Summary
**Redeployees only**
This vacancy is only open to employees who are under notice of redundancy as a result of the Sustainable Future Programme. ‘Under notice of redundancy’ means you have entered your notice period.
We’re looking for an exceptional operational leader- someone who’s calm under pressure and finds ways to help teams run efficiently and achieve the highest standards. Welcoming over 600,000 visitors a year, Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal is an iconic World Heritage Site in North Yorkshire. We're looking for someone with strong operational leadership experience gained in the heritage or tourism sector to drive our exceptional service culture and ensure all of our visitors feel welcome. If this sounds like you, we’d love you to join us as Visitor Operations Manager at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal.
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
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal is one of 1154 sites globally recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Surrounded by the beautiful countryside of Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and close to the city of Ripon, the estate is iconic in the North of England.
The River Skell winds its way through an 800- acre estate of contrasts and surprises. The abbey ruins tell the story of 400 years of monastic life, years of riches, ruin and revival, brought to a close by the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. Studley Royal Water Garden, with its elegant canals, follies and eye-catchers was the height of fashion in Georgian times, with the designers cleverly incorporating the abbey ruins into their grand vision.
Together with a deer park, Cistercian Mill, Victorian Church and an Elizabethan style manor house it’s clear why the estate is one of the most popular National Trust places to visit.
Providing a great visitor experience and looking after this special place is at the heart of what we do, and we’re passionate about getting the details right. Whether you’re giving our visitors a warm welcome, caring for our buildings or collections or improving conditions for wildlife, every contribution ensures that nature, beauty and history continues to thrive at this special place.
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 Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, aiming for the highest standards in presentation and customer service. You’ll lead and line manage our Visitor Welcome team and Community, Participation & Volunteering Coordinator, 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.
This role is a property Duty Manager and will include some weekend working and occasional early morning and late evening work to support certain programmed events.
You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached.
Who we're looking for
Applications from redeployees are assessed against the minimum criteria for the role. In your application, please provide details of how you meet the minimum criteria below:
1. experince in delivering high-quality, inclusive, and consistent visitor experiences
2. understanding of audience-led approaches
3. knowledge of operational risk management, emergency procedures, and legal compliance in a public-facing environment
4. ability to lead diverse teams (staff and volunteers), set clear expectations, and foster a high-performance culture.
5. understanding of how to link visitor experience to income generation (e.g. membership, retail, car parks) and cost control
6. skilled in scheduling, resource planning, and ensuring adequate coverage for daily operations
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
•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