s activity. In recent months we have developed a clear strategy to underpin delivery of the Cathedral’s mission through Vision 2033 Communications and marketing play an integral role within our mission, as an important enabler for many aspects of the Cathedral’s strategy, telling our story and carrying our message to a range of different audiences
At this exciting time, we are seeking to appoint an experienced Head of Communications and Marketing who will play a key role in the Cathedral’s activities, supporting the overall delivery of our vision and strategy
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
We hope you feel as excited by our hopes and plans as we do; do contact either of us to find out more.
Philip Plyming
Guy Sampson Dean of Durham Chief Operating Officer
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
About Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral is today an active place of worship and mission, the home of our muchloved saints, Cuthbert and Bede, and the seat of the Bishop of Durham. As well as serving the people of The Diocese of Durham and the North East, it is a world-leading tourism destination.
As a building the Cathedral is acknowledged globally for its outstanding architecture and its beautiful and dramatic setting, often cited as the finest Romanesque church in Europe. It is part of the Durham World Heritage Site, and the renowned author and former Chancellor of Durham University Bill Bryson called it ‘the best Cathedral on planet earth’
We are stewards not only of our outstanding church buildings, but of world-class historic collections of manuscripts, and works of art. We are active partners with Durham University, and with Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation, where our choristers are educated. We have approximately 115 members of staff, a choir of up to 60 members (including 6 Lay Clerks, 6 Choral Scholars and up to 48 child choristers), and a team of over 470 volunteers.
Above all, Durham Cathedral exists as a place for the glory of God, for whose praise it was constructed over 900 years ago. It is this sense that has led to the creation of our Vision 2033 which is detailed more below.
Governance is held within the Cathedral’s trustee body the Chapter, a body of eleven people (a majority of which are non-exec roles), which is chaired by the Dean.
Overall executive leadership is shared between the Dean (functioning as CEO) and the COO, and the Head of Communications and Marketing will need to work closely with both individuals. The Executive Leadership Team comprises the residentiary canons, who are executive members of Chapter, and all heads of department, and meets monthly. The Head of Communications and Marketing will need to work in close collaboration with all members of the Executive Leadership Team.
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
The organisational charts annexed provide further context about these structures.
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
Durham Cathedral: Our Mission, Purpose and our Values
Our Mission:
Inspired by our saints, Cuthbert and Bede, the mission of Durham Cathedral is to offer everyone the opportunity to encounter God and know God’s love in Jesus Christ.
Our Purpose:
Our purpose is to:
● worship God
● share the gospel of Jesus Christ
● welcome all who come
● celebrate and pass on our rich Christian heritage
● discover our place in God’s creation
Our Values:
Our values help guide us in recognising how we fulfil our vocation. They reflect the qualities we believe are essential to our life and work as a 21st century Cathedral. We use them to highlight the necessity of working in ways motivated by wisdom, responsibility and ethics.
In all things, we are inspired, motivated and challenged by the Christian faith and the values of the Gospel.
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
● Spirituality - We recognise and respond to God’s presence in our world and among us, practising a reflective approach to what we do.
● Respect - We recognise the image of God in all human beings, honour their dignity and treat them with courtesy.
● Justice - We deal fairly in our personal and collective behaviours, work to the highest ethical standards, and are honest in our speech and behaviour. We think, speak and act with integrity, are professional in our conduct, and are publicly accountable for our actions.
● Collaboration - We are a community founded on trust that prizes team working and builds partnerships that contribute to the common good.
● Sustainability - We are business-like in our corporate life and prudent in our stewardship of resources. We pursue the sustainability of our operations and environment.
● Welcome - We are welcoming and hospitable to all. We show Christian love and care to our guests and those who need our help.
● Aspiration - We are an outward-facing cathedral that reaches for the future with energy and courage, and reaches out to our communities in the hope of personal and social transformation.
More information about our Values and Behaviours can be found here
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
Vision 2033
The mission of Durham Cathedral, as freshly articulated in 2023, is as follows:
Inspired by our saints, Cuthbert and Bede, the mission of Durham Cathedral is to offer everyone the opportunity to encounter God and know God’s love in Jesus Christ
As we look forward to 2033, the 900th anniversary of the completion of the present Norman building, we have committed to following a vision marked by four priorities: Encountering God: Pilgrimage, Prayer and Proclamation.
Specifically, our prayer is that by 2033 Durham Cathedral will be known both locally and internationally as a:
• welcoming and engaging place for people to encounter God
• leading destination and resource for life-transforming pilgrimage for people of all stages of life and faith
• leading centre for the learning and practice of prayer
• leading focus for world engaging discussion, witness and proclamation in the name of Christ
Underpinning this vision are three key enabling priorities: Empowering our People; Caring for our Fabric and Collections and Growing our Resources. These priorities include communicating both internally and externally to connect people with Durham Cathedral’s story, the Christian faith which underpins it and our ongoing vision.
