Historic Sites Manager

Historic Sites Manager

Salary: £36,621

Working hours: Full Time – 35 hours per week

Type of contract: Fixed Term Contract for 2 years

Place of work: Office based at Krowji, Redruth, but visiting historic sites throughout Cornwall

Benefits: Pension scheme, membership of Cornwall Heritage Trust and ability to work flexibly

Download the Historic Sites Manager job description here

Overview

Cornwall Heritage Trust owns and/or manages 20 historic sites over the length and breadth of Cornwall. Ranging from hillforts to standing stones, well houses to engine houses our portfolio is an eclectic mix of types and ages and spreads across over 300 acres of Cornwall’s historic landscape. Excitingly, we are also about to take on the ownership of a Georgian Country House and have plans to acquire two further historic sites this year.

When contemplating acquisition of a “new” site we have three main considerations: firstly, does it have historic or heritage value? Secondly, is the place considered to be “at risk” in some way, whether that’s inclusion on the Heritage At Risk Register or having been identified locally as being under threat? And finally, that it has no limitations to public access i.e. is there a right of way to the property? Accessibility to the communities that surround the site is paramount, enabling them to better appreciate and understand the heritage on their doorsteps.

The places in our care are often Scheduled Monuments and sometimes Listed; some sit within the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site; some of them are part of the Cornwall National Landscape (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty); and many also have special designations relating to their ecology, for example Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). What ties them all together is that they contain important aspects of Cornwall’s heritage.

Our sites are not just historic properties, they are the venues for activities, events, wellbeing sessions, walks and talks; they are central to the local communities that surround them and a fundamental part of the work that we do to preserve, strengthen and interpret Cornwall’s heritage.

We work with partner organisations in various different ways; we manage seven free to access sites for English Heritage and work with private landowners in West Penwith to help maintain the historic features on their properties, for example. Relationships with the statutory bodies such as Historic England, Natural England and Cornwall Council are also very important to the work that we do.

The sites also need to be managed. Over the last five years we have introduced and built our own in-house sites management team which currently consists of three Countryside Rangers and two apprentice Rangers who are supported by a Projects Manager and our Heritage Sites Officer. Obviously, we have also been growing the number of places that we care for which results in increasingly complicated demands on the team and so it is now time to recruit a strategic lead for everything sites related!

The Historic Sites Manager will take the strategic lead and day-to-day management responsibility for the historic sites in our care. Working with, and leading, the sites management team they will ensure that they are well managed, heeding the delicate balance between their ecological and archaeological needs and with consideration to our wider aims around access, community engagement and education.

About Cornwall Heritage Trust

Formed in 1985, Cornwall Heritage Trust was created in response to fears that many of Cornwall’s heritage sites were being “lost” to private ownership due to the lack of an organisation with the ability to raise the necessary funds to save these important sites and promote Cornwall’s unique heritage.

Between 1985 and 1989, Cornwall Heritage Trust acquired four historic sites around Cornwall, namely Sancreed Beacon, Castle an Dinas, Trevanion Culverhouse and Treffry Viaduct. In 1996, English Heritage approached the Trust with a request to manage six of their free sites in Cornwall, with a seventh being added in 1997.

Twenty years later, the Trust acquired the field in which Trethevy Quoit stands to protect the setting of the Monument. This action led to the Quoit being removed from the Heritage At Risk Register. In 2022, Caer Bran, an important multi-period hillfort site near Sancreed, was purchased by the Trust to protect the nine-hectare site from possible development and intensive agricultural use. Since then, eight more historic sites have also come into the charity’s care meaning that we now look after 20 in total with plans to add at least three more this year.

Today, Cornwall Heritage Trust continues to embody the original aims set out 40 years ago – to preserve and strengthen Cornwall’s heritage, with the more recent vision of “heritage for one and all”.

Our work with historic sites is just a part of what we do. We also run a highly successful education programme which offers workshops and classroom sessions as well as providing school transport grants to enable children to visit ancient sites, museums and historic properties across Cornwall. Alongside wellbeing and social prescribing sessions, our popular outreach scheme comprises a variety of community events, skills sessions and activities designed to raise awareness of both Cornwall’s heritage and the charity.

