National Trust
Visitor Operations Manager
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Visitor Operations Manager
We’re looking for an experienced and passionate Visitor Operations Manager to lead the delivery of exceptional visitor experiences at the Knightshayes & East Devon property group. You’ll be responsible for making sure everyone feels welcome, safe, and satisfied—while also helping the site meet its income, operational, and service targets.
As part of the Leadership Team, you’ll take ownership of day-to-day operations, workforce planning, and service delivery, ensuring standards are consistently high and continuously improving. It’s a chance to make a real difference, welcoming and including people of all interests and backgrounds and helping to look after nature, beauty and history for everyone.
What it's like to work here
Working in this role is fast paced, people focused, and purpose driven, with a mix of leadership, operations, and commercial responsibility. No two days are the same!
You’ll be part of a collaborative and creative leadership team, working closely with the General Manager and colleagues across our property group which stretches across Mid and East Devon, including Knightshayes near Tiverton, A la Ronde in Exmouth, and a number of other smaller properties.
What you'll be doing
You’ll have a key role in making sure that operational considerations and the needs and expectations of visitors are built into business plans and designs. Leading from the front and championing the Trust’s values, you’ll ensure everyone feels welcome and valued. We have plans to significantly grow our visitor business in the coming years and you’ll be running our visitor-facing operations. Taking ownership of the visitor journey your team will ensure our sites are safe, efficient, and profitable.
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You’ll set the overall direction for how people experience their visits to Knightshayes and A la Ronde, aiming for the highest standards in presentation and customer service. You’ll lead and line manage your team, inspiring them to feel motivated, ambitious and always focused on helping people to enjoy their best possible visit – so they want to return again and again. This is a busy and rewarding role in a supportive and inclusive environment.
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
We’d love to hear from you if you’re:
- someone with proven experience managing operations in a visitor-facing environment (heritage, tourism, leisure or similar);
- precise and observant, with an excellent understanding of service delivery and customer experience;
- able to think on your feet and adapt to change, working with others to solve problems and react to opportunities;
- experienced in working with and influencing a range of staff, volunteers and external partners to deliver high presentation standards;
- skilled in planning, problem solving, and adapting to changing demands;
- great at prioritisation, delegation, and empowering staff and volunteers at every level;
- knowledgeable in health & safety, compliance, and risk management; and
- able to drive income and manage costs with commercial awareness and ability.
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Interviews will be held on Tuesday 11 August 2026. For an informal discussion about this role please contact Lewis.Paterson@nationaltrust.org.uk.
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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