This is a Permanent, Full Time vacancy that will close in {x} days at {xx:xx} BST.
Our Vacancy
Co-lead an internationally recognised producing theatre, with a c.£20 million turnover, a proven commercial engine, an exceptional artistic reputation and the ambition to become an even more influential cultural powerhouse.
Curve is one of the UK’s leading producing theatres with an outstanding reputation for creating bold, ambitious and critically acclaimed work that reaches audiences locally, nationally and internationally. Based in the heart of Leicester’s Cultural Quarter, Curve combines world-class theatre-making with a deep commitment to its communities, championing new talent, widening access to the arts and embracing its belief that “Theatre is for Everybody.”
With an annual turnover of c.£20 million, a thriving national and international touring programme and an impressive track record of artistic and commercial success, Curve is an ambitious, entrepreneurial organisation with a strong social purpose. We are now seeking an exceptional Co-Chief Executive to help shape the next chapter of the Theatre's development, building on its achievements and further strengthening its position as a theatre of national and international significance.
Working in close partnership with the Artistic Director as Co-Chief Executives, the successful candidate will provide inspirational and collaborative leadership, driving Curve’s strategic direction, financial sustainability and commercial growth while creating the conditions for artistic excellence to flourish. We are looking for an accomplished, entrepreneurial and commercially astute leader with significant senior experience in the arts and cultural sector, a strong track record in leadership, producing and delivering high-quality performances or events, income generation and partnership development, and the ability to balance artistic ambition with financial resilience. An outstanding communicator and relationship-builder, you will bring the vision, energy and commitment to champion Curve on the national and international stage while ensuring it remains firmly rooted in the diverse communities of Leicestershire. Above all, you will share Curve’s passion for the transformative power of theatre and its ambition to make extraordinary cultural experiences accessible to everyone.
You can find out more information about this role by downloading the CEO Recruitment Pack at the top of this page.
How to Apply
Curve is partnering with search consultant Todd Heppenstall on this appointment.
To apply, please upload your application consisting of a CV and a covering note summarising why the role is of interest and your proven ability related to the person and specification, each of no more than three pages in length, to the TH Consulting website via the following link: https://thconsulting.uk/roles/curve-ceo/
You will also be asked to complete an equal opportunities form which will not be shared with anyone involved in assessing your application.
If you would like to arrange a confidential conversation with Todd about the role, please email todd@thconsulting.uk
The closing date for applications is midday on Monday 23rd November 2026. Final interviews with Curve will take place on Tuesday 8th December (first round) and Monday 14th December (second round).
Our Theatre
Curve is a spectacular state-of-the-art theatre based in the heart of Leicester’s vibrant Cultural Quarter, creating compelling cultural experiences for all those who live, learn, visit and work in the city.
Over 800,000 people a year engage with Curve through performances and projects at our home in Leicester, across the UK and internationally. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster, Curve has developed a reputation for producing, programming and touring a bold and diverse programme of musicals, plays, new work, dance and opera. All of this is presented alongside a dynamic mix of community engagement, artist development and learning programmes, which firmly places audiences, artists and communities at the heart of everything we do.
We are a registered charity and this supports our work with people of all ages and backgrounds, enabling them to access, participate in and learn from the arts, nurturing new and emerging talent and creating outstanding, award-winning theatrical experiences.
At Curve we value equality and diversity and recognise that there is a difference between them. We are committed to creating an environment of positive working relationships. We believe every employee, worker, and visitor to Curve has the right to be treated with equality, dignity and respect. We have a number of policies and training programmes in place that must be observed by everyone at Curve.
Opened in 2008 by Her Majesty The Queen, our award-winning building, designed by acclaimed architect Rafael Viñoly, offers a completely unique visitor experience.
Unlike any other theatre in the UK, we have no traditional backstage area. Audiences can enjoy the full theatre making process, peek behind the scenes and maybe even spot an actor or two dashing from the stage to their dressing room or enjoying a coffee in our Café. Our curved façade is made from 1,192 tonnes of steel and 46000m² of glass.
