Visitor Experience Manager

We're looking for a Visitor Experience Manager for the Mottisfont & South West Hampshire portfolio. This is a rare opportunity to apply for a key creative role in a busy and popular heritage property. You'll plan and shape the visitor experience, creating a programme of exhibitions, installations, events and seasonal moments that tempt visitors back regularly through the year. With responsibility for managing our house and collections, you'll ensure that both are valued and cared for to National Trust standards.

Intended interview date: 25 March (we will be flexible for redeployees, bringing the date forward as required).

What it's like to work here

Mottisfont is a beautiful and busy property with visitor peaks at Christmas, June and over the summer holidays. Our portfolio also includes 2,300ha of land which is nationally and internationally important for nature conservation and is also well visited. The role will manage a talented team of Visitor Experience, Marketing & Communications, and Collections & House officers. You will work collaboratively with a wide range of other property staff, internal and external consultants, and be a member of the Property Leadership Team. The postholder will work at least one weekend per month as part of house duty and visitor experience duty lead rotas, and will be part of the duty management rota.

What you'll be doing

You'll plan and deliver a three year visitor programme working collaboratively across the property, which delivers a range of cultural arts and creative experiences, seasonal highlights and family fun. Using data and insights you'll understand our audiences and what they want. You'll develop contacts and partnerships locally and nationally to support this. Working to museums accreditation standards you'll also make sure we look after loaned items as specified in agreements. You will inspire our wider team staff and volunteers to play their part in delivering our new strategy across our portfolio. Values are key, being able to think creatively, bring people together, value difference, work collaboratively and help your talented team develop their skills and careers.

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:

• Deep understanding of how to use data and research to shape inclusive, relevant, and engaging visitor experiences.
• Strong people management skills, including coaching, performance management, and team motivation.
• Knowledge of storytelling, interpretive planning, and curatorial practices that bring heritage to life.
• Strong understanding of how to design and deliver programming that appeals to broad and diverse audiences.
• Ability to develop medium to long-term plans that align with organisational goals and audience needs.

Criteria for all other candidates:

• Knowledge of storytelling, interpretive planning, and curatorial practices that bring heritage to life.
• Ability to develop medium to long-term plans that align with organisational goals and audience needs
• Experience in managing visitor services or public engagement in a heritage, museum, or cultural setting
• Deep understanding of how to use data and research to shape inclusive, relevant, and engaging visitor experiences.
• Strong people management skills, including coaching, performance management, and team motivation.
• Experience designing or co-creating engaging interpretation and public programmes
• Ability to build effective relationships with internal teams and external partners to co-create experiences
• Understanding of operations management including risk, compliance and collections care

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)

•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.

National Trust place

Mottisfont Abbey, Mottisfont, Nr Romsey, SO51 0LP

Documents

Visitor Experience Manager - Grade 6.pdf

Requirements

Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

Closing Date: 15 March 2026

Important notice In line with our redeployment policy,we'llprioritise applications fromNational Trustemployees who are under formal notice of redundancy.

To apply for this vacancy simply click the 'apply' button in the top right hand side of the page.

If you need any help with your application, i.e. due to technical difficulties, please call us on or email us at

If you require an adjustment to the application process, for example due to disability or medical condition, please call us on or email us at and we'll support you as best as we can. For examples of how, please see our supporting you page.

EqualOpportunities 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.

Please note we reserve the right to close this advert early and therefore we encourage you to apply for this position early.