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
In June 2025 we launched Vision 2033 among a wide range of stakeholders, with clear goals for the period 2025-2027. You can find our more information here https://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/more/about-us/vision-2033
This is an ambitious and exciting journey. However, we are inspired by the past faithfulness of those who have served in our Cathedral and encouraged by what we believe is possible, under God, in the years to come.
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
Communications and Marketing at Durham Cathedral
Communications and Marketing at Durham Cathedral
Communications and Marketing play a central part in the life of Durham Cathedral, enabling us to fulfil our ongoing mission as a place of worship, hospitality and prayer. In particular, communications and marketing will play a pivotal role in transforming Vision 2033 from aspiration into reality. This vision requires not only spiritual and operational leadership but also strategic storytelling, audience engagement, and brand stewardship. Communication is the bridge between the cathedral’s mission and the communities we seek to reach and serve.
The incoming Head of Communications and Marketing will have a key role in ensuring the department is a strategic enabler of transformation, by amplifying the cathedral’s voice, nurturing relationships, and guiding public perception. In addition, Communications and Marketing is instrumental in supporting the cathedral’s ambitious fundraising goals, communicating major projects and developing internal communications.
Priority Areas
Priorities for Communications and Marketing activity are expected to fall principally into the following areas:
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
1. Leadership and Delivery of our Communications and Marketing Strategy
In recent years the Communications and Marketing department has focussed on creating strong foundations including brand guidelines, tone of voice, a renewed website and collaborative ways of working. Building on this excellent work, a new strategic framework has recently been developed to serve Vision 2033, which the incoming Head of Communications and Marketing will be responsible for refining and developing into a full Communications and Marketing Strategy. A copy of the strategic framework will be shared with shortlisted applicants in advance of interview.
2. Communication of Vision 2033 to all our Audiences
Strategic communications to support the cathedral’s Vision 2033 are crucial. While communication is naturally part of the Proclamation strand, in reality all four strategic areas (Encountering God: Pilgrimage, Prayer and Proclamation) and the enabling priorities will only be realised through excellent communication. At Durham Cathedral we are privileged to share our story with a diverse range of audiences, and ensuring that the work of Vision 2033 is shared creatively and appropriately with all these audiences will be a key responsibility of the role. Specific forthcoming projects include launching the Cuthbert Centre for Pilgrimage and Prayer, supporting fundraising for significant capital projects, leading on the development of Internal Communications and balancing this work alongside business as usual
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
3. Leadership of Team, Capacity and Resource
Currently the Communications and Marketing Team is composed of the Head of Communications and Marketing, a Marketing Officer and a Marketing Executive. A key element of this role will be to lead and develop this team and identify the resources required to deliver significant communications output to support across all areas of Vision 2033.This will include considering infrastructure, evaluating efficiency of systems and processes and improving delivery mechanisms to enable high-quality, high-volume delivery which is both responsive to rapidly evolving needs and sits within long-term integrated planning.
4. Fundraising and Development
Durham Cathedral has ambitious plans for the years ahead, and this includes fundraising to serve Vision 2033 and the maintenance of our World Heritage Site Cathedral. We are currently recruiting a new Director of Development and the Head of Communications and Marketing will work closely with them to ensure that storytelling and relevant communications are at the heart of our donor engagement.
5. Data and Insight, Monitoring and Evaluation
In partnership with colleagues in Development and Visitor Experience and Enterprise, the postholder will represent marketing, communication and the audience journey in efforts to collect and analyse data in a cohesive way across the Cathedral supporting the development of a new CRM system. The postholder will also be required to enhance the monitoring and evaluation of marketing communications output. They will be required to build on the audience data and insight available, continue to track and report on key messages supporting Vision 2033, and implement a structured evaluation framework that strengthens day-to-day communications and informs continuous improvement.
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
Role Summary
We are seeking a Head of Communications and Marketing who will draw on their own skills and experience to lead the delivery of Durham Cathedral’s communications strategy in line with Vision 2033.
This is a senior leadership position, responsible for embedding strategic communications across the organisation, while delivering activity to grow and diversify audiences, deepen audience engagement and strengthen the Cathedral’s brand and impact. Through compelling messaging and innovative campaigns, the postholder will ensure that the Cathedral’s story, and the Christian faith which underpins it, reaches and resonates with local, national, and international audiences.
