Visitor Operations Manager

National Trust; Yelverton; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Substantial pension up to 10%

Free entry to National Trust 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 Operations Manager to oversee operations across Antony House, Buckland Abbey and Cotehele. You will lead cross-site teams, set visitor experience directions, and champion inclusion while ensuring top standards in presentation and service.

The role requires weekend and bank holiday work, with a duty management rota and strong collaboration with staff, volunteers and partners.

Qualifications

• Experience in leading teams of staff, volunteers and external partners.
• Commitment to inclusion and diversity in visitor experiences.
• Ability to create and evaluate visitor experiences and events.
• Strong budgeting and resource management skills.
• Focus on high standards of presentation and customer service.

Responsibilities

• Lead and line manage teams across Antony House, Buckland Abbey and Cotehele.
• Set direction for visitor experience and ensure high standard of presentation.
• Embed visitor needs into business plans and project designs.
• Manage duty management rota and weekend/bank holiday coverage.

Skills

Leadership

Inclusion & diversity

Visitor experience design

Budget management

Customer service standards

Job description

Summary

We’re looking for someone who’s calm under pressure and finds ways to help teams run efficiently and achieve the highest standards. If this sounds like you, we’d love you to join us as Visitor Operations Manager across the three National Trust properties of Antony House, Buckland Abbey and Cotehele. This is a chance to make a real difference, welcoming and including people of all interests and backgrounds and helping to look after nature, beauty and history for everyone.

What It's Like To Work Here

The three properties, Antony House & Gardens; Buckland Abbey and Cotehele are three beautiful properties, two of which are situated in the Tamar Valley National Landscape, with Dartmoor National Park and many unspoilt beaches nearby. The properties are brimming with character, and are each located in stunning gardens as well as the estates at Buckland Abbey and Cotehele. The team pride themselves on providing superb customer service, and the family atmosphere amongst the team makes a very special place to work.

The role involves working across all three properties. Due to their location, it’s likely you will need your own transport to get between properties. You will be required to undertake regular weekend working and bank holidays. You will be a part of the Duty Management rota. For more information about our property please visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele.

What You'll Be Doing

You’ll have a key role in making sure that operational considerations and the needs and expectations of visitors are built into business plans and designs. You’ll lead from the front and champion the Trust’s values, ensuring everyone feels welcome and valued. You’ll set the overall direction for how people experience a visit to Antony, Buckland Abbey and Cotehele, including the Mill at Cotehele, aiming for the highest standards in presentation and customer service. You’ll lead and line manage your teams based across the three properties, inspiring them to feel motivated, ambitious and always focused on helping people to enjoy their best possible visit.

No two days will be the same. This is a busy and rewarding role in a supportive and inclusive environment. 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. You will be working regular weekends, bank holidays and undertaking Duty Management as a part of the rota across the three properties.

Who We're Looking For

• experienced in leading and inspiring others, and working with a range of staff, volunteers and external partners
• a champion for inclusion and diversity
• skilled at creating and evaluating experiences and events for visitors, including those being run by external partners
• good at prioritising and delegating, empowering staff and volunteers at every level
• precise and observant, focused on excellent standards of presentation, interpretation and customer service
• able to think on your feet and adapt to change, working with others to solve problems and react to opportunities
• comfortable with managing budgets and resources to meet set targets

The package

• 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

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.

National Trust place

Buckland Abbey, Yelverton, PL20 6EY

Documents

Visitor Operations Manager - Grade 7.pdf

Requirements

Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Closing Date

11 October 2026

Interview Date

27 October 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.