Director of Chapel Music and Organist

Contract type: Permanent, stipendary position.

Averaging 12 hours per week mostly Term time.

Are you an experienced organist looking for an opportunity to promote an environment in which a breadth of musical styles and genres can flourish, reflecting the interests of both the Catholic heritage on which the Chapel was founded and the diverse College community?

If so, St Edmund’s College is recruiting a Director of Chapel Music and Organist to start in the new year.

Due to the nature of the role, the incumbent must be able to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends, to allow for the variation in the level of duties across a full academic year.

Job Responsibilities

• Responsible for planning the music, in consultation with the Dean, for Sunday Masses and major College occasions — with an emphasis on congregational participation.
• Establish and maintain the Choir library, including but not limited to:
  • The acquisition of music sets, either by negotiation of available budget in consultation with the Dean
  • Cataloguing and organising the library
  • Mending and maintaining copies where necessary
• Play the organ as required by the College and specifically on:
  • The weekly Sunday Mass in term-time and the Sundays immediately before and after.
  • For Holy Days, including but not limited to Corpus Christi, Ss Peter & Paul, All Saints, The Commemoration of the Holy Souls, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week and Easter services; to play for occasional weekday evening Masses (not more than two per term)
  • For all major College occasions involving the Chapel, including but not limited to Vespers for the Feast of St Edmund, the annual Advent Carol Service, the Commemoration of Benefactors, the Inauguration of new Fellows, Matriculation ceremonies, Memorial services for Fellows/Benefactors of College.
• Responsible for arranging a deputy organist to cover as required and for university vacations.
• Curate the Chapel organ in terms of access and maintenance.
• Availability to play the organ at any weddings, funerals, and baptisms etc. is at the discretion of the DoCMO; requests of this nature may be considered on an ad hoc basis and DoCMO may reach formal agreement with the parties concerned regarding music and remuneration.
• To produce congregational booklets for major celebrations, and when necessary congregational leaflets for Sunday term-time Masses.
• Recruit, rehearse and direct the Chapel Choir for Sunday term-time Masses, beginning at the start of each academic year and continuing each term.
• Recruit and rehearse the Chapel Schola via the intercollegiate Choral Awards scheme and auditions throughout the academic year; to direct the Schola on major College occasions.
• Represent the College at Directors of Music meetings.
• Plan appropriate repertoire/music lists for all Chapel services, with due sensitivity to the nature and liturgical requirements of the different services and their congregations, the technical abilities of the singers, and time available for rehearsal, while maintaining a balance of eras and styles of music, and nurturing the personal, spiritual and musical development of each individual singer.
• Responsible for ordering stationery for the use of the Chapel.
• Liaise with the Dean, Tutorial team and other relevant staff for the use of Teaching Room 2 as a choir vestry.
• Nurture strong relations with:
  • Other Catholic institutions in Cambridge i.e. Our Lady and the English Martyrs parish, Fisher House (University Catholic Chaplaincy), Margaret Beaufort Institute etc.
  • Other Chapel choirs & scholas, organising visiting events and exchanges.
• Plan, in consultation with the Dean, the communication strategies and resources of the Chapel Schola and Chapel Choir.
• Responsible for Choir and Schola Chapel bookings (both internal and external) being entered on the College system, in consultation with the Dean.
• Advertise Chapel events on relevant platforms and physical spaces including the College social media outlets.
• Be compliant with the Safeguarding Policy of the Catholic Church.
• Work with colleagues to share best practice and ensure policies are adhered to.
• Ensure the upkeep of the College, report any problems as necessary and help to keep the College litter free.
• Suggest and implement new ways of working and ideas, be an advocate for Continuous Improvement.
• Adhere to Health and Safety policies and procedures.
• Complete ad hoc tasks as required.

Person Specification

Experience

• A good organist.
• Experience creating and producing documents.
• Experience in performing and directing choral music, including sacred choral music.
• Understanding of budget responsibility, support funding requests to college committees. (desirable)
• Experience recruiting singers for Chapel (desirable)

Skills

• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills.
• Excellent organisation and planning skills.
• Excellent knowledge of liturgical and other music.
• Proven ability to work independently and co-operatively with others.
• Sympathetic to the central academic mission of St Edmund’s College, its pastoral responsibility and its commitment to diversity and equality, with an ability to relate positively to people from a wide range of backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities and of all faiths or none.

If you feel that you fit most but not all of the above criteria, we would still love to hear from you.

As well as a great salary and friendly team you will also receive:

• Working daily allowance for food and drinks*
• Free car parking (where available)
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (increasing with length of service)
• Discounts at restaurants, shops & more
• Death in service
• Access to LinkedIn Learning & Business Disability Forum

About St Edmund’s College

St Edmund’s College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. Our vibrant student body is made up of around 420 post-graduates and 130 mature undergraduates. With over 260 senior members – academics working at the cutting edge of their field or eminent members of their profession – and around 70 staff, you will be joining a dynamic and growing College with an ambitious vision for our role in shaping the future of higher education and collaborative research.

The maturity of our community means that we have earned a reputation as the friendly college. Relaxed, non-hierarchical and diverse, we pride ourselves on being a place in Cambridge where people of all backgrounds are welcomed, will feel at home and can flourish. Therefore, we welcome all candidates regardless of their demographic characteristics such as gender, race, disability, neurodiversity, religion, age, sex & sexual identity to apply for our opportunities.

How to Apply

To apply, please complete the application form and send it to Nicky Chalklin, HR Administrator by email

Closing date for completed applications: 03/03/2025

If you have informal enquiries about the post, please email the Dean, Fr Ed, on

In applying for this role, you will provide personal data which the College will process in accordance with its data protection obligations and its Data Protection Policy:

Any offer of employment is subject to evidence of your right to work in the UK and the receipt of satisfactory references.

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