Senior Lead - VE Engagement & Communities of Practice
About the company
As an experienced communicator and collaborator you'll bring people together around a shared purpose. At the National Trust, we're welcoming a bigger and broader audience, and visitor experience relies on the collective efforts of thousands of staff and volunteers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In this influential role, you'll foster shared learning, strengthen collaboration and build an inclusive culture where people feel connected, informed and confident in delivering exceptional visitor experiences.
The package 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.
Your tasks
Summary We're looking for a Senior Lead for Visitor Experience Engagement & Communities of Practice to join us to help connect, motivate and support colleagues across our Visitor Experience network.
What it's like to work here You'll join a collaborative and purpose-driven team at the heart of Visitor Experience. Working with colleagues across the organisation, you'll help shape how we communicate, engage and learn together, building strong relationships and influencing at scale to support an inclusive, connected and confident network of people.
In this highly visible role you'll work across multiple disciplines, building relationships with senior leaders, specialists and practitioners from across the organisation and beyond.
You'll lead and develop Visitor Experience communities of practice, creating opportunities for colleagues to share knowledge, skills and expertise across the organisation.
You'll design and deliver engaging internal communications and engagement activity that connects people to strategic priorities and strengthens collaboration across teams. Working with colleagues from a wide range of disciplines, you'll build capability and confidence through learning opportunities, events and action-learning approaches, while creating clear and effective communications that help people access the information they need. You'll bring people together to share best practice, solve challenges and identify opportunities for improvement, influencing and engaging stakeholders at all levels. You'll also evaluate the impact of engagement activity, using insight to continuously improve approaches and identify new ideas, trends and innovations that can enhance visitor experience across the National Trust.
Requirements
Who we're looking for You’ll bring a broad range of the following knowledge, skills and experience, shaped by different roles, sectors or career paths, and the judgment to apply them effectively at scale;
- Significant experience leading engagement, communications and collaboration across large, complex matrix organisations.
- Proven success designing and delivering impactful multi-channel communications and engagement strategies.
- Experience building and sustaining networks, communities of practice and shared learning initiatives.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to connect people across functions and levels.
- Strong facilitation and communication skills, translating complex ideas into clear, actionable messages.
- Experience leading through influence, driving collaboration and outcomes without direct line management.
- Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
- Commitment to inclusive, collaborative ways of working, creating opportunities that build capability, confidence and knowledge sharing.
What we offer
•Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
•Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
•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.
•Free parking at most Trust places Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.
Other
Your contractual location will be our head office in Swindon and there will be an expectation for you to attend the office. However, there is flexibility on where you are based at other times. You will be required to work at a National Trust location for 40-60% of your working week. This will be discussed in more detail at interview.