English Heritage
Regional Head of Estates South & East
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Regional Head of Estates South & East (known internally as Senior Estate Manager South & East)
Location: South & East Region
Salary: Salary from £59,922 depending on skills, experience, and location / 36 hours per week / Permanent
Job type: Permanent
Ref: 16534
Heritage is for everybody, and we are here for heritage.
Heritage lives in places and people, memories and stories, artefacts and traditions. It can connect us all to the past, and to each other. It can make us happier, strengthen every community, and help shape society for the better. Everybody should be able to enjoy the benefits it brings.
That's why, as a charity, we care for over a million objects and hundreds of historic sites in every part of England, from international icons to local treasures. And it's why we open them up, share their stories and find new ways for everybody to enjoy, learn, play and create.
Our Estates Department plays a central role in making that possible. Through four regional teams, we provide the professional leadership and technical expertise needed to conserve, maintain and develop a wide range of historic properties, from country houses and ruined castles to hill forts, Roman temples, gardens and archaeological landscapes.
We are looking for a Regional Head of Estates (internally, this role is known as Senior Estate Manager) to join our team. The role is full-time and permanent, working 36 hours per week.
You must be based within the South & East region, as travel across the region is an essential requirement of the role. Leading a multidisciplinary team, you will provide visible leadership and support across a diverse portfolio of sites. You may work from home or from one of our site-based offices (Dover Castle or Wrest Park), but you will be expected to spend a proportionate amount of time at key sites, including Dover, Osborne, Wrest Park and Audley End House, and travel regularly throughout the region to attend meetings, site visits and engage with colleagues.
The Benefits
- Salary from £59,922, depending on skills, experience and location
- 25 days' holiday plus bank holidays, pro rata, rising to 28 days after 3 years
- Matched pension contributions up to 10%
- Flexible hours
- The opportunity to progress your career within the heritage sector
- Apprenticeship opportunities
- Subscriptions to professional bodies
- Free access to all English Heritage sites for you and up to six friends and family members
- 25% discount in our shops and cafes
- Enhanced maternity, paternity or shared parental leave
- Options to buy additional leave
- An inclusive working atmosphere where everybody is supported from all backgrounds, religions and with different needs
- Opportunities to go to some of our great live music and history events
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
The South & East region is one of English Heritage's largest and most diverse portfolios, covering 119 historic sites across 17 counties, including 31 paid visitor attractions and an annual estates and maintenance budget of more than £4.5 million. In this role, you will lead a large multidisciplinary Estates team across an exceptional heritage portfolio spanning prehistoric monuments, Roman settlements, medieval fortresses, monastic ruins, Tudor coastal defences, historic houses, gardens and archaeological landscapes.
This is a significant senior leadership role at the heart of English Heritage's work, shaping how some of the country's most significant historic places are cared for, maintained and developed for the future.
You will lead priorities, programmes, budgets, compliance and risk across a large and complex operational portfolio, working with a multidisciplinary team of around 22 colleagues across estates, conservation, building services, landscapes, facilities and operational support. You will bring strategic direction, professional judgement and visible leadership to a role with scale, variety and influence.
We are looking for a confident and experienced estates, property, building conservation or facilities leader who can bring strategic focus, sound judgement and positive leadership to a large and varied regional portfolio. You will have experience of managing substantial work programmes and budgets, leading multidisciplinary teams, overseeing property-related risk and compliance, and procuring and managing construction or maintenance contracts. This role would suit someone who can build strong relationships, make informed decisions and drive improvement across a geographically dispersed estate, with experience of historic buildings, conservation-led estate management and the use of estate management systems such as GIS or CAFM.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
To be considered for the role, you'll need experience of:
- Building and managing large and complex work programmes and budgets.
- Working at a senior level contributing to national and departmental strategy and policy.
- Procuring and managing construction and maintenance contracts.
- Leading teams managing an estate with a range of property related issues, including safety, legal and statutory requirements.
- Knowledge of historic and/or ecological environment conservation.
Interviews will be held on Thursday 3rd September at Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire, MK45 4HR.
If you would like to talk to us e.g. about workplace adjustments or working patterns, please contact Jamie Cain, Head of Estates. Contact details are available via the apply button. No agencies please.
Find out more about us and what we do on our website. You can also meet some of our people and hear about why they enjoy working with us.
Everybody's welcome at English Heritage
Forget the stereotypes. It takes thousands of people from every background to care for England's heritage and open it up for everybody to enjoy. We're looking for every type of person with every kind of skill and experience, and we're committed to making sure that English Heritage is an equitable, diverse and inclusive place to work. You can connect with others through our EDI networks as a member or ally. These include Ethnic Diversity, Faith & Belief, Social Equity, LGBTQ+, Neurodivergence, Age, Disability and Gender Health and Wellbeing.
We take wellbeing seriously. We are committed to ensuring everyone feels safe at work and can carry out their role. To support this, we have a network of Mental Health First aiders, regular information and awareness events, unlimited access to an Employee Assistance Programme and work with our people to implement reasonable adjustments.
Closing date: 16/08/2026 23:59:59
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location