Heritage Promotion remains a key priority for the Trust and focuses on engagement with Cornish communities to raise awareness of heritage in Cornwall and the challenges faced. Our new strategic plan focuses on organisational and financial sustainability and resilience to ensure that we can continue our important work for at least another 40 years.

The Role

Strategic Planning

• Deliver the property and sites elements of the strategic plan and ensure adequate resourcing, in the form of staffing and equipment, for successful delivery
• Produce capital works plans and future project plans to inform workflows, budgets and funding applications; liaise with the Finance Manager to create and manage a realistic annual budget and projections for the historic sites in our care
• Actively seek external funding to help resource plans for the various historic sites and planned projects
• Research and identify potential future acquisitions, mindful of our focus on heritage at risk and free public access.
• Seek opportunities to build on the way in which we manage the land in our care, for example, through agri-environment schemes

Management of historic sites

• Ensure that our historic landscapes and sites are protected and enhanced by creating management plans for each of the sites in the Trust’s care, ensuring that their heritage and archaeological needs are a key focus balanced alongside each site’s unique habitats and biodiversity
• Ensure compliance with the requirements of all management, stewardship and funding agreements
• Ensure all legal obligations are met with regard to public footpaths, rights of way etc
• Manage resources and ensure that team capacity is sufficient for the planned tasksthat they are adequately equipped and that all kit is serviced and fully functional
• Oversee projects and contractors
• Identify and manage risks and ensure that mitigations are in place to protect the Trust’s staff and members of the public. Ensure that all activity complies with relevant legislation and internal policies

Staffing

• Management of the team with a view to ensuring that everyone works to their strengths
• Oversight and development of the on-site volunteering programmes
• Ensure sufficient staffing capacity to meet the aims of the strategies and plans

Liaison with external partners and agencies

• Identify, nurture and grow relationships with external partners to promote collaborative projects and initiatives
• Liaison with funders and those with whom we have management agreements, e.g. Higher-Level Stewardship and English Heritage. Identification of ways in which we can expand these relationships
• Build links to statutory bodies, such as Natural England and Historic England, to raise awareness of the charity’s work and ensure conformance with statutory requirements
• Work closely with partners such as the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site’s team and Cornwall National Landscapes to identify potential collaborations and shared best practice
• Liaison with custodians, graziers, tenants and licence holders to ensure a shared ethos and a good understanding of our strategic, as well as management, aims

Outreach

• Work with the wider team to facilitate community engagement activities and outreach events at the sites and remotely
• Ensure high quality interpretation of the historic properties, both on and off site
• Oversee projects to improve accessibility to the sites and identify innovative solutions to encourage visitors
• Liaison with the Practical Tasks group and local landowners to develop the scheme

General

• Lead reporting to trustees via the quarterly Property Sub Committee meetings and by attendance at the quarterly Council of Management meetings
• Provide support to the wider team as required

Please note that this is not intended to be an exhaustive list, other duties will be part of the role.

Key Accountabilities

• Reporting to the CEO
• Senior Leadership Team
• Sites Management team
• Property Sub Committee

How to Apply

An application form can be downloaded here (Word doc) and should be completed in conjunction with the role specifications detailed in the Historic Sites Manager job description.  

The completed application form should be emailed to Cathy Woolcock on careers@cornwallheritagetrust.org by midday on Monday 15^th June 2026.  Please ensure that your email is entitled “Application for Historic Sites Manager vacancy”.   

You may enclose a CV and covering letter if you wish, however, applications without a fully completed application form will be disregarded.

**Please note: Applications made without our application form will be disregarded.**

The Process

Shortlisting will take place shortly after the deadline date and selected candidates will be invited to an interview, which will take place on Thursday 25^th June.

Interviews will take place at our offices in Redruth.

All applications will be acknowledged and the outcome advised in due course.

Contact

If you would like more information about the vacancy, please contact Cathy Woolcock by email for an informal chat: careers@cornwallheritagetrust.org