Property Experience Curator

Summary

The contract is part time and permanent, and the annual salary is £29,297. Your working time will be 30.00 hours each week. The employer, National Trust, is a charity. You will be based at Snowshill Manor and Garden, which is an historic building or structure where the fabric and story of the building is the focus. It is located in Gloucestershire.

Closing date 10-05-2026

Job Description

The Gloucestershire Property Group brings together five very different and much‑loved places: Hidcote, Chedworth Roman Villa, Snowshill Manor, Newark Park and Westbury Court Garden.

Together, these places welcome around 430,000 visitors each year, drawn by distinctive collections, landscapes and stories ranging from internationally significant gardens and archaeology to historic houses and designed landscapes.

While each place has a strong individual identity, we share a common ambition: to care for our heritage well, to share inclusive and compelling stories, and to ensure our places feel welcoming, relevant and meaningful to a wide range of people. Working as a connected group allows us to share learning, build confidence and take a more joined up approach to collections care, interpretation and audience engagement.

This role plays a key part in supporting that ambition, working across all five properties to shape how we care for and share what makes these places special.

You’ll be working within a collaborative and supportive leadership culture that values openness, curiosity and shared learning. Our property teams are passionate about their places and the communities they serve, and are deeply committed to widening access, improving inclusivity and keeping our sites relevant and engaging.

The role works across multiple properties and teams, rather than being based at a single site. Strong working relationships are central, including close collaboration with the General Manager, property leadership teams, specialists, volunteers and external partners. A high degree of autonomy and professional judgement is expected and supported.

Your focus will be on creating a visitor plan that uses audience insight and research to deliver experiences that are inclusive, inspiring and evidence-based for all the properties in the group.

The work sits at the heart of how visitors experience these places. Audience insight and research shape inclusive, inspiring and evidence based visitor experiences, while collections care remains central, meeting Trust standards and statutory obligations. Curatorial leadership brings together historical significance and audience understanding, shaping interpretation and storytelling that reflects a range of perspectives.

The pace can change, priorities will shift and the properties are all at different stages in their journeys. Programming and presentation continue to evolve in response to audience needs, supported by close working with marketing, communications and visitor experience colleagues. Partnerships are an important part of how we work, with collaboration across community, cultural and educational organisations supporting co‑created experiences and shared learning.

Leading and developing your team will be central, embedding a culture of inclusion, collaboration and continuous learning, and maximising opportunities for volunteers, interns and apprentices.

As a result, the role suits someone who enjoys variety and complexity, is comfortable balancing strategic thinking with practical support, and thrives by enabling others and building confidence, rather than directing from above.

As part of the property leadership team, you’ll contribute to business planning and duty management, ensuring visitor growth, repeat visits and satisfaction targets are achieved.

  • Audience-led interpretation and engagement - Shapes inclusive, insight-driven interpretation and programming that reflects diverse perspectives and enhances access to heritage.
  • Collections care and conservation leadership - Leads high standards in collections care and conservation, ensuring compliance and long-term planning.
  • Curatorial research and content development - Develops curatorial content through collaborative research and inclusive storytelling that connects people with place.
  • Strategic visitor experience planning: Leads the development and delivery of a visitor plan that drives audience growth, satisfaction, and repeat visits.
  • Partnership and external engagement: Builds and sustains partnerships that enhance programming, research, and audience engagement.
  • Leadership and team development: Inspires and supports a team to deliver audience-led experiences and effective collections care.

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 (for roles that meet the salary criteria)

• 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.

Disclaimer
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