"Whenever anyone asks me where I work I am always so proud to say Curve. Everyday is completely different and the work that is created on our stage is incredible!"
"You work in a friendly, creative environment where people are the focus."
"Curve is a terrific place to work - and at the heart of our theatre is an outstanding team with a commitment to bringing world class artistic experiences to everyone who lives, learns and works in our city and beyond. If you want to be part of an ambitious and exciting organisation, our theatre is the place for you."
"You should join the team if you like throwing yourself into projects and working hard to see them come to fruition. If you would like the satisfaction of seeing a show on one of the Curve stages and knowing that you have helped to make it happen, you should definitely consider joining the team at Curve."
You have already applied for this vacancy, please go to your account to see your progress.
Privacy Policy
Curve Theatre Privacy Statement
The Company is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information.
This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal information about you. It provides you with certain information that must be provided under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
You are being sent a copy of this privacy notice because you are applying for work with us (whether as an employee, worker, contractor, freelancer or creative).
The Company is a "data controller". This means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal information about you. We are required under data protection legislation to notify you of the information contained in this privacy notice.
The contact details for the Company are: Leicester Theatre Trust Ltd, Curve Theatre, Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1SB.
Data protection principles
We will comply with data protection law. This says that the personal information we hold about you must be:
1. Used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way.
2. Collected only for valid purposes that we have clearly explained to you and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes.
3. Relevant to the purposes we have told you about and limited only to those purposes.
4. Accurate and kept up to date.
5. Kept only as long as necessary for the purposes we have told you about.
6. Kept securely.
As defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Curve Theatre is the Data Controller and ultimately responsible for ensuring the data you provide is kept secure, processed correctly and that you understand your legal rights in relation to the data you provide.
The recruitment software we use via this website is supplied by IRIS Software Group Limited and they are defined as a Data Processor under the GDPR. They will only process your data in accordance with our instructions.
IRIS can be contacted at: 4th Floor Heathrow Approach, 470 London Road, Slough, England, SL3 8QY
For Data Protection enquiries, please contact the Help Desk at support@networxrecruitment.com
What information do we collect from you?
We collect information that is specifically provided by you as part of an application process. We will collect the following (but not limited to):
Name, address, email, telephone number
CV (if applicable)
Answers to application questions
Any other information you wish to provide in support of your application
Any information you provide to us during any interview, assessment or test
We may also collect, store and use the following "special categories" of more sensitive personal information for Equal opportunities monitoring (this information is purely for statistical analysis and monitoring purposes) :
Information about your race or ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and political opinions.
Information about your health, including any medical condition, health and sickness records.
Information about criminal convictions and offences.
Why do we collect this information and who do we share it with?
Details you provide in this application:
Will be held on our computer systems and may be downloaded by us
Will be used to deal with your application
Will be made available to us and our processors
Will be used for communication with you regarding the vacancy
Will be used to satisfy legal requirements
Will be used for statistical analysis
Will be held and may be used to contact you about other vacancies
We will store your application data for 24 months after the vacancy has closed. After this period, it will be fully anonymised.
How is your personal information collected?
We collect personal information about job applicants through the application and recruitment process, either directly from candidates or sometimes from an employment agency/recruitment provider or background check provider. We may sometimes collect additional information from third parties including former employers, credit reference agencies or other background check agencies. We may also (where relevant and required by law) obtain information relating to criminal convictions through the Disclosure and Barring Service.
How we will use information about you
We will only use your personal information we collect about you to:
Assess your skills, qualifications, and suitability for the role/work;
Carry out background and reference checks, where applicable;
Communicate with you about the recruitment process;
Keep records related to our recruitment processes;
Comply with legal or regulatory requirements.
Making a decision about your recruitment or appointment.
Determining the terms on which you work for us.
Checking you are legally entitled to work in the UK.
