Heritage manager: Job description

Heritage management is an evolving career and extends to a broad remit of responsibilities, ranging from the conservation of a historical building or landscape, or a heritage site with a world heritage ranking, through to the preservation of a community's cultural heritage or a region's unique industrial heritage.

A management role in the heritage sector is all about balancing the preservation of the fabric and character of a property with the need to generate an income and, when applicable, the demands of a historic family home.

A heritage management role can encompass a considerable diversity of job titles, with individual post holders coming from a wide variety of backgrounds from both within and outside the sector.

Typical work activities

Work activities vary depending on the specific responsibilities and seniority of the role, as well as the setting in which it takes place. At large sites, managing the property, the collections and visitor services are likely to be separate functions, whilst at smaller ones you may be responsible for all of these activities. These are likely to include a selection of the following:

• managing budgets;
• securing funding from external sources;
• generating income from commercial activities, such as catering and hiring out the venue for events and film shoots;
• running a commercial shop;
• administering the collection of entrance fees, donations, sponsorship and memberships;
• strategic planning;
• organising and monitoring building, renovation and conservation work;
• recruiting, supervising and motivating staff and volunteers;
• dealing with the media to promote the site;
• using IT to generate market share, raise visitor numbers, etc.;
• developing new ways to present the attraction or collection to maximise visitors' enjoyment and understanding;
• event planning;
• ensuring high standards of customer service and health and safety for visitors to the site;
• writing reports, policy and procedures, marketing documents and interpretive material;
• project management;
• relating at a senior level to local authorities or national bodies within whose remit the site may fall;
• liaising with external agencies such as funding bodies, professional associations, other heritage organisations, tourist bodies and regional development agencies;
• developing outreach activities in the local community;
• keeping up to date with developments in the field and with historical research into topics related to the attraction;
• dealing with enquiries from the public and researchers;
• designing and analysing visitor feedback surveys.

New entrants will need to pay attention to:

• developing partnerships and working collaboratively;
• delivering co-funded and joint-venture projects;
• investigation skills, especially in areas around finance;
• developing the ability to think laterally and generate new and innovative ways of presenting the concept of heritage to new generations;
• becoming politically savvy and developing an understanding of and engaging with current political agendas, especially in roles in the public sector;
• becoming comfortable with using qualitative and quantity analysis methodologies;
• gaining experience of using key performance indicators and benchmarking tools and learning how they can be used to help keep a track of performance, whether for a heritage site or a project.