Visitor Experience Officer

National Trust; Somerton; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension up to 10%

Free entry to NT places

Rental deposit loan

Season ticket loan

EV car lease scheme

Perks at work discounts

Holiday allowance up to 32 days

Flexible working

Employee assistance programme

Free parking

Job summary

National Trust is seeking a Visitor Experience Officer for Lytes Cary Manor and Tintinhull Garden in Somerset. The role focuses on delivering exceptional visitor experiences, coordinating volunteers, and supporting events across two historic sites.

You will manage daily operations, supervise rotas, and serve as a First Aider. The position requires weekend and bank holiday availability and offers a competitive salary with benefits.

Qualifications

• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and own workload.
• Strong organization and planning with attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal skills across diverse visitors.
• Hard-working team player.
• Proficient IT skills including Microsoft Office and social media.
• Experience producing interpretive materials and promotional content.
• Knowledge of health and safety procedures.

Responsibilities

• Support visitor experience, volunteer management and event delivery.
• Open/close manor, supervise volunteers, organise rotas.
• Ensure accurate, engaging visitor communications across channels.
• Coordinate group bookings and arrivals.
• Act as First Aider and respond to incidents and emergencies.
• Contribute to conservation and daily operations at the site.

Skills

People skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Team player

IT literacy

Interpretive materials experience

Health and safety awareness

Tools

Microsoft Office

Web & social media

Job description

Summary

Being a Visitor Experience Officer for the National Trust is all about people – connecting with them, inspiring them, and making sure they have the best possible day when they come to visit.

Being a Visitor Experience Officer for the National Trust is all about people – connecting with them, inspiring them, and making sure they have the best possible day when they come to visit. If you love working with all kinds of people and are excited by the Trust's cause, to protect and care for places so that people and nature can thrive, then this could be the job for you.

Salary: £16,567.20 pro rata (FTE £27,612 per annum). Salary will be paid in 12 equal payments throughout the year. Hours worked each month may vary due to seasonal demand.

Contract: Permanent

Hours/ working pattern: This is a permanent role on an annualised hours contract of 1,170 hours, worked on a rota throughout the year. The role will require weekend, bank holiday and out-of-season availability. Duty management responsibilities form part of the rota.

As part of the Duty Manager rota, the successful candidate will regularly take responsibility for opening and closing the property, acting as a First Aider, and ensuring a safe, welcoming and well-presented environment for visitors, volunteers and staff.

Interview date: 6 November 2026

What It's Like To Work Here

Reporting to the Senior Visitor Experience Officer, you will be part of an enthusiastic, supportive yet small team working across two sites. Lytes Cary Manor welcomes over 80,000 visitors between February and November, while Tintinhull Garden attracts over 22,000 visitors between April and September each year.

Lytes Cary Manor is an intimate medieval manor house surrounded by a beautiful Arts and Crafts-style inspired garden, offering visitors the chance to imagine life in a historic family home. Originally home to Henry Lyte, who translated the groundbreaking Nieuwe Herball, the manor was lovingly restored in the early twentieth century by Sir Walter Jenner.

The garden rooms contain a magical collection of topiary and herbaceous borders, while peaceful walks on the estate follow the River Cary through the Somerset countryside.

Tintinhull Garden lies in the charming village of Tintinhull, Somerset. With its working kitchen garden and orchard, glittering pools, secluded lawns, colourful borders and clipped hedges, it offers visitors a tranquil place to relax and unwind.

What You’ll Be Doing

Working alongside the Senior Visitor Experience Officer and as part of the property team, you will have a flexible, positive outlook and be willing to go the extra mile to deliver exceptional customer service. You'll help deliver a high-quality, enjoyable, creative and engaging experience for all visitors.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to develop your volunteer management skills, explore your interest in heritage engagement, unlock your creative flair, gain a deeper understanding of how a heritage property operates throughout the season, and build your experience within the tourism and visitor attraction sector.

As a key member of the team, you will be involved in all aspects of daily operations, including visitor experience, volunteer management, conservation support and event delivery.

You will play a central role in opening and closing the manor house, supervising and supporting volunteers and organising rotas.

You will ensure all visitor-facing communications, from website content and social media to signage, displays and promotional materials, are accurate, engaging and consistent with the property's spirit of place.

The role will also act as the main point of contact for group bookings, managing enquiries, communications and bookings, and ensuring group arrivals are organised and delivered smoothly to provide an excellent visitor experience from start to finish.

As a Duty Manager, you will respond appropriately to incidents and emergencies and act as a designated First Aider, helping to ensure the safety and wellbeing of visitors, volunteers and colleagues.

Who We’re Looking For

We’d love to hear from you if you’re:

• used to multiple deadlines and managing your own workload
• skilled in organisation and planning, with a good eye for detail
• good at talking to, and getting on with, all kinds of people
• a hard-working and committed team player
• comfortable with IT: Microsoft Office, as well as web and social media
• experienced in producing interpretive materials, such as displays and exhibitions, and marketing or promotional materials
• familiar with health and safety procedures

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 Lytes Cary, Charlton Mackrell, Somerton, TA11 7HU

Documents Visitor Experience Officer - B.pdf

Requirements Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Closing Date: 25th October 2026

Interview date: 6 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.