Job Description

Would you like to work for the charity that cares for hundreds of historic sites in every corner of England? We are looking for a motivated manager to join our team at Portchester Castle. This is a full-time role during the open season and part-time role in closed winter months, worked flexibly to facilitate maintenance and access needs on an annualised contract.



No history background? No problem. What is important to us is a passion for people and excellent customer service. We are looking for a manager who enjoys working alongside their team and understands what it takes to deliver an engaging visitor experience to a diverse audience.



Heritage lives in places and people, memories and stories, artefacts and traditions. It can connect us all to the past, and to each other. It can make us happier, strengthen every community, and help shape society for the better. Everybody should be able to enjoy the benefits it brings.



That's why, as a charity, we care for over a million objects and hundreds of historic sites in every part of England, from international icons to local treasures. And it's why we open them up, share their stories and find new ways for everybody to enjoy, learn, play and create.



As a Portchester Castle manager, you will know what makes a great visitor experience and will be able to inspire your team to deliver through leading by example and coaching. You'll optimise every opportunity to generate income, achieving all site performance targets. You will also ensure the site and facilities are clean and presentable.



You will have experience of providing excellent customer service within a leisure and tourism environment, strong staff supervisory skills as well as being able to work independently. You will be able to demonstrate exceptional organisational skills and be a confident communicator, having strong interpersonal skills with both visitors and colleagues. This is a hands-on role, and a lot of your time will be focused on visitors. You'll also be involved in engaging the local community with what's happening on site as well as ensuring that the site itself and its assets are safe and secure.

Through the winter the site is closed but you will provide occasional contractor access and some minimal admin work equating to no more than one day a week.



From March - October your working pattern will be a variable 5 day week working up to 40 hours per week in the peak main season but more generally no more than 36 hrs per week. From November - February this will adjust to a variable 1 day a week and up to 7 hours a week. You will be required to work weekends during the main season, Bank Holidays and New Year's Day. Although your hours across the year will vary your pay will be annualised so that you have a consistent guaranteed payment each month.

Benefits include:

Comprehensive training The opportunity to progress your career within the heritage sector, in retail, food and beverage or general management Apprenticeship opportunities Opportunities to go to some of our great live music and history events Free access to all English Heritage sites for you, and up to six friends and family members 25% discount in our shops and cafes Enhanced maternity/paternity/shared parental leave 25 days' holiday plus Bank Holidays pro rata rising to 28 days after 3 years Options to buy additional leave Matched pension contributions up to 10%

To find out more about us and what we do, please register via one of the links below join us at one of our webinars.



Friday 23rd January 2026 11.30am-12.30pm



https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3ac4acf3-1db2-40d8-a81b-5c178615e5e6@30116e44-4d79-44c0-a8c1-ebc0707da3c9



Wednesday 4th February 2026 6-7pm



https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/ea661ca0-f117-46dd-8c83-af63e055008a@30116e44-4d79-44c0-a8c1-ebc0707da3c9

or you can find out more here:

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/ and meet some of our people and hear about why they enjoy working with us: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/our-people/careers-with-us/



Everybody's welcome at English Heritage



Forget the stereotypes. It takes thousands of people from every background to care for England's heritage and open it up for everybody to enjoy. We're looking for every type of person with every kind of skill and experience, and we're committed to making sure that English Heritage is an equitable, diverse and inclusive place to work. You can connect with others through our EDI networks as a member or ally. These include Ethnic Diversity, Faith & Belief, Social Equity, LGBTQ+, Neurodivergence, Age, Disability and Gender Health and Wellbeing.



We take wellbeing seriously. We are committed to ensuring everyone feels safe at work and can carry out their role. To support this, we have a network of Mental Health First aiders, regular information and awareness events, unlimited access to an Employee Assistance Programme and work with our people to implement reasonable adjustments.



If you would like to talk to us e.g. about workplace adjustments or working patterns, please contact Laura Bosworth, Carisbrooke Castle Cluster Manager, at Laura.Bosworth@english-heritage.org.uk No agencies please.



Our interview and offer process will take place between 1st February - 10th March 2025, with new starters joining in the week of 24th March 2025