Associate Imam (RL-1)
Chelmsford Muslim Society
£28,000 – £36,000 · Full-time, permanent · Chelmsford, Essex
Build your career with us
We’re looking for someone at the beginning of their career in religious leadership — someone who has put in years of study and now wants to turn that learning into practice, in a masjid that will invest properly in them.
This is a real job with real responsibility: you’ll lead the daily prayers, deliver Jumuʿah, teach our children, and get to know the families who make up this community. It’s also, deliberately, a role built for growth. You’ll be observed, coached and given honest feedback, and you’ll have experienced colleagues alongside you rather than being left to work it out on your own.
Associate Imam is the first grade in our imams’ framework. The route from here to Imam (RL-2), and on to senior responsibility — owning a programme, mentoring newer colleagues, shaping the direction of our teaching — is mapped out and openly published. How far and how fast someone travels along it is largely down to them. We would much rather appoint someone with room to grow than someone already at their ceiling.
About us
Chelmsford Muslim Society serves a growing and diverse Muslim community across Chelmsford and the surrounding area. Alongside daily prayers and Jumuʿah, we run children’s and adult classes, youth activities, pastoral support, foodbank and charity work, mosque open days, and interfaith engagement across Essex. It is a busy, warm and well-organised place to work.
What you’ll be doing
Leading daily prayer Taraweeh and Jumuʿah. Leading the daily prayers with sound tajwīd and good adab, delivering Jumuʿah khutbahs from prepared material with accuracy and clarity, and helping deliver Ramadan and Eid.
Teaching. Teaching our children using established curricula, and co-teaching in adult classes — building your range and confidence with regular observation and feedback.
Pastoral and youth work. Listening well, offering straightforward guidance, and passing anything sensitive or complex promptly to a senior colleague. Supporting our youth sessions safely and knowing where the boundaries sit.
Community and outreach. Working alongside senior colleagues at open days and outreach events — welcoming visitors, handling introductions and questions, and helping people find their next step into the life of the masjid.
Keeping things running. Accurate records, submitted on time, within the rotas and guidance you’re given.
You’ll work within a clear structure. Topic choices and anything beyond routine pastoral matters are agreed with your line manager, and difficult theological, safeguarding or media questions go to a senior colleague. That’s there to support you, not to hem you in.
Who we’re hoping to hear from
We’re looking for:
- ʿĀlimiyyah or equivalent substantial Islamic study
- Hafidh of the Quran and confident leading Taraweeh
- Sound recitation and tajwīd, and the confidence to lead prayer well
- English strong enough to teach children and hold your own in adult sessions
- Genuine openness to being observed, coached and told directly how to improve
- Reliability, punctuality, and care with the administrative side
- The right to work in the UK
- Willingness to undergo an enhanced DBS check and complete safeguarding training
It would help if you also had:
- Experience teaching children or young people, in a madrasa, school or youth setting
- An appetite for daʿwah and community outreach
- Some familiarity with the UK context and UK safeguarding practice — though we know this will be new to many good applicants, and we’ll support you to build it
If you meet most of this but not all of it, we’d still encourage you to apply. This is an entry-level post and we expect to be developing whoever we appoint.
What we offer
- A transparent pay and grading framework, with a published route from Associate Imam to Imam and beyond
- Structured supervision, observation and mentoring from experienced colleagues
- Funded safeguarding training and support with UK compliance requirements
- Annual leave
- A community that will know your name and be glad you’re here
The practical details
Salary: £28,000 – £36,000 per annum. The starting point within the band is set at offer stage using our placement scorecard, based on what you bring on day one.
Hours: 40 hours per week, including evenings, weekends and prayer times, on a rota agreed with the other Imams.
Contract: Permanent, subject to a 6-month probationary period.
Closing date: 01/11/2026 · Interviews: 15/11/2026 · Start date: 01/12/2026
Safeguarding
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk, and we expect everyone who works or volunteers with us to share that commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check with barred list checks, satisfactory references, and completion of our safeguarding induction before any unsupervised contact with children or young people.
Equal opportunities
We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates. Being a practising Muslim is a genuine occupational requirement for this post under Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010. If you need any adjustment to the application or interview process, please tell us at by replying to the confirmation email and we’ll arrange it.
How to apply
Complete the form below and attach an up-to-date CV. A cover letter is optional but genuinely helps — tell us why this role, and why here.
Take your time over the written answers. They tell us far more than a CV does, and they’re what we read first.
