Leeds Castle, a stunning 900-year-old Grade 1 listed moated castle set in 990 acres of Grade II* listed parkland, is seeking a dynamic & visionary Estates Director. This iconic heritage site, open to the public since 1976, continues to enchant visitors as a glamorous retreat and popular attraction.

Job Purpose:

As Estates Director, you will develop & deliver an ambitious Estates strategy, ensuring optimum land use, environmental sustainability & biodiversity enhancement. You will maintain excellent standards of presentation & conservation of buildings, grounds, gardens & golf course, ensuring safe & legally compliant operations. You will also ensure excellent service is provided to both guests & internal Leeds Castle customers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and gain approval for a holistic Estates Strategy, embedding a 5-year project pipeline in the Leeds Castle Business Plan.
• Optimise land use to meet conservation, financial, environmental & biodiversity objectives.
• Working with Deputy Head of Estates, Capital Projects Manager, and external consultants to ensure major projects are well-planned and delivered safely, on time, and within budget.
• Ensure safety & legal compliance in collaboration with Fire, Health & Safety Manager, and work with the Security Manager to protect estate assets and manage emergency procedures.
• Monitor and reduce resource consumption and carbon emissions, supporting the journey to Net Zero, and enhance habitat and biodiversity in collaboration with the Gardens & Grounds Manager and Falconry & Wildlife Manager.

The Candidate:

We are looking for a candidate with a degree in a relevant discipline and at least 5 years of experience in a senior Estates role. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in leading Hard and Soft Services, Security, Gardens, Grounds, Biodiversity, and major project management.

They should have a good appreciation of the constraints and opportunities of working in a heritage, listed environment, and extensive experience in leading Health & Safety and legal compliance.

Personal Qualities:

• Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, relationship, and partnership-building skills.
• Strategic and analytical mindset, with a curiosity for the latest best practice.
• Commercial mindset, pragmatic and flexible in approach.
• Customer-focused (both external and internal).
• Organised, with keen attention to detail.
• Confident and professional communicator, both written and verbal.
• Collaborative and creative thinker, innovative and questioning.
• Strong team player, respecting the skills and expertise of others.
• Empathetic and people-focused, strong leader.
• Committed to promoting diversity and inclusion across all work.

For an informal and confidential discussion, please speak with our advisors at Berwick Partners:

William Pringle

Partner, Head of Charity, Arts, Culture & Heritage Practice

Berwick Partners

+44 (0) 7515 919 648

William.Pringle@berwickpartners.co.uk

Closing date for applications: Friday 28th February 2025