You'll be responsible for the overall strategic and operational leadership of one of the National Trust’s busiest visitor businesses (with over 350,000 visitors per annum), with a unique heritage with nature and farming at its core. You'll manage a Property Leadership Team across diverse departments. Leading from the front, inspiring, and motivating your team, you'll encourage innovation and turning strategy into daily operations.
What it's like to work here:This impressive mansion and home farm is the only National Trust property that manages all its visitor attractions and activities in-house. Visitor numbers have increased rapidly in recent years and Wimpole is regarded as one of our most successful properties in terms of growth and innovation. As expected for such a popular location, work at Wimpole is fast-paced, but as part of the team you’ll enjoy flexible working conditions.
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Reporting to the regionally based Assistant Director of Operations, you’ll be the figurehead of the Wimpole Estate, holding key partner relationships on behalf of the organisation, both internally and externally. You'll lead your team operating across a complex and dynamic commercial visitor operation, with exciting plans to deliver more for nature and climate.
You’ll have the opportunity to have significant impact on the estate’s 50-year master-plan development and its delivery, leaving Wimpole more financially secure and cared-for, for future generations.
What you'll be doing:Leading a team of department heads and working with a large network of national and regional specialists, you’ll develop new ways to engage our supporters, deliver great experiences, meet our conservation requirements, and commercially diversify the estate. You’ll support departments to develop the right priorities, balancing access and conservation while providing the resources and inspirational leadership, ensuring their care, confidence, and capability in delivering our strategy.
Behind all this work sits a strong culture of risk management and compliance. You'll ensure that all our operations are safe and managed to the highest standards and you’ll understand, anticipate, and manage issues that could affect the Trust’s reputation, finances or assets.
Some weekend working as well as occasional evenings will be required.
For any questions or an informal conversation please contact
[email protected] marking for the attention of Oliver Burke, Assistant Director of Operations.
Who we're looking forThe scale of this role means you'll need to be brilliant with finances, people, and projects. You’ll need to know when to delegate, and when to take ownership. Everything you do will be in harmony with our values and ambitions, but it will also make perfect commercial and financial sense.
We'd love to hear from you if you have the following skills and experience.
- A forward-thinking approach to managing the complexity of a large estate ensuring, balancing the needs of heritage, nature, and people.
- An entrepreneurial spirit with strong financial acumen that will enable the business to grow by making best use of internal resources and effectively securing funds from outside the National Trust.
- Understand the need to be highly visible to both your staff and volunteers and able to share your vision in a clear and compelling way.
- A natural motivator and coach with an ability to lead through others and help your team achieve their full potential.
- You’ll be adept at prioritising and able to keep calm while balancing the urgent with the important.
- Able to focus energy and resources not just on where we can improve the most, but on how we ensure all our supporters feel valued.
- You’ll understand what makes a great visitor experience and will be keen to make sure your high standards are evident across the whole portfolio.
- A confident communicator, accomplished decision-maker and natural collaborator, adept at building effective working relationships with a wide variety of people.
- Adept at managing operational risk, understand the underpinning need for compliance and know what it means to hold others to account.
The packageThe National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.
- Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
- Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
- Rental deposit loan scheme
- EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
- Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
- Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.
- Flexible working whenever possible
- Employee assistance programme
- Free parking at most Trust places
Requirements :Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK
Permanent f/t