Working collaboratively with teams across the organisation and with key external stakeholders, the Head of Communications and Marketing has a crucial role in telling the story of Durham Cathedral as both a major visitor attraction and a living centre of worship and prayer. By understanding audience needs and supporting storytelling, programming, strategic fundraising and commercial activity, the postholder will help ensure that communications are invitational, coherent, challenge perceptions and are aligned with taking forward the Cathedral’s mission.
Leading and inspiring a talented Communications and Marketing team, the postholder will foster creativity and excellence, ensuring that all communications meet industry best practice and reflect the Cathedral’s values and ambitions.
As a key member of the senior leadership team, they will contribute strategically to the Cathedral’s future, championing engagement and impact at every level.
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
Job Description
JOB TITLE: Head of Communications and Marketing
SALARY:
LOCATION:
HOURS:
The current salary band for this role is £45,000 to £51,000 per annum.
The role will be based at Durham Cathedral Office. Whilst a degree of home-working is possible, the position entails significant on-site engagement with colleagues and other members of the Cathedral community and so is primarily officebased.
Off-site where necessary for external stakeholder engagement.
This is a full-time position. Whilst the full equivalent working hours are usually 37.5 hours per week, the post holder will be required to work those hours that are necessary for the proper performance of the Head of Communications and Marketing’ duties and responsibilities.
The senior Cathedral staff form part of a Duty Officer rota (for which a day in lieu is given), which include working some bank holidays and weekends, to ensure there are senior staff available on site during all periods of the Cathedral’s operation Typically this entails working approximately six to eight weekend days per annum.
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
The post holder will be expected to take a flexible approach and devote the appropriate working hours as circumstances demand.
The Dean, Chief Operating Officer, Members of the Executive Leadership Team, Departments across the Cathedral, Volunteers, Stakeholders and partners including Visit County Durham, Association of English Cathedrals, Durham Cathedrals Schools Foundations, Durham Diocese, Durham University, counterparts at other UK cathedrals and regional attractions, regional media and influencers, freelancers, designers and agencies.
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
As a senior member of the Cathedral executive, the Head of Communications and Marketing will be expected to assume responsibility for a variety of duties and projects in line with the developing needs of the organisation.
Strategic Leadership and PR
• To design and implement a Communications and Marketing Strategy to deliver against Vision 2033, drawing on the strong foundations laid so far
• To monitor impact and work with colleagues to deliver continuous improvement against our mission and Vision 2033
• To lead the PR and communications activity (including crisis communications) to support and develop the cathedra’s profile and impact, both in the UK and internationally.
• To work with the Director of Development to ensure that our fundraising goals are served by excellent and well-tailored communication and messaging
Audience Engagement and Development
• To work creatively with colleagues across the Cathedral to ensure that our communication channels are optimised to grow and engage audiences, telling stories and deepening connection.
• To develop and deliver a data driven approach to audience development including working with the Chief Officer: Visitor Experience and Enterprise and the Director of Development to develop the cathedral’s CRM strategy.
• To work with colleagues across the cathedral to support programming with audience insight to deepen the experiences of our new and existing audiences.
Website, Brand and Tone of Voice
• To oversee the maintenance and development of the Cathedral’s website and social media communications, ensuring that the needs of different departments and their stories are integrated into a whole-cathedral communicative approach
• To have oversight of the cathedral’s visual communication, design and presentation, working with colleagues in all departments to ensure quality and consistency and enhance the cathedral’s brand
• To advocate for the Durham Cathedral brand and tone of voice (evolving and developing it as needed) and enable colleagues to use both brand and tone of voice consistently and in line with Vision 2033
• To model and promote high standards in producing and finalising copy for external and internal communications
Team and Organisational Leadership
• To lead, develop, manage and inspire the Communications and Marketing team to deliver the strategy
• To work with colleagues to develop effective systems for internal communication, serving the diverse Cathedral structure
• To act as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, and as such to play a role in supporting the Cathedral in a flexible leadership capacity across different areas of the Cathedral operations, maintaining and promoting our values to support a positive working culture, and acting as an ambassador internally and externally.
• To collaborate with other partners across the city and wider North-East region on key destination marketing activities.
The post-holder will, during their probationary period, be required to complete satisfactorily learning in Health & Safety and in Safeguarding, as deemed by the Cathedral to be relevant and appropriate to this post. This will include Safeguarding learning at Basic Awareness and Foundations level, up to and including Senior Leadership learning.
Person Specification
This section outlines the requirements and qualities the post-holder needs in order to fulfil the post. ‘Essential’ criteria are those that the post-holder absolutely must have in order to do the job i.e. the job cannot be done without those qualities. ‘Desirable’ criteria are those qualities that are non-essential, however would be either advantageous, useful or preferable for the post-holder to have in order to do the job, or those which can be trained to do i.e. the job can be done without those qualities.
