Senior Management Jobs
Hever Castle is situated in the heart of the idyllic Kent countryside, with a rich and varied history dating back more than 600 years, the most famous resident being Anne Boleyn. Yet much of what visitors see today is the result of the remarkable efforts of a wealthy American, William Waldorf Astor, who used his fortune to restore, renovate and extend the Castle and gardens in the early 20th century. Today the Castle and Gardens attract over 400,000 visitors per year. The Astor Wing together with the Guthrie Pavilion in the Italian Garden and areas of the Castle itself are available for corporate events, private events and weddings. Each venue has its own unique character and offers peace, privacy and seclusion in one of the most historic and beautiful settings in England. Hever Castle offers 28 luxury ‘five-star’ bedrooms in the Astor Wing and the Anne Boleyn Wing, and you will also find Hever Castle Golf Club set within 250 acres of beautiful Kentish countryside.
We are recruiting for a Head of Visitor Services to lead and develop the teams responsible for delivering an outstanding service and exceptional experience to our visitors. Whilst primary responsibility is to deliver operational excellence, this role also focuses on the strategic development of the whole visitor experience. You will coach and develop teams including front of house staff to ensure high performance and motivation. You will act as the bridge between Operations and all departments involved in delivering the visitor experience, to ensure that agreed quality standards are maintained and use expert operations knowledge to contribute to the development and implementation of events and activities, maintaining consistency with agreed customer care standards. You will manage budgets effectively and create an environment for continuous improvement and learning across your teams.
The successful candidate will have strong experience of operational management in a customer focused role ideally within the leisure and tourism, hospitality or heritage sectors. You will have extensive experience of managing multi-disciplinary teams with the ability to mentor and motivate in order to achieve organisational targets. You will have a proven track record of driving strategy related to customer/visitor experience with demonstrable success in delivering improvements. In addition, you will have a high level of financial acumen, commercial awareness and a proven track record of budget management, as well as the ability to effectively manage complex projects.
Hever Castle are partnering with Prospectus to recruit for this vacancy. To apply please submit your CV and a two page supporting statement, preferably in Microsoft Word/PDF format. The statement should outline your motivation for joining Hever Castle and why you feel you would be a good fit for this role. You should also demonstrate your experience and skillset with examples relating to the Personal Attributes section on the Job Description. If you have any further questions or would like to know more about this opportunity please contact Steven Fraser from Prospectus.
Please note: Prospectus will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis therefore we encourage candidates to apply ASAP. As such we reserve the right to close adverts early if required.
As a specialist Recruitment Practice Prospectus are committed to building inclusive and diverse organisations, and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Prospectus invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you in your application.
Join the team leading the iconic Wells Cathedral as its next COO, developing its life as a place of worship, a heritage site of remarkable beauty and awe-inspiring historic significance, and a globally recognised destination for pilgrims, audiences and tourists alike.
Closing date: 9 a.m. Tuesday 30th April
Who we are.
The City of Wells
Situated on the edge of the Mendip Hills in the County of Somerset, Wells is one of England’s most beautiful and compact cities. Built around the beautiful Cathedral of St Andrew, its picturesque surroundings include a charming market square and high street, the Bishop’s Palace, and the magnificent Vicars’ Close, Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited street.
The Cathedral
Wells Cathedral deservedly has gained an enviable reputation for its lovingly maintained gothic architecture, world-class music, and its ministry. Underpinning the life, worship, and ministry of the Cathedral is a diverse organisation where a lot is achieved with modest resources. It oversees a diverse tapestry of activity:
- A world-class music foundation
- A works and estates department
- A team of virgers
- The Cathedral library and archives
- An education, learning, and outreach programme
- Finance, HR, and administrative functions
- Volunteer management
- Trading companies
About the role.
As a member of the Cathedral Leadership Team and as the senior operational manager of Wells Cathedral, the COO is responsible for the delivery of the Chapter’s strategy and plans and for the day-to-day coordination of operations in the context of the ministry and mission of the Cathedral. Reporting to the Dean of Wells and accountable to the Chapter of Wells Cathedral, this is a full-time role which requires a presence onsite to carry out the duties effectively. Read more about the organisational structure here.
The Chapter is the Board of Trustees for the Cathedral. It is the administrative body of the cathedral with the ultimate responsibility for directing and overseeing its affairs. They, alongside the COO, set the strategic direction for the Cathedral.
