Summary

We're looking for a Property Operations Manager to join us at our wonderful South and East Cumbria portfolio. In this exciting role, you'll be responsible for a landmark site for the National Trust at Sizergh Castle which forms a special gateway into the Lake District National Park.

You'll be working in a property leadership team which is protecting and enhancing one of our most exciting and diverse portfolios in the National Trust with fascinating historic properties, beautiful gardens and parkland along with rare natural coastal habitats and farmland. Alongside Sizergh Castle, our portfolio includes Acorn Bank in the north, with its links to the Knights Templar, the Arnside and Silverdale area of outstanding natural beauty, and the dunes at Sandscale Haws near Barrow.

You’ll understand how to manage operations and motivate multi-disciplinary teams across the portfolio. You’ll be an experienced leader, bringing your experience, enthusiasm, drive and determination to this exciting role. You'll have high standards for yourself and your teams, enjoy delivering and getting things done.

This is a permanent, full-time opportunity. Salary £33,535 to £35,675 depending on experience and fit for the role. 

We are also recruiting a similar position at our South Lakes Portfolio IRC114133 - Visitor Operations & Experience Manager (nationaltrust.org.uk)

What it's like to work here

The South & East Cumbria and Morecambe Bay portfolio sits alongside our Lake District properties where collaboration and team working across the many different disciplines and that make up our property teams is an essential part of our everyday work. 

Our aim is to enable people to enjoy and help us care for a healthy and beautiful natural environment, rich in stories and heritage and to ensure our historic properties and gardens provide enriching experiences for everyone. Delivering ground-breaking conservation work, finding innovative new ways to tell the story of our places and ensuring that our places are as welcoming and accessible as possible are all part of the day to day work of the team you’ll be leading.

What you'll be doing

You'll be in charge of all aspects of the operation of this much loved historic property and popular gardens. You'll be leading the visitor welcome section of the property on a day-to-day basis, opening the property to visitors, and maximising income generation through admissions and membership recruitment. You'll manage the presentational standards, ensure great service for our visitors and maximise the financial success of the operations. You are the lead for visitor facing health and safety incidents and risk assessment reporting.

As well as managing the visitor welcome side of the business you'll collaborate with conservation and visitor experiences colleagues to ensure Sizergh Castle and the wider portfolio delivers high quality programmes and continually develops. You will work with the General Manager and leadership team in thinking long-term and planning for the future development of the portfolio, including feeding into small and large visitor infrastructure projects. You will lead on access improvements across the site and can help shape your role with your interests in mind.

Who we're looking for

We’d like to hear from you, if you have the following skills and experience:

• Strong leadership and people management/ development experience with the ability to influence and engage people at all levels
• Flexible approach to leadership, managing a small team of staff and volunteers across a 7-day operation across different sites
• Strong budget and financial management experience
• Experience in leading for change
• Excellent understanding of audience engagement and customer service
• Drive, enthusiasm and determination
• Understanding of how to get the best out of people working in multi-disciplinary teams
• Enjoy problem solving and developing solutions with teams

The package

The 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.

Wherever you’re from, and whatever your background, we want to hear from you – and it doesn’t matter if you’re jam first, cream first, or even if you don’t like scones at all. Everyone is welcome.

Benefits for working at the National Trust include:

• Flexible working whenever possible

• Free parking at most locations

• Free entry to our properties for you, a guest and your children (under 18)

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary