Estate Manager (Temple Newsam)

Contract: Permanent

Location: Temple Newsam

Would you like to be part of something bigger and join us in our ambition to become the Best City, working together as a Team for Leeds? Do your values match ours and do you have something to offer?

Leeds City Council delivers over 500 different services to residents and is dedicated to bringing the benefits of a prosperous, vibrant and attractive city to the people of Leeds. This is a fantastic time to join us.

Benefits of working with us:

• a competitive pay progression structure including generous employer pension contributions
• flexible career paths with tailored personal and professional development
• support for you, your home and your family including personal and financial support
• hybrid working arrangements (subject to needs of the role) and a flexitime system

This post is based at Temple Newsam Estate, Leeds, where the team delivers a major heritage visitor attraction made up of a historic working rare breeds farm, formal and informal gardens and parkland, much of it a grade II listed Capability Brown landscape, sports facilities, café and retail. There are two major projects underway: an indoor ‘playbarn’ in Home Farm, incorporating a shop and café; and a major redevelopment of an ex-golf course to create new cycleways, play facilities, ‘learn to ride’ area and café.

Your role

As a forward-thinking Estate Manager, you will be expected to deliver, in conjunction with the Farm Manager and Senior Estate Manager, an exciting, safe and sustainable attraction in line with agreed site management plans. You and your team will deliver a polished visitor experience encouraging new and repeat visits.

You will contribute to the creation and lead on the delivery of management and development plans for the site, working with colleagues in other services to deliver a high-quality heritage visitor attraction with good community connections.

You will guide operational responsibility for the visitor experience, working with colleagues across the site to ensure that the teams of staff in front of house services, events, gardens, catering, retail, and outreach successfully deliver the targets and wider strategic objectives, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and best practice, and achieving high standards of customer service and financial performance.

You will have skills and in-depth knowledge and understanding in one or more areas of horticulture in a historic environment, visitor attraction management, catering, and retail, and management planning.

You will have excellent communication and staff managerial skills with experience of successfully managing and motivating employees, enabling them to deliver to their full potential. You will be performance-driven and committed to continuous improvement. Working as part of the Climate, Energy and Green Spaces management team, the successful candidate will demonstrate the council values and behaviours to help us achieve our ambition to become the best city council in the country.

A full, clean driving licence is essential to enable the post holder to travel independently to various sites as required to supervise and transport staff.

The post may be based at any point within the Leeds City boundaries.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds and the communities we serve. Leeds City Council is recognised in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2024. We are also an Age-friendly Employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.

This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK – either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme, or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.

Leeds City Council Job Profile

Job Purpose: To deliver an excellent heritage visitor attraction through the management of staff, budgets, and operational activities for Temple Newsam Estate.