The post holder must be able to demonstrate: (E) / (D) (A) / (I)
QUALIFICATIONS
• Educated to degree level or equivalent, or possess equivalent relevant professional experience.
• Membership of the Chartered Institute of Marketing or PR or other relevant professional body.
EXPERIENCE
• Leadership experience at both team and organisational level.
• Experience in a senior marketing and/or communications position leading successful strategies and campaigns that have achieved demonstratable outcomes against target audience.
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
• Strong track record in the skilful handling of media relations, stakeholder management, and crisis communications.
• Experience of developing effective branded materials for different audiences using the full marketing mix, adapting tone and style for different channels.
• Experience of working in a charity/faith-based role
KNOWLEDGE
• Up to date knowledge of digital media platforms, content creation and the digital marketing landscape.
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of the needs and interests of varied stakeholders and how to communicate with each other effectively.
• Excellent understanding of audience segmentation tools and techniques to grow existing and new audiences.
• Knowledge of marketing and communication platforms to deliver and evaluate campaigns and activity e.g.: CRM systems, Website Content Management Systems, Google Analytics etc.
• Good understanding of the key elements of the Christian faith and the nature of Church’s mission in contemporary society
SKILLS / APTITUDES
• Demonstrates empathy for, and understanding of, the mission, vision and values of Durham Cathedral.
• Ability to manage and prioritise multiple demands, activity, campaigns and messages to ensure the best outcome.
• Ability to collate, analyse and communicate complex ideas or data both internally or externally
• A highly articulate communicator with strong interpersonal skills, capable of building the confidence of colleagues and partners at all levels internally and externally.
• Excellent written and editorial skills combined with a strong brand stewardship and attention to detail.
• Effective team player with outstanding self-awareness and capacity to work well under pressure
CIRCUMSTANCES
Must be willing to work flexibly, including working outside of normal office hours when required. Ability to travel independently where necessary for off-site meetings, events, etc.
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
Applications
Durham Cathedral is partnering with Prospectus recruitment agency to manage this vacancy. To apply please submit your CV only in the first instance via the link below: https://www.prospect-us.co.uk/job/194381
Following review you may be asked to provide further information as part of the recruitment process. Closing date for completed application forms is 23:59 on Monday 13th April 2026.
Following shortlisting, interviews will take place at Durham Cathedral on Tuesday 28th April 2026.
Durham Cathedral is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. Applicants must be willing and able to undergo the relevant pre-employment checks including provision of proof of eligibility to work in the UK, a full and complete employment history (including any breaks in employment) and satisfactory references. This role is subject to a Basic DBS check.
Should you wish to have an initial confidential discussion about this role, please contact Steven Fraser, Principal Consultant at Prospectus, on 0203 929 8306 or via email at steven.fraser@prospect-us.co.uk
We will, of course, respect the privacy of any conversations or expression of interest regarding this post, whether formal or informal.
Durham Cathedral recognises that discrimination and victimisation are unacceptable and that it is in the interests of the Cathedral and its employees to utilise the skills of the total workforce. It is the aim of Durham Cathedral to ensure that no employee or job applicant to the Cathedral receives less favourable treatment (either directly or indirectly in recruitment or employment on grounds of age, disability, gender/gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation (defined as the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2020).
● Safeguarding
The care and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults involved in Church activities is the responsibility of the whole Church. Everyone who participates in the life of the Church has a role to play in promoting a Safer Church for all.
Durham Cathedral requires that all of our ‘people’ who undertake activities on behalf of the Cathedral are familiar with, and comply with, the Cathedral’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures. Durham Cathedral provides all of our ‘people’ with relevant and appropriate training, as well as access to professional safeguarding services, to ensure that we are all proactive in our approach to safeguarding and, as a minimum, we are compliant with our statutory responsibilities and policy commitments.
Durham Cathedral has adopted the Principles of the House of Bishops on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk who enter Durham Cathedral, which is based on the following six overarching policy commitments:
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
● Promoting a safer environment and culture.
● Safer recruitment and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults within the Church.
● Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation.
● Caring pastorally for victim/survivors of abuse and other affected persons.
● Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons.
● Responding to those that may pose or present a risk to others.
The post-holder will, during their probationary period, be required to satisfactorily complete learning in Health & Safety and in Safeguarding as deemed by the Cathedral to be relevant and appropriate to this post. This will include Safeguarding learning at the ‘Basic Awareness’ level (online) and ‘Foundation’ level (online).
Further information about safeguarding at Durham Cathedral can be found via our website: https://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/more/safeguarding.
