Senior Lead - VE Engagement & Communities of Practice

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension up to 10%

Free entry to National Trust places

Season ticket loan

EV car lease

Perks at work discounts

Holiday allowance 32 days

Job summary

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty seeks a Senior Lead for Visitor Experience Engagement & Communities of Practice to connect, motivate and support colleagues across our Visitor Experience network. You’ll lead communities of practice, design internal communications and measure impact.

You’ll work across England, Wales and Northern Ireland with 40–60% of your time on-site at a National Trust location, primarily at our Swindon head office.)

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading engagement, communications and collaboration across large, complex matrix organisations.
• Proven success designing and delivering multi-channel communications and engagement strategies.
• Experience building networks, communities of practice and shared learning initiatives.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills across functions and levels.
• Strong facilitation and communication skills; translate complex ideas into clear messages.
• Experience leading through influence without direct line management.
• Strong planning and organisational skills; manage priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to inclusive, collaborative ways of working.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Visitor Experience communities of practice.
• Design and deliver internal communications that connect to priorities and strengthen collaboration.
• Evaluate engagement impact and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Engagement leadership

Multi-channel comms

Networks & communities

Stakeholder engagement

Facilitation skills

Influence without manager

Planning & organisation

Job description

We're looking for a Senior Lead for Visitor Experience Engagement & Communities of Practice tojoin us to help connect, motivate and support colleagues across our Visitor Experience network.

As an experienced communicator and collaborator you'll bring people together around a shared purpose. At the National Trust, we're welcoming a bigger and broader audience, and visitor experience relies on the collective efforts of thousands of staff and volunteers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In this influential role, you'll foster shared learning, strengthen collaboration and build an inclusive culture where people feel connected, informed and confident in delivering exceptional visitor experiences.

What it's like to work here

You'll join a collaborative and purpose-driven team at the heart of Visitor Experience. Working with colleagues across the organisation, you'll help shape how we communicate, engage and learn together, building strong relationships and influencing at scale to support an inclusive, connected and confident network of people.

In thishighly visible role you'll work across multiple disciplines, building relationships with senior leaders, specialists and practitioners from across the organisation and beyond.

Your contractual location will be our head office in Swindon and there will be an expectation for you to attend the office. However, there is flexibility on where you are based at other times. You will be required to work at a National Trust location for 40-60% of your working week. This will be discussed in more detail at interview.

What you'll be doing

You'll lead and develop Visitor Experience communities of practice, creating opportunities for colleagues to share knowledge, skills and expertise across the organisation.

You'll design and deliver engaging internal communications and engagement activity that connects people to strategic priorities and strengthens collaboration across teams. Working with colleagues from a wide range of disciplines, you'll build capability and confidence through learning opportunities, events and action-learning approaches, while creating clear and effective communications that help people access the information they need. You'll bring people together to share best practice, solve challenges and identify opportunities for improvement, influencing and engaging stakeholders at all levels. You'll also evaluate the impact of engagement activity, using insight to continuously improve approaches and identify new ideas, trends and innovations that can enhance visitor experience across the National Trust.

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, and the judgment to apply them effectively at scale;

• Significant experience leading engagement, communications and collaboration across large, complex matrix organisations.
• Proven success designing and delivering impactful multi-channel communications and engagement strategies.
• Experience building and sustaining networks, communities of practice and shared learning initiatives.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to connect people across functions and levels.
• Strong facilitation and communication skills, translating complex ideas into clear, actionable messages.
• Experience leading through influence, driving collaboration and outcomes without direct line management.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to inclusive, collaborative ways of working, creating opportunities that build capability, confidence and knowledge sharing.

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)
• 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.

National Trust place

Heelis, Kemble Drive, Swindon, SN2 2NA

Documents

Senior Lead - VE Engagement & Communities of Practice - Grade 4.pdf

Requirements

Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

Closing Date: 1 November 2026

Interview Date: 1st Stage Interview - 12 November 2026, 2nd Stage - Interview 24 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.