Job Description 2026

Role: Visitor Services Manager

Region / Department: NE Region, Built Heritage

Reports to: Operations Manager (Aberdeenshire Central) Pay Band: Grade 6 - £38,967 per annum

Location: Crathes Castle

Type of Contract: Full Time/Permanent 5/7 working days

with flexibility to cover operational needs

JOB PURPOSE

We are seeking an experienced, skilled and energetic manager to join our team at Crathes Castle, Gardens & Estate, our

flagship property in the North East.

Crathes Castle welcomes a six-figure number of visitors from around the world each year. You will be responsible for

delivering the overall operational and visitor experience at Crathes, meeting performance standards and targets, achieving

the highest levels of visitor satisfaction, and maximising key commercial, financial and development objectives to ensure

the property remains sustainable.

Your vision and energy will strengthen our existing offer, bringing fresh ideas to showcase the site to wider audiences, creating

memorable visitor experiences, encouraging repeat visitation, and promoting the values of the National Trust for Scotland. You

will lead a team dedicated to ensuring that Crathes Castle, Gardens & Estate is recognised as the first-class visitor attraction in

the region.

As part of the wider property management team, you will help deliver the visitor services strategy and broader property vision,

while promoting strong communication across all property departments, the region, and the wider National Trust for Scotland.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

- Recruit, induct, develop, motivate and manage staff and volunteers, ensuring they are equipped to carry out their

duties to Trust standards and within agreed staffing budgets.

- Line manage Visitor Services Supervisors and oversee Visitor Services Assistants.

- Link all operational areas across the estate and ensure excellent communication between departments.

- Embed a strong health and safety culture across the property, maintain compliance records, and ensure the team

follows property risk assessments to reduce incidents affecting volunteers, employees and visitors.

- Work with the Operations Manager, Regional Director, Business Manager and Finance Manager to set, phase,

monitor and report on budgets, making proactive and reactive adjustments as required.

- Support with the delivery of an annual events and functions strategy and actively promote venue hire

opportunities.

- Create a culture of “exceptional service, every time”, maintaining high standards of delivery and overall estate

quality standards, and ensuring every visitor receives a warm welcome.

- Spearhead the drive to achieving 5* visitor attraction rating.

- Lead the visitor services experience to meet financial targets, maximise income and profitability, and ensure

efficient, cost-effective working in line with Trust procedures and instructions.

- Deliver the National Trust for Scotland’s core aims of conservation, access and memorable visitor experiences for

all guests.

- Take responsibility for opening, closing and securing buildings, implementing emergency procedures, duty

management and providing relief cover when required.

- Act as the property’s designated responsible person for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, including

completing the required criminal record check.

- Act as keyholder and point of contact for out of hours emergencies.

- Work with the buildings and wider management teams to maximise the lifespan of Trust buildings and fittings

through appropriate maintenance and replacement programmes.

- Ensure the property complies with statutory and organisational requirements for health and safety, food safety,

environmental management, alcohol sales, waste disposal and allergens.

Structure

The structure of the NE region includes four clusters: Aberdeenshire East (Haddo, Pitmedden, Drum), Aberdeenshire

Central (Crathes, Fyvie), Aberdeenshire West (Fraser, Craigievar, Leith Hall) and Angus (House of Dun, Barries Birthplace,

Barry Mill).

The Visitor Services Manager for Crathes Castle reports directly to the Operations Manager (Aberdeenshire Central).

Additional support is provided through the Property Senior Team, and the NE Regional Team which comprises of Regional

Director, Business Manager, Heritage Services and Garden and Design Landscape Manager. Further support is provided by

the central NTS teams.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Essential

• NVQ3/BTEC/City & Guilds/HND/Degree or equivalent experience.

• Direct experience of managing multi-strand visitor/commercial services operation - ideally in a heritage or tourist-

attraction context.

• Extensive management experience and ability to direct and manage performance of others.

• Ability to work ‘hands-on’ with all teams, demonstrating the customer service skills required of all staff.

• Proven experience of team building within and between departments.

• Has a solution focused approach and is able to act independently.

• Excellent communication skills.

• Experience in a fast-paced environment, with quick decision making when necessary and the ability to manage a

large, always changing workload.

• Well-developed time management and organisation skills.

▪ Excellent leadership and influencing skills.

▪ Excellent understanding of report writing and financial management.

▪ Experience of managing social media and delivering promotional activities.

▪ Computer literacy with excellent ability on MS software.

▪ Current driving licence.

Desirable

▪ Current First Aid certification (or willingness to train and use).

▪ Significant sales experience and front-line interaction with customers.

▪ Direct Volunteer management experience;

DIMENSIONS AND SCOPE OF JOB

Scale

- The Visitor Services Manager will be accountable for delivery c.250k visitors annually, Income generation over £1m

and expenditure management of £1m.

People Management • The post-holder will directly manage both full time, seasonal staff and volunteers within all disciplines within the

commercial & visitor services disciplines.

• The post will also work alongside the Head Gardener, who line manages the Garden and Grounds team, the Visitor

Services Manager (F&B), who line manages the F&B team, and the Visitor Services Manager (F&E) who line

manages the F&E team.

• The post-holder will support delivery of cluster led Operations Manager initiatives.

• The post-holder will work frequently with the following centralised departments: Buildings; Finance & IT Support;

Human Resources and regionally with the Development Managers for Retail and Catering.

Finance Management

• The Operations Manager is the overall budget-holder, but the post-holder has devolved responsibility and

accountability for the various budget activities.

• Is responsible for managing staffing costs within the property as per delegated budgets.

Key performance indicators and targets

• To monitor the work of the team and carry out appraisals ensuring that information is filed appropriately, with

development plans that are actively used.

The Key Responsibilities, Scope of Job, and Required Qualifications, Skills, Experience & Knowledge reflect the

requirements of the job at the time of issue. The Trust reserves the right to amend these with appropriate

consultation and/or request the post-holder to undertake any activities that it believes to be reasonable within the

broad scope of the job or general abilities.

Applications

Interested applicants should forward their Curriculum Vitae (CV) or an Application Form to the

People Services Department (Applications) by email via workforus@nts.org.uk by Sunday 13th

September 2026.

Please ensure your CV includes your full name and contact details, the CV file sent to us should be

titled your first initial and surname. When submitting your CV please state the position and job

location of the vacancy you are applying for in the subject title or body of your email: For example,

"Gardener – Leith Hall."