It is in our legitimate interests to decide whether to appoint you to a role since it would be beneficial to our business to do so. Having received your CV and/or covering letter and/or any applicable application form we will then process that information to decide whether you meet the basic requirements to be shortlisted for the role. If you do, we will decide whether your application is strong enough to invite you for an interview. If we decide to call you for an interview, we will use the information you provide to us at the interview to decide whether to offer you the role. We may also make use of assessments/tests during any selection process, and use information from that to help us make recruitment decisions. If we decide to offer you the role, we will take up references and/or may carry out a criminal record check (if relevant and legally required) before confirming your appointment.
If you fail to provide personal information
If you fail to provide information when requested, which is necessary for us to consider your application, we may not be able to process your application successfully. This may mean that we are unable to take your application further.
How we use particularly sensitive personal information
“Special categories” of particularly sensitive personal information require higher levels of protection. This information includes the following information: race or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic/biometric data, health, sex life or sexual orientation.
We will use special categories of personal information in the following ways:
We will use information about your disability status to consider whether we need to provide appropriate adjustments during the recruitment process, for example whether we need to make adjustments for the interview or any assessment.
We will use information about your race or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, or your sex life or sexual orientation, to ensure meaningful equal opportunity monitoring and reporting.
Information about criminal convictions
We may have to collect information about criminal convictions, if relevant and if legally required taking into the account the nature of the role you have applied for. If this is relevant to you we will inform you in advance and explain why this information is necessary.
We will ensure that we have in place appropriate safeguards when processing this type of information, and will seek to do so in accordance with our data protection policy.
We may only use information relating to criminal convictions where the law allows us to do so.
Due to the fact that we occasionally work with children and vulnerable adults, if relevant to your role, we are required to undertake checks of job applicants or employees, workers, consultants and freelancers to check their suitability for such work. Such checks include checks regarding spent and unspent criminal convictions. We are permitted to obtain this information under Part 1, Schedule 1 of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended).
All checks for these purposes are carried out using the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). We use the information received from a DBS check to determine your suitability for the role. Any job offer or agreement for you to undertake work with us may (dependant on the role) be conditional on you agreeing to submit to a DBS check and to our receiving the outcome of such checks to determine your suitability for employment or engagement with us. Such checks will be renewed periodically.
Data sharing
We may have to share your data with third parties for the purposes of processing your application. For recruitment purposes, those third parties are likely to include Networx who are our online recruitment application provider.
We require third parties to respect the security of your data and to treat it in accordance with the law.
What about other third parties?
We may share your personal information with other third parties, for example in the context of the possible sale or restructuring of the business. We may also need to share your personal information with a regulator or to otherwise comply with the law.
Data security
We have put in place measures to protect the security of your information. Details of these measures are available upon request.
Third parties will only process your personal information on our instructions and where they have agreed to treat the information confidentially and to keep it secure.
We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal information from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal information to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal information on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected data security breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected breach where we are legally required to do so.
Data retention
How long will you use my information for?
If we do not recruit you but have obtained personal information from you for the purposes of a recruitment process, we will retain your personal information for a period of 6 months after we have communicated our decision. We retain this information for that period so that we can show, in the event of a legal claim, that we have not discriminated against candidates on prohibited grounds and that we have conducted the recruitment exercise in a fair and transparent way. After this, unless you ask us to hold your personal data for longer we will securely destroy your personal information in accordance with our data protection policy and any policies on retention of personal information.
If we do recruit you we will retain the personal information relating to your application (CV, application form, interview assessment/notes, tests etc) and hold this in your personnel file for the period of your employment/engagement. Such information will be removed from your file after the termination of your employment/engagement in accordance with our data protection policy and any policies on retention of personal data. If you become an employee, worker, or consultant with the Company, we will issue you with a separate Privacy Notice at that point which will explain what personal information we will retain regarding you whilst you remain employed/engaged by us.
Rights of access, correction, erasure, and restriction
Your rights in connection with personal information
Under certain circumstances, by law you have the right to:
Request access to your personal information (commonly known as a "data subject access request"). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.
Request correction of the personal information that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about you corrected.
Request erasure of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal information where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal information where you have exercised your right to object to processing (see below).
