Castle Howard, a diverse working rural estate and award-winning visitor attraction, is seeking an experienced and dynamic Head of Operations. Built over 300 years ago, Castle Howard remains a family home and welcomes over 250,000 visitors annually. The estate features a variety of attractions including a house and gardens, a changing programme of events, two gift shops, a farm shop, a garden centre, four cafés, and wider estate businesses such as farming, forestry, let property, and a holiday park. It is also available for private hire for weddings and corporate functions.

Our Purpose: To nurture and share Castle Howard for the benefit of current and future generations, the environment, and communities.

Job Purpose: The Head of Operations will report to the Visitor Attraction Director and will have direct line management responsibility for several key areas: House Operations, Tour Guides, Chaperones, Caretaking, Facilities, Security, Events, Car Park management, and the Kelly Car Land Train and Dame Boat Team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Exceptional Guest Experience: Champion and deliver exceptional customer service with clearly defined standards. Ensure all visitors including 20,000 members have an unforgettable visitor experience.
• Data driven approach: Use data to create staffing models and operational plans based on visitor numbers and flow.
• Robust Health & Safety: Co-chair the monthly Health & Safety meetings, lead on H&S policies, compliance, legislation, risk assessment, and incident reporting.
• Security: Develop and implement the estate's security strategy, overseeing the in-house team and collaborating with external contract providers.
• Championing Volunteering: Support the Volunteer Manager and interact daily with over 200+ volunteers who are fundamental in our day-to-day operations.
• Event Management: Work with the Event Manager and in-house teams to deliver bespoke events within the House and Grounds. Partner with external consultants for third-party events, exclusive weddings, parties, and large filming projects.
• Christmas Programme Delivery: Play an integral role in delivering the award-winning Christmas season of events, attracting over 90,000 visitors.
• Budget control: ensure all teams are managing budgets effectively and work to find efficiencies across the visitor attraction operation.