Lincoln Cathedral has stood as a symbol of faith, craftsmanship, and human endeavour for over 950 years. It is a place of worship, pilgrimage, and welcome, while also representing an internationally significant heritage asset entrusted to our care and a visitor destination welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. This is an exciting time to join the Cathedral with a new Dean and Chief Operating Officer both now established and a strong sense of unity in delivering our vision to be a beacon of hope for all.
In this context, we now seek a Director of Fabric & Estates, responsible for the long-term stewardship, development, and sustainability of Lincoln Cathedral and its historic estate, ensuring it is protected, cared for, and handed on to future generations. The care of the Cathedral fabric is a continuous commitment supported by our own on-site Works Department, a centre of excellence for heritage skills and craft. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the postholder will provide senior leadership for both the conservation of the Cathedral fabric and the strategic development of the wider estate, including estate master planning, town planning, statutory consents, and long-term sustainability. Beyond the Cathedral itself, the wider estate includes over 80 historic buildings and structures, including residential and commercial properties, walls, and monuments within the Close. Stewardship of this complex estate requires long-term strategic leadership alongside sound operational judgement.
You will be an experienced heritage professional with a track record of success as a senior leader managing complex and multi-faceted estates and assets. You will bring strong strategic acumen with the ability to effectively manage operational delivery, marked by a commitment to leading collaborative, productive and high performing teams of experts. You will bring energy, vision and capable relationship building skills to this role, demonstrating how the skills you have developed managing other heritage sites will enable you to support the ongoing care and development of Lincoln Cathedral.
This role offers a rare opportunity to make a lasting contribution to one of the most significant buildings in Europe, and to the life, mission, and future of Lincoln Cathedral. For more details about the role, an informal conversation to explore your suitability, and to apply, please click Apply below.
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Documents
To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process no later than 17:00 on Monday 13 July 2026. There are two parts to the application the process:
Part 1
Please complete the application and conflict of interest form which can be downloaded and then submitted online
You will be asked to provide your contact details, complete an equality monitoring form (this will appear on screen as part of the online application process) and let us know of any dates when you are not available for interview or where you may have difficulty with the indicative timetable. You must also provide details for two referees, one of whom should be your current or most recent employer. These referees will not be approached until the final interview stage and not without your prior permission.
Your application will be acknowledged immediately by GatenbySanderson. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please check your spam and then contact
emma.clark@gatenbysanderson.com
Part 2
Alongside completing your application form, please visit https://myint.video/ajv-ybJjqm to submit a 3 minute video response to the following question:
What excites you about the opportunity to be the Director of Fabric & Estates for Lincoln Cathedral?
When you follow the video link, you will have the opportunity to practice recording a video, and to test your equipment, using the practice questions ‘Why would you like to work for us?’ and /What are your strengths and weaknesses?’. These recordings are/not submitted/and are for preparation purposes only.
Once you’ve completed the practice questions and feel confident, click “I’m ready, proceed to start.” You will then move on to the actual question, where you can record 5 takes and submit the version you are most satisfied with.
Please note that all video responses must be recorded using the link provided. Pre-recorded videos or videos created outside of this platform cannot be uploaded. This requirement ensures a fair and consistent assessment process for all candidates.