Object to processing of your personal information where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
Request the restriction of processing of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of personal information about you, for example if you want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it.
Request the transfer of your personal information to another party.
If you want to review, verify, correct or request erasure of your personal information, object to the processing of your personal data, or request that we transfer a copy of your personal information to another party, please contact HR & Operations Director in writing at the address indicated above.
Within your candidate account, you can also use the Download Data feature to generate an XML file of the current data we hold on you that you have provided and/or have access to within the account.
Alternatively, visitors who wish to review the personal information retained when they apply via our website site and correct any inaccuracies it may contain may do so, if you choose to register, you may access your profile, correct and update your details, or withdraw your details at any time. To do this, you can access your personal profile by using the secure login. In all cases we will treat requests to access information or change information in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
No fee usually required
You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal information (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request for access is clearly unfounded or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with the request in such circumstances.
What we may need from you
We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access the information (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is another appropriate security measure to ensure that personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it.
Right to withdraw consent
In the limited circumstances where we have relied on your consent for the collection, processing and transfer of your personal information for a specific purpose (which will be rare), you have the right to withdraw your consent for that specific processing at any time. To withdraw your consent, please contact HR & Operations Director at the address indicated above. Once we have received notification that you have withdrawn your consent, we will no longer process your information for the purpose or purposes you originally agreed to, unless we have another legitimate basis for doing so in law.
Data Protection Manager
We have appointed Claire Ward, Communications and Fundraising Director to oversee compliance with this privacy notice. If you have any questions about this privacy notice or how we handle your personal information, please contact Claire Ward using the contact details above. You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues.
Changes to this privacy notice
We reserve the right to update this privacy notice at any time, and we will provide you with a new privacy notice when we make any substantial updates. We may also notify you in other ways from time to time about the processing of your personal information.
If you have any questions about this privacy notice, please contact either Claire Ward (Data Protection Manager) or Julia Bates (HR and Operations Director).
Social Login
To continue creating your account, please read the privacy policy and tick the box below
To complete creating your profile with , please read and agree with the privacy policy.
The email used for your profile is not a valid company domain name. In order to
continue to create your profile with you will need to select a profile which uses a company authorised email address.
Cookie Preference Centre
Learn more about what each cookie category does and choose your settings
Cookie policy
Strictly Necessary
Name
__RequestVerificationToken
Duration
Session
Description
Anti-forgery Token
Name
ASP.NET_SessionId
Duration
Session
Description
General purpose platform session cookie, used by sites written with Miscrosoft .NET based technologies. Usually used to maintain an anonymised user session by the server.
Name
NTX_Cookie_Preferences_Live
Duration
6 Months
Description
Your cookie preferences
Performance / Analytics
Name
_ga
Duration
2 Years
Description
This cookie name is associated with Google Universal Analytics - which is a significant update to Google's more commonly used analytics service. This cookie is used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. It is included in each page request in a site and used to calculate visitor, session and campaign data for the sites analytics reports. By default it is set to expire after 2 years, although this is customisable by website owners.
Name
_gat
Duration
A few seconds
Description
This is a pattern type cookie set by Google Analytics, where the pattern element on the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to. It appears to be a variation of the _gat cookie which is used to limit the amount of data recorded by Google on high traffic volume websites.
Name
_gid
Duration
1 Day
Description
This cookie name is asssociated with Google Universal Analytics. This appears to be a new cookie and as of Spring 2017 no information is available from Google. It appears to store and update a unique value for each page visited.
Name
NetworxTracking_AdvertClick
Duration
90 Days
Description
Used for tracking if the candidate has already clicked the advert - used for analytics
Name
NetworxTracking_AdvertLoad
Duration
90 Days
Description
Used for tracking if the candidate has already loaded the advert - used for analytics
Functional Cookies
Name
ApplicationIntroductionID
Duration
90 Days
Description
Check to see if the candidate has already read the introduction for the Application
Name
FavouriteVacancies
Duration
30 Days
Description
Store any jobs the candidate has flagged as a favourite
