Senior Programming & Partnerships Officer - The Guardian : Job Details

We want you to connect people to the natural world by developing and delivering imaginative programming and on-site interpretation.

Some weekend working and travel to other locations in the portfolio will be required. You'll enjoy the physical aspects of this role, including setting up for events.

What it's like to work here

Reporting to the Programming & Partnerships Manager for the Derwent, Wear and Coast portfolio, you'll be working as part of the Visitor Experience & Programming team at Crook Hall Gardens, Washington Old Hall and Souter Lighthouse & the Leas. You may also work on some programmes and partnerships for Penshaw Monument and the Durham Coast.

As part of the team at Derwent, Wear and Coast’s smaller properties, you’ll contribute towards the work of the National Trust to ensure greater access to nature, beauty and history for the properties’ 90k+ annual visitors and communities across the region. You’ll achieve this through leading a diverse programme of onsite, and some offsite, engagement opportunities, working and communicating with people in a range of teams (like our House & Collections, Gardens, Volunteering & Community, Welcome and marcomms teams), as well as current and new partners. You’ll gain a lot of new knowledge along the way.

What you'll be doing

As Senior Programming & Partnership Officer, your main focus will be providing a great experience for visitors and making everyone feel welcome. You’ll work closely with the Visitor Experience Officer, and volunteers, to plan and deliver a variety of programmes and activities, to help visitors make the most of their day. This may include creating nature activity trails, organising craft sessions, or thinking up new ways for our visitors to connect with history, horticulture and wildlife. You may also support partners to deliver events onsite. You’ll support the upkeep of presentation standards and interpretation onsite, and help ensure we have the right resources by ordering equipment and other supplies, spending within a small, allocated budget. You’ll have a role in supervising volunteers and creating rotas.

You’ll be required to be Duty Manager approximately once a fortnight and support other operational activities like locking up. You'll be the main point of contact for any issues or problems encountered in the working day. It will be your responsibility to act as a conduit to direct any issues to the relevant person, make any emails or phone calls as required, fill in any incident reports and carry out any processes (with/without support) as the situation arises.

Who we're looking for

To deliver this role successfully, you'll need:

• experience in producing high-quality visitor programming in the arts, culture, heritage, natural environment, sports, or visitor attraction sectors for diverse audiences with varying needs 
• the ability to build, maintain and develop partnership relationships to offer engagement opportunities to audiences of visitors, volunteers or community participants
• previous leadership experience, including supervisory, coaching, and training roles, along with managing volunteers
• a collaborative and empathetic approach, adaptable to the needs of partners, team members, and audiences
• understanding of an audience-led approach and the ability to evaluate the impact and use feedback to further develop an offer or event
• knowledgeable in identifying and assessing risks and taking appropriate action
• strong organisational and administrative skills e.g. budget management, keeping and updating records, meeting deadlines, working effectively under pressure

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.

• 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 
• 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