General Manager

NATIONAL TRUST; Hothfield; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent heritage conservation organization is seeking an inspiring General Manager to integrate Ightham Mote and Knole into one property group. You will lead operations across both sites, develop an inclusive culture, and manage multi-disciplinary teams to deliver exceptional visitor experiences. The role demands financial acumen and strong leadership in conserving heritage and nature. Join a dynamic community committed to sharing the unique stories of our places while ensuring they remain accessible for future generations.

Benefits

Substantial pension scheme

Free entry to National Trust properties

Rental deposit loan scheme

Season ticket loan

EV car lease scheme

Various discounts

Qualifications

• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams including volunteers.
• Proven success in developing long-term organizational plans.
• Demonstrable ability in managing budgets and generating income.

Responsibilities

• Lead operations and manage departmental heads across multiple sites.
• Provide inspirational leadership and champion conservation efforts.
• Build inclusive culture among staff, volunteers, and visitors.

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

Stakeholder relations

Operational excellence

Risk management

Inclusivity

Job description

Overview

Important notice. Below covers everything you need to know about what this opportunity entails, as well as what is expected from applicants.

In line with our redeployment policy, we’ll prioritise applications from employees who are under formal notice of redundancy.

We’re looking for an inspiring leader to bring together Ightham Mote and Knole into one new property group. Ightham Mote is an outstanding 14thcentury moated manor house surrounded by beautiful gardens and a wider countryside estate. Knole is a stunning property which boasts a 1000-acre deer park, historic showrooms with a world-class collection of paintings and furniture, sprawling courtyards, gatehouse tower and conservation studio.

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 developing a combined leadership team across both sites and working across both sites yourself. You’ll build an inclusive culture where everyone can feel they belong – the people who work and volunteer at Ightham Mote and Knole, the people who regularly visit and love the sites, and the people who’ve never been before and don’t yet know that these places are for them too.

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 across Kent and East Sussex, 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, facilities, visitor experience, curatorship 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, 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 these places, working with others to give them a future that can benefit everyone.

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 be working with all kinds of people and making things happen. 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

Applications from redeployees are assessed against the minimum criteria for the role. In your application, please provide details of how you meet the minimum criteria below :

• experience leading and managing multi-disciplinary teams, including volunteers and specialists
• proven success in developing and delivering long-term plans aligned to organisational goals and priorities
• understands how to manage budgets, generate income, and deliver financial targets
• demonstrable ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
• understands and applies health & safety, compliance, and risk management practices
• experience leading change and delivering projects that improve performance or outcomes
• demonstrates a commitment to inclusion and creating relevant, accessible experiences for diverse audiences

Criteria for all other applicants :

• forward-thinking in your approach to balancing the needs of heritage, nature and people
• proven success in developing and delivering long-term plans aligned to organisational goals and priorities
• experienced in leading varied operational teams
• someone who understands the expectations of people who visit places, and how to give them consistently excellent service
• 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

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
• 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