General Manager

A General Manager role in the National Trust is both challenging and rewarding in equal measure; it is the driving force behind supporting our local communities our staff and all those who visit our properties or volunteer with us.

This is both the key leadership role within a property group and is also the face of the Trust in the local community.

You’ll operate with a significant degree of autonomy, leading from the front, inspiring and motivating your team, turning strategy into reality and delivering across a broad range of operational areas as you bring history, nature and beauty to everyone we engage with.

You’ll work to build an inclusive culture where everyone can feel a sense of belonging. And you’ll do this for an organisation you can really believe in, as we continue to look after special places for everyone, forever.

What it's like to work here:Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) is the UK’s newest city region. It’s a place where culture and heritage meet innovation and modernity. It is a vibrant and diverse community sitting within a rich globally important natural environment.

At the heart of our work in BCP is Brownsea Island. This outstanding and exciting place is one of our most loved places and has a long history of engaging with young people as well as a wide range of visitors from the local area and across the globe. We manage the island in partnership with Dorset Wildlife Trust and The John Lewis Partnership so an ability to work in partnership is critical.

We have also recently established a Children’s and Young People team which will be led by this role. This will build on our existing work to develop new partnerships across our properties in Dorset.

For more information about our property please visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brownsea-island

What you'll be doing:As we develop our new strategy you’ll be the person that translates this and the needs of the local community into tangible action on the ground. You’ll be the face of the Trust locally and a key member of the team managing our properties across Dorset.

You’ll also be part of a dynamic wider General Manager community across the South West region and you’ll work with our internal Consultancy and external partners to achieve our goals and champion the National Trust’s cause.

You’ll manage several Heads of Department, each with their own speciality – from the outdoors, to facilities and visitor experience – and will work closely with our commercial and estates management teams. You’ll bring a positive, can-do attitude to the team, and your motivational style will inspire your team to deliver outstanding results across all areas of the property, in order to generate the funds to invest back into our conservation, visitor experiences and community work.

The key areas for delivery in this role are providing inspirational community focussed leadership for staff and volunteers; developing new strategic partnerships across the city region whilst also being across the critical operational areas such as risk, compliance and the conservation of our buildings and landscapes.
Who we're looking forWe’re looking an inspirational leader who understands the value of working in an inclusive way. You’ll have extensive experience of working in partnership with a range of different partners from the governmental, non-governmental and private sectors.

With a wide range of skills in your toolkit, you'll need to demonstrate the following:

• Working collaboratively with local communities and in partnership with other organisations.
• Leading multi-disciplinary and high performing operational teams. In this role, this will also include volunteers.
• Building effective working relationships and strong stakeholder management, successfully influencing a wide variety of people both internally and externally. In this role this would include community and commercial partners and stakeholders, national teams, tenants, and internal consultants.
• Providing an outstanding visitor experience. In this role, this will need to be balanced with the Trust’s commitment to conservation.
• Ability to lead and delegate in a matrix organisation with an understanding of risk management and business and financial acumen.

The packageThe 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

• Perks at work discounts i.e. 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 locations

• Independent financial advice

Requirements :Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK
Permanent f/t (37.5 hrs pw)