Estate Manager

We’re looking for an Estate Manager to join us in Cumbria where you'll be responsible for a portfolio of our let properties and supporting the management of our land in the North and West Lake District.

You’ll be an experienced rural practice Chartered Surveyor with a modern and progressive approach to land management.  As the key link with our tenants and other collaborators, you’ll manage the portfolio in a professional manner, ensuring proactive communication and industry knowledge are always present. 

Due to the travel required for this role, you must hold a full driving licence with access to your own vehicle (business mileage is claimable through expenses).

Your contractual place of work will be the Keswick office. Our hybrid working policy means you can balance office and home working with site visits and meetings at other National Trust places. We’ll talk about this in more detail at interview, but you should expect to be at a National Trust site for 40–60% of your working week.

This is a permanent opportunity, offering a salary of circa £50,000, dependent on experience.

Reporting to the Senior Estate Manager, you will be part of a professional team consisting of Estate Managers, Rural Surveyors, Building Surveyors and Supervisors, and Lettings and Estate Management Officers. 

The team support the management of our let estate portfolio that, together with the relationships we have with our tenants, underpin our ~£50m national rental income, which is essential to the delivery of our conservation work.  The role offers you an interesting variety of work in amazing locations with no two days being the same.  In addition to supporting day-to-day operations, you’ll have the chance to deliver projects, offering your advice beyond your team. 

 One of the Trust’s biggest priorities is to create a healthy, resilient, natural environment for people and nature.  Our portfolio has ambitious plans to achieve this and you will play a key part in making this happen and shaping the future of the UK’s biggest private landowning charity and the properties we own and protect.

You'll be managing a diverse and significant agricultural, residential and commercial let estate in the North and West Lake’s portfolio which includes 48 farms, more than 15,000ha of common land, heritage coastline and land within the Ennerdale National Nature Reserve and designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.  You’ll provide our property team with advice, guidance and support on all land management matters and will play an integral part of the portfolio’s leadership team.

 As well as managing your own team you will draw on the advice of specialists providing agricultural and wildlife expertise, countryside staff and farm tenants to deliver visionary management objectives for our agricultural properties in the area.  In particular you will be negotiating significant improvements to benefit the environment, wildlife and cultural heritage of the Lake District, where at this portfolio we welcome over 3 million visitors each year.

Within your portfolio you will lead on a programme of significant investment into our farmed estate and as well helping to drive landscape scale projects to deliver river restoration and naturalisation, peatland restoration, increased tree cover and Landscape Recovery projects amongst others.

• a Rural Practice member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors;
• in-depth knowledge of land use, agriculture, asset management, land management, environmental issues, conservation and sustainable development and an ability to translate that to National Trust strategy;
• excellent communication skills, with the ability to build strong working relationships with fellow staff, tenants, and other stakeholders, sensitively adapting your approach and style as required;
• the ability to lead a team focussed on delivering excellent results;
• strong financial acumen together with the ability to take responsibility for large budgets;
• MS Office literate and comfortable using GIS and finance and property management systems;
• experience in project management

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)

•Tax-free childcare scheme

•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

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.