Summary
URGENT VACANCY. As this is an urgent role we will interview and possibly appoint whilst the vacancy is open, therefore we'd encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Being a Visitor Experience Officer for the National Trust is all about people – creating opportunities for them to connect and be inspired by special places in our care, and making sure they have the best possible day when they come to visit.
If you love working with all kinds of people, and you're 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.
Hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week, some weekend working will be required.
Salary: £23,868pa
Contract: Fixed term contract until April 2025
If you have any questions about this role please contact: .uk
We would consider this role on a secondment basis for an internal candidate. Please discuss this with your current line manager before applying.
What it's like to work here
You'll be reporting to the Senior Programming and Partnerships Officer, working as part of the Visitor Experience team in the Derwent, Wear and Coast portfolio. You'll be based at Gibside, but may occasionally work some days at other locations such as Washington Old Hall, Souter Lighthouse and the Leas, or Crook Hall Gardens.
You'll communicate with people in a range of teams, like our Ranger, Gardens, Marcomms and Welcome teams, to enhance the content of our visitor activities and ensure a seamless experience for our visitors. You'll gain a lot of new knowledge along the way.
Gibside is one of a few surviving 18th-century designed landscapes and was fashioned with two things in mind: spectacular vista views and ‘wow' moments. The estate offers a glimpse into the past and the compelling story of heiress Mary Eleanor Bowes. Highlights of this Grade 1 listed Park and Garden include valley views, woodland, a Palladian chapel, a stable block, a grand ruin, and the Column to Liberty towering above it all. Wildlife and horticulture rich, Gibside is home to roe deer, red kites, amphibian-filled ponds, and a fruitful Walled Garden.
Click here for more information about Gibside, and view the supporting document for information about the wider Derwent, Wear and Coast portfolio.
What you'll be doing
As Visitor Experience Officer, your main focus will be providing a great experience for visitors and making everyone feel welcome. You'll work closely with Gibside's other Visitor Experience Officer, and volunteers, to plan and deliver a variety of programmes and activities for our 200k+ annual visitors, to help them make the most of their day. This may include creating nature activity trails, organising craft sessions, or thinking up new ways for our visitors to connect with Gibside's history, horticulture and wildlife. You may also support partners to deliver events onsite.
You'll support the upkeep of presentation standards and interpretation onsite, and help ensure we have the right resources by ordering equipment and other supplies, spending within a small, allocated budget. You'll have a role in supervising volunteers and creating rotas.
You may be required to work at Washington Old Hall, Souter Lighthouse and the Leas, and/or Crook Hall Gardens occasionally. This would generally be to support the delivery of events and activities on the day when required. You'll be given notice of this and travel expenses can be reclaimed. You'll be required to be Duty Manager at Gibside approximately once a fortnight and support other operational activities like locking up. Training for this will be provided.
Also in this post you'll also enjoy the sometimes physical demands of this role. You'll be derigging of activities across our large site, which involves manual handling and moving around across all sorts of terrain in all weathers.
Please also read the full role profile attached to this advert.
Who we're looking for
We'd love to hear from you if you're:
- Experience in visitor operations and/or customer service delivery ideally in the heritage, culture, arts, natural environment, sport or visitor attraction sector
- Experience of planning and delivering events, activities, exhibitions, or other visitor programming for a range of audiences, using feedback to improve offers and operations, helping more people get more out of their experience
- Strong organisational skills including setting priorities and meeting deadlines. Able to work using own initiative
- Good written and verbal communication skills. Can communicate with all kinds of people confidently and effectively, such as staff, visitors, volunteers, and partners
- Good IT skills (Microsoft Office)
- Experience of identifying risks and taking appropriate action
- Drivers licence is preferred.
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)
- Tax-free childcare scheme
- Rental deposit loan scheme
- Season ticket loan
- EV car lease scheme
- 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.