The principal responsibilities of the COO are to:
- Provide leadership to the operational departments that align with the Chapter’s overall strategic vision and objectives.
- Oversee and coordinate the activities of the Cathedral’s operational departments and associated staff.
- Lead, manage and motivate the Cathedral’s staff and its volunteers.
- Maintain and strengthen the Cathedral’s financial position in conjunction with the Chief Financial Officer.
- Represent the Cathedral on external bodies and occasions as required.
- Be aware of and actively participate in the life of the Cathedral and its worship.
Who we are looking for.
As a natural leader, the next COO should be authentic in their leadership and team-management skills, building trust quickly to lead the organisation in the context of some demanding priorities. Motivationally inspiring, wise in kindness, and with a values-led approach, the next COO should be experienced in people management and able to forge strong connections. They must be mindful of creating a healthy culture as well as delivering against the strategy. Open and transparent, the next COO needs to be a relationship builder engaging with the community beyond the Cathedral and building on existing partnerships.
A person of integrity and agility, the next COO should be skilled in managing several projects at once, balancing the need for involvement at both high and detailed levels. Wells Cathedral’s next COO should be comfortable managing the day-to-day operations of the Cathedral, a complex estate with multiple services, events and activities in a weekly busy programme. With an empathetic servant leader approach, they will work in sympathy with the values and Christian foundation, able to influence staff and volunteers in a collegiate and timely manner.
With extensive experience working with a variety of stakeholders across organisations, they should have the vision to lead as well as the ability to work as a member of the wider team. Similarly, they must have the capacity to support areas of work outside of their specialism, facilitating and supporting their team in key decisions. The next COO needs to be agile in their approach and adapt to developing, changing, and sometimes conflicting priorities, bringing their team with them. They should have a good track record of managing a healthy organisation and setting and maintaining clear and achievable standards and goals.
Displaying analytical skills, including financial literacy and commercial acuity, they will demonstrate thorough financial planning, budgeting, and reporting and have a proven track record in driving financial sustainability.
Please click 'Apply via website’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the job description and register your interest to apply.
Applications for this role close at 9 a.m. Tuesday 30th April.
Prospectus is excited to be partnering with Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery in the search for a permanent Head of Development. This is a critical role to strategically lead development for the whole organisation and there could not be a more compelling time to join.
Pitzhanger Manor is the Grade 1 listed country home of renowned British architect Sir John Soane, designed and built by Soane 1800-1804 in what was then rural Ealing, West London. It reopened to the public in 2019 following an award-winning £12m HLF and ACE-supported conservation project. Today it stages an ambitious programme of contemporary exhibitions ranging from Anish Kapoor and Es Devlin to Rana Begum and Idris Khan, alongside a public programme of events, learning & outreach activities.
The Head of Development will lead the fundraising and development strategy for the Manor and its contemporary art Gallery. Sitting on the Senior Management Team, you will play a crucial role in building on Pitzhanger’s past successes and existing fundraising relationships to create new opportunities. You will, as Head of Development, develop the income strategy that will include trusts and foundations, corporates, individuals, and broader public fundraising campaigns. The department also manages the Patrons’ and Members’ schemes.
The selected candidate will be inspired by the opportunity to work in a new, entrepreneurial fundraising environment where your input will not only make a real difference, it will define fundraising for the organisation for the future. The Pitzhanger team is passionate about heritage and the arts and their potential to create a really positive impact within its diverse communities. You will have excellent communication skills and experience across trusts and individual fundraising and be ready to act on new opportunities and funding plans as they emerge in the fast-moving arts and heritage space. You will be motivated by the opportunity to support Pitzhanger’s mission to inspire its communities with art, architecture and design.
The Pitzhanger team are happy to appoint a talented Manager with extensive fundraising experience to transition up and into this leadership position. If that sounds like you, please get in touch!
At Prospectus we invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you with your application. We welcome candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds. Please let us know if we can help you with the application process in any way. We are more than happy to make any reasonable adjustments to enable all interested candidates to apply. If you have any disability and would like assistance with completing an application then please contact Ryan Burdock at Prospectus.
If you are interested in applying to this Head of Development position, please submit your CV in the first instance. Should your experience be suitable, we will send you the full job description and will arrange for a call and/or meeting to brief you on the role. You’ll then have all the information you need to formally apply. We are looking forward to connecting with you soon.