Cultural Heritage Researcher

Hackney Empire seeks a Cultural Heritage Researcher to support the uncovering, curating and communicating of the rich 125-year history of the theatre. This role will focus on telling the story of Hackney Empire’s popular and radical artistic programming. This will include researching diverse audiences and artists involved in the vanishing acts of Variety, Magic and Music Hall, alongside the surviving ones of Music, Comedy, Carnival, Pantomime and Theatre, tracing how Hackney Empire has responded to East London’s migration heritage and driven our mission to help historically disenfranchised people find their voice on our stage.

The researcher will engage with archives, private collectors, and cultural institutions to identify materials and stories that illuminate Hackney Empire’s role as a platform for underrepresented artists and communities.

This role is sought in conjunction with a Community Heritage Researcher in a mirrored job description. We are open to proposals from candidates who are interested in combining both these roles.

To find out more about the role, please download our Recruitment Pack (PDF) here, download our Recruitment Pack (Large print Word document) here, or via the links below.

To apply: Please send your CV and a covering letter (no more than one sides of A4) setting out your interest in the role, how you meet the person specification and examples of similar projects you have worked on previously. Applications should be sent to development@hackneyempire.co.uk including in the subject line reference HECUHR by 10am on Mon 26 Jan 2026.

Please also send us a completed equal opportunities monitoring form, which you can download below, with your application. This form is for statistical purposes only and will not be used in the assessment of your application.

If you need any of our recruitment documents in a different format, please email development@hackneyempire.co.uk or call 020 8985 2424 and we will send them over to you.