Deputy Head of Stage

Department/Team Technical

Responsible to Head of Stage

Contract Permanent - Full-Time

Location The Old Vic, 103 The Cut, London, SE1 8NB

Hours 192 hours over 4 week periods, Monday – Sunday, in accordance with a rota. Hours will include day, evening and overnight work.

Salary £54,351.97 (BECTU rate, with additional 8 hours overtime/week buy out) plus additional payments for Sundays and overnight work.

Benefits:

• Hybrid working for eligible teams and a company culture that promotes good work/life balance
• Enhanced annual leave, starting at 25 days per year, increasing by one day per year up to 30 days (plus bank holidays).
• Opportunity to switch statutory bank holidays to mark a religious event or festival
• Complimentary tickets for you and a guest to Old Vic preview productions
• Discretionary invite to Press Night performances and parties
• Free therapy from our therapy partner SelfSpace
• Mental health support via our in-house Mental Health Champions
• Salary sacrifice scheme with The People’s Pension and enhanced employer pension contributions
• Death in service benefit
• Festive day – one discretionary additional paid day off around the festive period for a collective pause
• Time to volunteer – one day per year to support a charity or project of your choosing
• Commitment to learning, education and development
• Enhanced sick pay
• Access to interest free travel schemes including Cycle 2 work and Season Ticket loans after your probation period
• Family friendly policies and enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption/shared parental pay
• All staff social events
• Staff discount in Backstage and The Old Vic bars as well as discounts in local bars and restaurants
• Opportunities to get involved with staff clubs and working groups such as the Inclusion Working Group
• Buddy schemes including New Starter and Parental buddies to support your induction and return to work after parental leave

Role Summary

The Deputy Head of Stage plays a central leadership role within The Old Vic’s Stage department, supporting the delivery of five to six world‑class productions each year alongside a dynamic and industry‑leading Additional Programming schedule. Working closely with the Head of Stage, you will help lead a highly skilled technical team to deliver productions safely, efficiently and to the highest artistic standards. This is a hands‑on position requiring practical expertise, calm leadership, and a collaborative approach across creative and operational departments. You will deputise for the Head of Stage as required and take an active role in all aspects of production delivery, from rehearsal support and fit‑ups to technical rehearsals, show running, maintenance and get‑outs. Beyond productions, the Stage department contributes to building maintenance, capital projects, statutory compliance, and supports the Theatre’s Education and Community work. The Deputy Head of Stage plays an important part in coordinating and delivering this broader technical remit.

The Team

The Deputy Head of Stage is part of the Stage department, reporting to the Head of Stage alongside the Stage charge hand. The Stage department forms part of the wider in‑house Technical team, which includes Lighting, Sound and Wardrobe, and sits under the Technical Services Director. The role works in close collaboration with the Production Director, Head of Estates & Services and Theatre Management to support the successful delivery of productions and wider operational activity.

Areas of Responsibility

• Production Delivery: Support the smooth running of the Stage department, ensuring exceptional technical support for all productions and creatives. Lead and supervise crews during fit‑ups, technical rehearsals, performances and get‑outs. Lead show crews and undertake show cues. Support pre‑production processes both on and off‑site. Construct scenic elements, props and rehearsal items where required. Maintain scenery, props, furniture and technical elements to a consistently high standard. Maintain technical areas, stage infrastructure, tools, rigging equipment, and specialist hired equipment (such as automation systems). Support external hires and events within the stage and auditorium.
• Departmental Leadership: Deputise for the Head of Stage in their absence, representing the stage department at meetings. Assist with recruitment, induction and supervision of freelance, agency and casual staff. Organise and distribute staffing rotas in collaboration with the Head of Stage. Ensure accurate completion of time sheets and rota systems when required. Lead fit‑ups and get‑outs independently to enable an alternating leadership pattern with the Head of Stage. Mentor and develop junior and casual crew members to strengthen departmental capability. Actively foster an inclusive, collaborative working culture within the Stage department, promoting equity, respect and opportunity in line with The Old Vic’s organisational values.
• Health & Safety and Compliance: Foster a proactive safety culture across all stage activities. Ensure compliance with current health and safety legislation and industry best practice. Produce and maintain risk assessments and Safe Systems of Work (SSOW). Monitor working practices within technical areas and address unsafe conditions. Participate in departmental H&S meetings and statutory inspections. Maintain excellent housekeeping across stage and technical areas. Be fully familiar with emergency, evacuation and invacuation procedures.
• Technical Administration & Maintenance: Produce and maintain accurate production and departmental documentation. Assist in preparing maintenance and production budgets and obtaining costings. Adhere to theatre procurement and accounting procedures. Support building maintenance within technical areas. Assist with the management of The Old Vic’s storage unit, including stock control and scenic preparation.
• Education & Community Engagement: Provide technical support to Education and Community projects as scheduling allows, helping create opportunities for emerging talent and young people.

This role requires a practical, hands‑on team player who thrives in a fast‑paced producing environment and is committed to delivering work of the highest artistic and technical quality. This is not an exhaustive list of duties and the Theatre's management may, at any time, allocate other tasks which are of a similar nature or level.

Person Specification

Essential

• Significant experience within a Stage department of a theatre, including leading fit‑ups and get‑outs.
• Demonstrable carpentry and scenic construction skills.
• Proven experience operating and maintaining counterweight flying systems, including diversions and specialist rigging.
• Experience fabricating practical props and stage effects.
• Demonstrable experience managing, supervising and developing casual stage staff.
• Thorough understanding of current health and safety legislation within the entertainment industry.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and exceptional attention to detail.
• Good IT literacy, ideally including AutoCAD.
• Flexible approach to working hours, including evenings, weekends and overnight calls.
• Knowledge and experience of safe working at height practices.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work with diplomacy and discretion.

How To Apply

We understand that everyone is different and we want you to apply in whichever way you feel best shows your skills and experience. There are a range of ways that you can apply with us:

• Send a short video file of yourself (no longer than two minutes in length), detailing your experience, why you are applying for the role and what about working at The Old Vic interests you.
• Send a short audio file of yourself (no longer than two minutes in length), detailing your experience, why you are applying for the role and what about working at The Old Vic interests you.
• Complete our application form.
• Upload your CV and covering letter, explaining why you are interested in the role and working at the Old Vic.

As a Disability Confident employer, The Old Vic has made a commitment that all applicants with disabilities who meet the essential criteria for this job will be invited to interview. However, in the event that we have a high volume of applications all of whom meet the criteria and identify as disabled, meaning it is not practicable to interview everyone, we may apply a weighting to the shortlisting criteria, or add an additional shortlisting stage before any interviews take place. In all cases we will take care to ensure that any criteria or weightings do not disadvantage disabled applicants. All appointments are made subject to satisfactory references and proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

The Process

The recruitment process for this role will be two stages:

• 1st stage virtual conversation
• 2nd stage in person conversation

You may be asked to complete a work‑based skills assessment or challenge. The closing date for this role is 16 March 2026. First conversations are likely to take place w/c 16 March 2026.

Equal Opportunities

We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets to join us and help shape what we do. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people of the global majority, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse and disabled candidates. We may take positive action, in cases where candidates are equally qualified, to increase the employment of under‑represented groups at The Old Vic. In the event that we ask you to attend the theatre for a conversation and you are struggling financially, we may be able to reimburse you for any reasonable travel costs.

We partner with a range of inclusive organisations, to find out more please read our FAQs.