National Trust
General Manager
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General Manager
We’re looking for an inspiring leader to be the driving force behind Kingston Lacy. The General Manager leads from the front, encouraging and empowering their team and covering a wide range of operations.
In this role, you’ll be turning strategy into reality. You’ll build an inclusive culture where everyone can feel they belong, the people who work and volunteer here, the people who regularly visit and love it, and the people who’ve never been before and don’t yet know that this place is for them too.
Salary: £55,000 - £60,000 dependent on experience
What it's like to work here
Reporting to the Assistant Director of Operations, you'll be supported by national and regional specialists to deliver great experiences for visitors and look after our places. In this leadership role, you'll have the autonomy and independence to adapt our national strategy into local plans that respond to the local environment and context.
You’ll also be part of a dynamic wider General Manager community, committed to providing access to nature, beauty and history.
You’ll work with other leaders in the culture and arts sector and have an opportunity to be part of the National Trust’s pioneering work in telling the unique stories of our places and growing our supporter base.
What you'll be doing
You'll manage several departmental heads, each with their own areas of focus such as the garden, visitor experience, curatorship, nature conservation, facilities, and the care of precious art and objects. You’ll be working with regional teams covering commercial operations and the let estate, and with the Trust’s internal consultancy: a flexible resource of specialist skills and expertise. You'll encourage your team to succeed across all their areas, and to build the funds to invest back into improvements and conservation work here. And you'll build plans for this place, working with others to give it a future that can benefit everyone.
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You'll provide inspirational leadership for staff and volunteers, and you’ll inspire them to create the best possible all-round experience for everyone who visits. You'll manage risk and compliance, and you’ll champion the conservation of nature, buildings and precious collections.
You'll also be working with a wide range of partners and with the local community.
As an 'expert generalist', you'll have a diverse remit. We have high visitor and revenue targets to meet, so you'll be experienced with finances, people and projects.
You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don't need to have all the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what’s possible in this role.
Who we're looking for
With a wide range of skills in your toolkit, you'll need to demonstrate the following skills and experience:
- forward-thinking in your approach to balancing the needs of heritage, nature and people
- experience in driving visitor growth, particularly through outdoor experiences and creative programming
- proven success in developing and delivering long-term plans aligned to organisational goals and priorities
- experienced in leading varied operational teams
- confident in managing operational risk, understanding the fundamental need for compliance and knowing what it means to hold others to account
- a skilled communicator, who can build strong relationships within diverse teams, both internally and externally
- a leader for inclusion, who finds ways to create an inclusive culture
- understands how to manage budgets, generate income, and deliver financial targets
- a strong understanding of community engagement, with experience working in or with local communities to broaden access and attract diverse audiences
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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.
- 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
- Season ticket loan
- 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
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