Martin Goetze and Dominic Gwynn Ltd. are looking to recruit two full-time organ builders based at our workshops on the Welbeck estate in North Nottinghamshire.
Martin and Dominic founded Goetze and Gwynn in 1980, with the aim of making authentic organs which were suitable for the music they were used for, to revive interest in the classical English organ, and to restore organs using the same considered approach and methods as were used on objects in museum conservation departments. Edward Bennett joined them in 1985, when they moved to the Welbeck estate.
As they expanded, they took on apprentices and other staff, and maintained a strong reputation for training people and producing high-quality instruments and restorations.
In the past, Goetze and Gwynn functioned very well as a democratic workplace, with the tasks needed for running the firm shared between the three directors. The work was organised according to their strengths and interests, with them taking turns designing or planning and managing projects.
Now, we are looking to re-create this. As the firm’s current main director, Rob would like to recruit people who could potentially help to establish a similar dynamic to this ‘old firm’.
We therefore have opportunities for committed organ builders to join Goetze and Gwynn, both to build and restore wonderful organs, and to share in shaping the firm for the future.
The job description:
Based in our modern workshop in North Nottinghamshire, you will carry out a range of organ building, design, training, and management tasks, including helping to bring in new work. We are striving to follow the old model that the founders set up, with the eventual aim of having three senior organ builders playing to their strengths, taking some share of the responsibility of running the firm, and taking on more work from the areas that interest them most. These will be discussed during the interview process, so that the full range of work can be covered by the team. You would be expected to be involved with site work, and with occasional tuning. If you are looking for the next step in your career, while still being involved in all aspects of organ building, this could very well be the job for you.
The main thrust of our search is for bench organ builders, who would also spend some time on administrative tasks: hopefully about 75% bench time. However, if your strengths mean that you would prefer to concentrate on the administrative side of organ building, such as reports, research, and possibly also design, it could be possible to create a position with a larger administrative, and smaller organ building, workload. You would ideally still be involved in many aspects of practical organ building work, particularly during busy periods and peak times on site, and when an extra organ builder is needed.
As we already have considerable skills and experience within the company, and hope to be recruiting people with a wide range of talents, we are able to be flexible about exactly what these jobs entail, so that the right candidates can work to their strengths.
At Goetze and Gwynn, we prefer to do most of our work in-house. As it is a small team, you are likely to be required to do many aspects of organ building at some point, so strong all-round skills are a must, as is the willingness to develop your skills, and learn from others.
The job involves historic restoration and conservation of a diverse range of organs, from the very old, to 1930’s theatre organs and neo-classical instruments; so if you already have well-developed restoration skills, this is an advantage. If you do not, you will receive training in them.
You will provide training to less experienced members of the team, and provide guidance where you have skills and experience that others do not. We would be especially delighted to welcome an organ builder who is passionate about teaching, and who would enjoy teaching organ builders in general, to continue Goetze & Gwynn’s tradition of passing on their knowledge wherever possible.
The administrative side of this role involves working as part of a team, responding to enquiries, visits and reports, communicating with current customers, coordinating subcontractors, stock checking, ordering and purchasing, and other duties as required. This is done with the help of Emma, our experienced and highly-capable administrator. In the absence of other considerations, you would be likely to take on approximately a third of this work.
This job requires a certain amount of research into historic practices, when we come across an old organ and do not yet know exactly how it would have been made. If you are particularly interested in researching historic practices, this could make you a very welcome addition to the team; there is scope within this role for you to do research in addition to what the immediate work requires.
If you have design/CAD experience we would welcome this, as this job has the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of organ design, including designing parts for the organs we restore – historical reconstruction. We have a plotter, and access to CAD software.
We also have the possibility that one of the two organ builders we recruit could be a less experienced organ builder. This would be someone who has completed an apprenticeship or equivalent, who produces work to an excellent standard, and who is ready to move on to the next stage in their career as a thoughtful organ builder who produces work to Goetze & Gwynn’s standards, ideals and style, and who is ready both to learn and to pass on their own knowledge.
At Goetze and Gwynn we enjoy tackling organ projects from a wide range of different styles, from the older instruments (e.g. St Botolph, Aldgate) to new builds (e.g. Odiham), via new builds in old cases (e.g. Trinity College, Dublin), chamber organs both new and old (e.g. Pilning; 2006 private collection), theatre organs (e.g. Blackpool Tower), organs abroad (e.g. Santiago de Compostella; Yonago), and various miscellaneous projects (e.g. Gavioli 87 key organ, Black Forest organ clock) . We have a small amount of tuning and maintenance work, with the option to expand this if we find an applicant who loves this kind of work; but so far we have found that it takes away from our time in the workshop, and we prefer to keep it to a minimum. Our current and future work is national and international, and we have a busy order book through to 2026, with several more clients who are waiting for the final go-ahead from their powers-that-be.
Our current and future project list includes Victorian and Georgian church organ restorations, a Wurlitzer theatre organ in Geneva, work up to 2026 and beyond, a new organ for a UK church, and more projects waiting for signing.
The workshop is set within the Harley Studios, in the Welbeck estate. This is a group of subsidised craft workshops, and Goetze and Gwynn were accepted into the group due to its strong track record for historic restoration, conservation, and “historic” new organs. We are continuing this tradition; we now work with newer organs in addition to the very old ones, and we still restore them according to careful conservation principles where appropriate, using age-appropriate materials and techniques where possible.
The ideal candidate:
Essential:
- Will be an all-round experienced organ builder with a strong track record, or a highly skilled trained organ builder.
- Will have a commitment to learning
- Will have a friendly, cooperative, helpful approach to their work
- Will have good leadership qualities/is willing to work hard on this
- Will have good communication skills/is willing to work hard on this
- Will always strive to do the best work possible
- Will be good at assessing own work; self-correcting; seeking support if necessary
- Will be self-motivated
- Will be willing to work away on site
Desirable:
- A full UK driving licence
- A strong commitment to passing on skills
- Design experience
- Machinery maintenance skills/experience
- A particular area, or areas, of expertise in organ building
- Excellent organisational skills
- Experience of leading projects
- Experience with restoration and conservation
We hope to offer (you have to build some of this, too!):
- A friendly and supportive work environment, where you have the chance to be fairly self-determined, and to develop a team
- A lovely location in central England, with good transport links
- A well-equipped, established, subsidised workshop (3,000 sq ft), with a machine room, main workshop, drawing room, and metal shop/voicing shop
- A competitive salary, dependent on experience
- 25 days of holiday per year, plus Bank Holidays
- Flexible hours – 40 hours per week as standard
- The chance to bring on board your own (appropriate within the ethos of the firm) projects, and to tackle them with a team
If you are interested in applying to work at Goetze & Gwynn, and would like to discuss it further, please talk to Rob Balfour-Rowley in confidence: 01909 485 635, or rob@balfour-rowley.co.uk; or email the workshop: office@goetzegwynn.co.uk
To apply for this job, please send a cover letter and CV to Rob Balfour-Rowley: rob@balfour-rowley.co.uk; or by post to, Martin Goetze and Dominic Gwynn Ltd, Units 1-2 East Workshops, Welbeck Estate, Worksop, Notts, S80 3LW
