Overview
Senior Visitor Experience Officer – Ightham Mote,Sevenoaks, United Kingdom
We’re looking for someone with great people skills, who loves to inspire and delight by providing great experiences for visitors, to join us as a Senior Visitor Experience Officer at Ightham Mote.
This role supports the Visitor Experience Manager in making sure we deliver engaging and high quality events and programming, and ensuring everything runs smoothly in what is a complex and lively visitor business.
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 7th October 2026
This role is required to work with vulnerable groups including children and any offer of employment or volunteering is subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS check.
Ightham Mote is a beautiful 700-year-old moated manor house, surrounded by stunning gardens and over 500 acres of freely accessible estate. Romantic and picturesque it is nestled in the Kent countryside between Tonbridge and Sevenoaks. You’ll be part of the Visitor Experience team and will based at Ightham Mote but from time to time you’ll work at our neighbouring site, Knole.
Knole sits proudly in the heart of Sevenoaks. The estate boasts a 1000-acre medieval deer park, historic showrooms with a world-class collection of paintings and furniture, sprawling courtyards, gatehouse tower and conservation studio.
We are passionate about caring for these wonderful properties and visitors are central to everything we do. We are a busy team, who like a challenge and deliver at pace. We work collaboratively as a large portfolio team across two historic sites.
We are hands on and work together to get the job done and create exceptional visitor experiences.
As part of the Visitor Experience team, you will lead on the delivery of creative programming and events at Ightham Mote.
You’ll work with other teams to co-ordinate activities and ensure everything runs smoothly for our visitors. Alongside this you’ll be planning, monitoring budgets and support the marketing of upcoming events.
You’ll carry out duty management as needed and will work weekends on a rota basis. Sometimes you may need to get stuck in and help wherever you’re needed, to keep the whole place running smoothly.
You’ll have plenty of opportunities to talk to visitors, introducing them to all that makes Ightham Mote so special. You’ll also be managing and supervising others, including a team of volunteers.
You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don’t need to have all the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what’s possible in this role.
We’d love to hear from you if you’re:
- experienced in devising and running activities to inspire and engage people
- skilled at communicating, and building good working relationships with people in your team and beyond
- aware of ways to interpret precious collections of art and objects to a wide variety of people
- well-organised, and able to work at pace and keep to time
- confident that you can deal with all kinds of people in all kinds of situations
- flexible, yet with a focus on always giving high standards of customer service
- used to working with and supervising volunteers
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.
Ightham Mote, Mote Road, Sevenoaks, TN15 0NTSenior Visitor Experience Officer – Career Level B.pdf Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK
Closing Date: 27th September 2026
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 0370 240 0274 or email us at recruitmentenquiries@nationaltrust.org.uk
If you require an adjustment to the application process, for example due to disability or medical condition, please call us on 0370 240 0274 or email us at adjustments@nationaltrustjobs.org.uk and we’ll support you as best as we can. For examples of how, please see our supporting you page.
Equal Opportunities 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.
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
