Fabric Advisory Committee Member

Across the Church of England, volunteers form a hugely valued and important resource serving in a range of roles, including helping to care for and protect the nation’s cathedrals – some of our most precious and significant buildings. We at Birmingham Cathedral would warmly welcome hearing from experienced professionals with an interest in cathedrals, and the time and specialist skills to serve on our voluntary Fabric Advisory Committee (FAC) that helps to shape the conservation and development of our cathedral building. 

Works on and around the Church of England's cathedrals are controlled by a statutory planning system, in which FACs play a leading role. Each cathedral has its own FAC: a committee of 6-10 expert members that provides the cathedral with advice on the care, conservation and development of the cathedral buildings, their setting and contents, and deals directly with some applications for works that, under the secular planning system, would require listed building consent. 

Birmingham Cathedral FAC is carefully constituted to contain expertise relevant to the cathedral’s conservation and development. The cathedral wishes to build up a list of suitable candidates who may be asked to join the FAC for an initial five-year term, beginning in April 2026. You can download more detailed information about the Care of Cathedrals Measure and the role of FACs at the Church of England website, under Resources, Churchcare, Cathedral Fabric Commission and Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committees.

Serving on Birmingham Cathedral FAC offers a unique chance to form a special bond with one of England's great buildings and with the people who use and care for it day to day. These roles are voluntary but reasonable expenses will be paid. The commitment typically involves three meetings a year, plus time to read and respond to application documents and advice requests. 

We hope you will consider this opportunity even if you never previously imagined volunteering for the Church of England! We welcome applications from all walks of life and lived experience and are keen to hear from a diverse range of applicants. By diversity, we mean we want more skilled, experienced people who are also women; people of global majority heritage; LGBTQIA+; younger; with disabilities; and from all faith and social backgrounds. We believe that removing barriers to diversity and inclusion is a fundamental part of our becoming a “simpler, humbler, bolder” Anglican Church, and in our committees, we hope to achieve more robust decision making informed by diverse voices drawn from all the people and communities the cathedral serves.

There is no requirement to be a Christian, but as cathedrals exist to proclaim the Christian faith, appointees must be able to work comfortably and in sympathy with the mission of the Dean and Chapter. 

Expressions of interest are invited from specialists in the following areas: 

• Accessibility in historic buildings 
• Archaeology 
• Architecture
• Architectural history 
• Art, stained glass and sculpture – history, theory and practice
• Church history 
• Conservation – buildings and objects
• Contested Heritage
• Engineering – structural, mechanical and electrical 
• Environmental conservation and management 
• Lighting and sound systems – design and installation Liturgy and church organisation 
• Museums and collections management
• Net Zero Carbon
• Project management in a heritage context 
• Public realm, place making and landscape design
• Town planning 
• Visitor and heritage management

There are three FAC meetings each year, 2pm-4pm which you would be asked to attend, which all happen in person at Birmingham Cathedral.

To express interest, please send a CV and covering letter (no more than two sides of A4) indicating your relevant area of expertise and experience, and the geographical area(s) or specific cathedrals you would be interested to serve.  

All submissions should be emailed as PDF or Word documents should be sent by Friday 23 January 2026. 

We will assess applications to form a pool of expertise from which to draw upon as and when openings arise (with the expectation that most appointments will begin in April 2026). Appointments to FACs will be made following an informal interview with the Dean and the Chair of the FAC.