Bamburgh Castle is one of England’s most iconic coastal fortresses and a privately owned family estate welcoming around a quarter of a million visitors each year. With its dramatic setting, rich history and strong reputation as a visitor attraction, the Castle is now seeking an experienced and commercially minded leader to take its visitor operation into the next phase of development.
Nigel Wright Group is proud to continue its exclusive partnership with the Bamburgh Castle Estate in the search for a talented and experienced Visitor Operations and Experience Manager.
This is a rare opportunity to take on a senior, hands‑on leadership role at one of the UK’s most recognisable heritage destinations, with real scope to shape visitor experience, events and commercial performance.
As Visitor Operations & Experience Manager, you will be the senior on‑site lead for the day‑visitor business, responsible for delivering an exceptional end‑to‑end visitor journey while driving operational excellence and sustainable growth.
Reporting directly to the Estate Manager and the Owner, you will have a broad remit covering people leadership, visitor experience, events, retail performance and day‑to‑day site operations. You will play a central role in ensuring Bamburgh Castle continues to thrive in a competitive visitor economy while remaining true to its heritage and character.
50 staff across visitor welcome, guides, retail, car parks, maintenance and seasonal teams). Ensure consistently high standards of presentation, customer service, health & safety, security and compliance. Drive improvement in retail and secondary spend performance, working closely with the Retail Manager. Act as an ambassador for Bamburgh Castle within the visitor attraction sector, attending industry events, conferences, exhibitions and networking opportunities to maintain sector awareness, build relationships and inform future development. Oversee daily operations during peak periods, including weekends, Bank Holidays and live events. Manage rotas, performance, training and people issues with fairness, clarity and confidence. Play a key role in interpretation projects, filming and location hire activity, working with internal and external stakeholders. Take responsibility for visitor‑facing systems including online ticketing, website content updates, mailing systems and cashless payment operations. You do not need to come directly from a castle or heritage background, but you must bring strong operational judgement, commercial awareness and a genuine passion for delivering outstanding visitor experiences.
Senior operational leadership experience within a visitor attraction, heritage site, hospitality, leisure, retail or comparable live environment. Commercial awareness, with experience of events, retail performance or revenue‑driving initiatives. The ability to balance creativity and growth with structure, standards and heritage sensitivity. Holiday: 28 days including Bank Holidays Hours: 40 hours per week, on-site. If you’re ready to bring energy, ideas, and leadership to a growing, visitor focused business, we’d love to hear from you….