Responsibilities

• To contribute to the creation and lead on the delivery of management and development plans for the site, working with colleagues in other services to deliver a high-quality heritage visitor attraction with good community connections.
• To guide operational responsibility for the visitor experience. Work with colleagues across the site to ensure that the teams of staff in front of house services, events, gardens, catering, retail, and outreach successfully deliver the targets and wider strategic objectives. Co-ordinate a collaborative team approach to all activities and ensure that staff are well briefed and trained for their role, tackling issues immediately, monitoring and evaluating impact and implementing learning.
• To provide effective management processes and leadership for the continual improvement of site facilities and access. Ensure that the site is DDA compliant and oversee day-to-day management including general housekeeping and health and safety. Take immediate action to resolve building issues with the appropriate team and oversee the fire safety and security of the site.
• To effectively manage all resources to maximise efficiency. Provide regular financial performance reports to the Senior Estates Manager. Agree and set targets for earned income and external funding to ensure commercial success. Motivate and develop the whole team to deliver a commercial approach to the running of the visitor attraction.
• To work creatively with the outreach and marketing teams to develop and promote inspirational visitor experiences, events and promotions. Ensure that ongoing research and performance data is collated, analysed and utilised to inform business planning; developing plans to increase visitor numbers and increase secondary spend.
• To lead and develop the team to deliver the highest standards of visitor and community engagement and experience. Work with colleagues to seek and expand opportunities for visitors, volunteers and the local community.
• To manage supplier and contractor relationships and monitor performance ensuring goods and services conform to contract requirements.
• To assist with recruitment, retention and development of staff to ensure maximum productivity. Be responsible for team training programmes, including skills development, training provision, and that appraisals are completed in a timely manner.
• To deliver the internal communications strategy, ensuring all staff are kept informed of all key messages and site developments.
• To be responsible for health, safety and security, ensuring checks are done on a regular basis and paperwork is kept up to date, adhering always to current health and safety guidelines and to deal with emergency situations in line with policy, ensuring a nominated person is responsible when off duty.
• Develop meaningful and effective relationships by working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders including suppliers, partners, internal colleagues, media and the local community.
• To ensure the delivery of best value services to customers in meeting the objectives of the Council.
• To ensure effective consultation mechanisms in order to develop the work of the Climate Energy and Greenspaces service.
• To compile and provide performance information that is accurate and timely as requested.
• To represent the Climate Energy and Greenspaces service at all appropriate internal and external meetings.
• To fulfil duties in line with the Parks and Green Space Strategy and related strategies and service objectives and in support of the aims of the Vision for Leeds and Council Business Plan.
• To ensure the procurement of goods and services is in accordance with financial regulations, corporate policy and legal requirements.
• Willing to take personal responsibility and abide by the Council’s Health and Safety Policy.
• Willing to abide by the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy in the duties of the post and as an employee of the Council.
• The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications

A relevant degree or suitable period of relevant experience.

It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria. Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

Method of Assessment will be through one or more of the following: Application Form, Test, Interview or Certificate.

Skills Required

• Ability to effectively inspire, lead, motivate and manage individuals and teams.
• An ability to marshal written and numerical data along with arguments in order to present written or verbal reports.
• Effective written and oral communication skills with a wide range of people including Members of Parliament, Elected Members, Senior Council Managers and members of the public.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.
• Ability to plan and manage budgets effectively.
• Ability to manage a diverse range of service issues.
• The ability to manage and prioritise multiple and conflicting tasks to meet tight deadlines.
• An ability to manage and deliver projects to agreed timescales.
• To work within a project team environment.
• An ability to demonstrate good ICT skills (e.g. email; word processing; spreadsheets; database).
• An ability to lead and manage services in accordance with Leeds City Council’s values and equality standards.

Knowledge Required

• Knowledge of best practice in at least one discipline of: horticulture in an historic environment, visitor attraction management, catering and retail.
• Knowledge of current operational, managerial and performance management systems.
• Ability to make effective use of computer systems including Microsoft Office.
• Knowledge and understanding of marketing principles in visitor attractions and commercial outlets.

Experience Required

• Significant experience of delivering a high quality visitor attraction.
• Significant experience of leading and developing staff.
• A track record of inspiring others.
• Preparation and presentation of information at all levels to Members of Parliament, Elected Members, Senior Council Managers and members of the public.
• Proven ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Implementation of performance and management systems.
• Experience of managing events and activities.
• Experience of planning promotion and outreach.

Behavioural & other Characteristics required

• Achievement of equal opportunities in both employment and service delivery and an understanding of the Leeds City Council policy.
• Willingness to take personal responsibility for and abide by the Council’s Health and Safety Policy.
• A positive commitment to providing excellence in service provision.
• Commitment to developing effective working relationships internally and with services across the Council.
• Proactive in contributing to the ethos of team working within the service.

Essential behavioural and other characteristics

• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon.
• Be aware of and be able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities.
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
• Be aware of and support difference ensuring equality for all, working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality & diversity.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.

The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

It is desirable that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria. Candidates are not required to meet all the desirable requirements; however, these may be used to distinguish between candidates. Not all jobs require desirable requirements and these are not taken into account as part of the evaluation as you can do the job without them.

Knowledge Required

• An understanding of the principles of performance management.

Experience Required

• Experience of managing a visitor attraction with historic park and garden.

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