Visitor Experience Supervisor - Arbroath Abbey

Historic Environment Scotland; Bexhill-on-Sea; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A National Heritage Organization is seeking a Visitor Experience Supervisor to lead a team in delivering exceptional visitor experiences at historic sites. This permanent position involves managing daily operations, ensuring compliance with safety standards, and supporting community engagement. Ideal candidates will have a passion for customer service and experience in cash handling. The position offers a starting salary of £27,519 with benefits including generous leave and pension contributions.

Benefits

Enrolment onto a Civil Service Pension scheme – 28% employer contribution

25 days annual leave, pro-rate (increasing to 30 after 3 years) + 11.5 public holidays

Reimbursement for relevant professional subscriptions

Support for further education and personal development

Study leave for work related courses

Flexible working hours (where appropriate)

Free entry to all properties (with up to three guests)

Free entry to English Heritage, Manx and Cadw properties

Responsibilities

• Support the Monument Manager in leading a team of Visitor Experience Assistants at your site.
• Work with the Monument Manager to develop the visitor experience at the site.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety, fire and security procedures.
• Support in team compliance with cash reconciliation and reporting procedures.
• Act as keyholder for the site.

Skills

IT skills and ability to use basic online functions

Cash handling experience

Passion for delivering the highest standards of customer service

Ability to communicate effectively to colleagues at all levels

Job description

Starting salary: £27,519 pro‑rate (proportionate to hours worked and length of contract)

Contract type: Permanent

Grade: 2

Location: Arbroath Abbey

Working hours: Full time, 35 hours per week, annualised hours (including weekend working and public holidays)

Interviews: To be held in person, location to be confirmed. Interview will be held week commencing 26 January 2026.

Your role of Visitor Experience Supervisor will be a permanent position. The likely start date for this role is in April 2026.

Are you looking for a job that is both fun and unique? You'll get an insight into Scotland's rich history and gain valuable experience in the tourism industry and help bring Scotland's dramatic history to life for our visitors from across the world. Explore the fascinating stories from Scotland's past and share your passion with international and local visitors who come to the Arbroath & Dundee area.

Explore the fascinating stories from Scotland's past and share your passion with international and local visitors who come to Arbroath Abbey, Claypotts Castle, St Vigeans Museum & Edzell Castle during the season. A role that will enable you as part of the Visitor & Community team help visitors create memories to last a lifetime at these fantastic sites.

Arbroath Abbey, your base site, burial place of William the Lion who founded the Abbey in 1178, can you tell visitors what family seals are on the Declaration of Arbroath. At Edzell Castle the home of the Lindsays, a gifted, turbulent and tragic noble family who acquired the estate in 1358. What do you know about the Seven Cardinal Virtues, Seven Liberal Arts & the Seven Planetary Deities & how do they relate to the gardens of Edzell. At St Vigeans you may have specialised groups who know more about the Pictish Stones than you do, so what new information can you tell them that they may not notice? Claypotts Castle is a Castle built out of opportunity, the Strachans worked the land & were tenants of Lindores Abbey and were able to take advantage of their new higher status after the Reformation to build this Castle. Do you have practical information to enable visitors to park easily around Claypotts Castle?

For more information about the post and information about the team, please access the full job description for this post. Please note that if you don't have Office 365 installed on your device, this can be opened using your browser.

Benefits of joining us at Historic Environment Scotland

• Enrolment onto a Civil Service Pension scheme – 28% employer contribution
• 25 days annual leave, pro‑rate (increasing to 30 days after 3 years) + 11.5 public holidays
• Reimbursement for relevant professional subscriptions
• Support for further education and personal development
• Study leave for work related courses
• Flexible working hours (where appropriate)
• Free entry to all of our properties (with up to three guests)
• Free entry to English Heritage, Manx and Cadw properties

Key Responsibilities of this role

• Support the Monument Manager in leading a team of Visitor Experience Assistants at your site in delivering exceptional visitor experiences.
• Work with the Monument Manager to support developing the visitor experience at the site, including contributing to and attending any relevant team meetings.
• Support the Monument Manager in ensuring the site is properly resourced and assist with any recruitment as required.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety, fire and security, HR and safeguarding procedures. Ensure health and safety processes and procedures are adhered to.
• Support the Monument Manager in ensuring that the site is presented in a way to exceed visitor expectations but also act as the first point of contact for any complaints and look to resolve and escalte as appropriate.
• Support the Monument Manager in team compliance with cash reconciliation, financial compliance, banking and reporting procedures.
• Support the Monument Manager and DVCM with community engagement activity.
• Line management responsibility for a team of Visitor Experience Assistants.
• Work as part of a team to ensure that the Quality Assurance grade is maintained and participate in local action plan delivery.
• This role requires the postholder to act as keyholder for the site.

Key requirements of the role

In order for you to be successful in this post, we will be looking for you to submit a cover letter which addresses how you can meet each of the essential and desirable criteria (in up to 1,200 words), using examples of where you have demonstrated these criteria previously. Please ensure that you provide real life examples for each of the criteria to be considered for this post. You can use examples of how you have met this criteria from your work life, home life, education or volunteer experience. Please read our CV and Cover Letter Guidance first before completing, as you will only be eligible for selection if you use examples of how you meet the essential and desirable criteria.

• IT skills and ability to use basic online functions
• Cash handling experience
• Passion for delivering the highest standards of customer service
• Ability to communicate effectively to colleagues at all levels

Find out more about desirable skills and experience in our full job description.

We are dedicated to building a workforce which is reflective of diversity within Scotland. We warmly welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, gender or gender identity, religious beliefs, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or neurodiversity. In support of our Gaelic Language Plan, we welcome applications from Gaelic speakers.

We want every candidate to have the best chance to succeed during the recruitment process. If you require your application in an alternative format, please reach out via email at [e-mail] or call our Head Office at 0131 668 8600 and speak to a member of our People Team.

Please note that, at this time, we are unfortunately unable to provide sponsorship as part of the recruitment process, therefore you must have current right to work in the UK to be considered for a post.

To submit your application online, please read our ‘How to Apply’ followed by ‘Apply Now’ button to begin your application.