Senior Commercial Manager

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty; West of England; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Free entry to NT places

Rental deposit loan

Season ticket loan

EV car lease

Discounts (Perks at work)

Holiday allowance 32 days

Flexible working

Employee assistance programme

Free parking

Job summary

The National Trust is seeking a Senior Commercial Manager to lead a large Food & Beverage and Retail operation, driving profitability while delivering memorable visitor experiences that support the charity’s conservation work.

You will manage a broad team, use commercial insight and KPIs to improve efficiency, oversee forecasting, budgeting, and risk, and champion inclusive leadership and sustainable practices across outlets.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of leading high-performing teams.
• Experience in F&B and/or retail operations across multi-outlet environments.
• Strong financial and budget management with profitability focus.
• Data-driven decision making using KPIs and performance insights.
• Commitment to delivering exceptional visitor experiences.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication.

Responsibilities

• Oversee performance of large F&B and retail operation.
• Lead managers and teams to ensure service standards.
• Use data to identify opportunities, forecast and optimize costs.
• Drive improvements in profitability and waste reduction.
• Collaborate with Trust colleagues to align visitor experience with place spirit.
• Champion climate-conscious practices and safety compliance.

Skills

Senior leadership

F&B & Retail ops

Commercial acumen

Data analysis

Customer service

Stakeholder influence

Food safety & compliance

People development

Diversity & inclusion

Job description

Summary

We're looking for a Senior Commercial Manager to join us. You'll lead a large and complex commercial operation across Food & Beverage and Retail, driving profitability and exceptional visitor experiences that support the National Trust's conservation work. The National Trust's commitment is "For everyone, for ever." Bringing that promise to life starts with the people that work here. It means building teams with a diverse range of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. It means creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Our roles are open to all. However, we particularly welcome applications from people from ethnically diverse communities because they are underrepresented at the Trust.

What it's like to work here

At the National Trust, our commercial operations play a vital role in supporting our charitable purpose. Whether through Food & Beverage, Retail, or a combination of both, every purchase helps us care for the places people love. As Senior Commercial Manager, you'll be at the heart of this work, leading a large team across a significant and complex operation. You'll work closely with a range of teams to deliver outstanding experiences for visitors while driving commercial success. This is a varied and rewarding role that combines strategic leadership, operational excellence and a clear connection to our mission.

What you'll be doing

As Senior Commercial Manager, you'll have overall responsibility for the performance of a large Food & Beverage and Retail operation. You'll lead managers and their teams to deliver exceptional customer service and consistently high standards across multiple outlets.

You'll use commercial insight and performance data to identify opportunities, solve complex operational challenges and improve profitability. You'll oversee forecasting, labour deployment, stock management, cost control and waste reduction, ensuring resources are used effectively and sustainably.

Working closely with colleagues across the Trust, you'll help deliver new initiatives and ensure the visitor experience is fully integrated with the property's spirit of place. You'll also champion climate-conscious ways of working and identify opportunities to reduce waste and energy use.

You'll be responsible for maintaining high standards of food safety, allergen management, health and safety and compliance, creating a safe and welcoming environment for visitors, staff and volunteers.

Who we're looking for

You’ll bring a broad range of the following knowledge, skills and experience, shaped by different roles, sectors or career paths. Please use your application to demonstrate how you meet the criteria below:

•Experienced senior leader with a track record of developing high-performing management teams and delivering commercial success.

•Knowledgeable about Food & Beverage and/or Retail operations, including multi-outlet environments and service delivery.

•Commercially astute, with experience of driving income growth, managing budgets, controlling costs and improving profitability.

•Confident using data, KPIs and performance insight to inform decisions and solve operational challenges.

•Experienced in delivering exceptional customer service and creating outstanding visitor experiences.

•Skilled communicator who can build strong relationships and influence a wide range of stakeholders.

•Knowledgeable about food safety, allergen management, licensing, health and safety and compliance requirements.

•Passionate about supporting and developing people, creating inclusive environments where everyone can thrive.

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

National Trust place

Tyntesfield, Wraxall, Bristol, BS48 1NT

Documents

Senior Commercial Manager - D.pdf

Requirements

Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

Closing Date: 01 November 2026

Interview Date: 11 November 2026

Equal Opportunities Statement

The National Trust celebrates diversity and is committed to creating a fair and equal society, free from discrimination. You can read more about our commitment to inclusion and diversity here .

Safeguarding Statement

The National Trust is committed to a safe recruitment processes to help the organisation attract and appoint the right staff/volunteer for the role and responsibilities as set out in the vacancy advert. We will not accept applicants who are not suitable to work with children, young people or adults at risk. If you have any questions around your suitability for this vacancy, please contact the people service centre.