How We Work

Every individual working for the Trust has the opportunity to make a direct, measurable contribution to the achievement and advancement of our strategic aims. We approach our work with passion, creativity and diligence. Join our team and work in an environment rich in heritage and culture, with people who really care about what they do.

As an organisation we are ambitious and collaborative. We work with community organisations, businesses and local government partners in Portsmouth and Gosport to support economic, community and cultural development in these areas. At a national level we are an active member of the Heritage Alliance, contributing to consultations on issues that impact the heritage sector. We are also a member of the National Historic Ships Shipshape Network and recently were part of the UK Shipbuilding Skills Task Force that made recommendations to Government on skill requirements in the UK shipbuilding industry.

As an employer we are committed to:

  • Paying our employees competitive salaries – we are a Real Living wage employer
  • Investing in the development of our people
  • Supporting flexible working
  • Providing benefits that support good health and financial security in the present and the future
  • Making it fun!

Current Vacancies

 

Visitor Operations & Commercial Manager

Salary: £35,000 – £38,000

Full -time – with regular weekend working throughout the year

Site-Based: Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with travel to Priddy’s Hard, Gosport

About Us:

Portsmouth Historic Quarter is the charity responsible for the conservation, development and interpretation of a remarkable collection of historic buildings, boats, and spaces within Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, as well as at Priddy’s Hard in Gosport.

We work to conserve the historic environment and bring the sites to life through regeneration, cultural programming, exhibitions, operational historic vessels, and partnerships that connect our heritage with the life of Portsmouth and Gosport today.

The Role:

We are seeking a Visitor Operations & Commercial Manager to play a central role in the day-to-day operation and commercial performance of our unique maritime heritage sites. This is an exciting opportunity to combine visitor experience leadership, facilities oversight and commercial development in a setting where every improvement directly supports the achievement of our charitable objectives.

This is a key role, responsible for ensuring our exhibitions, visitor activities, retail, catering and on-site commercial operations are delivered professionally, efficiently and with strong commercial focus.

Reporting to the Operations Director, you will lead and motivate a small front-of-house team and work collaboratively across PHQ and with external providers to strengthen our visitor offer and drive revenue growth, including through retail development, ticketing and charter opportunities.

You will work with passionate colleagues, volunteers and partners and play a key role in shaping the future commercial success of our visitor offer.

About You:

We are looking for a visitor operations professional who is commercially minded and thrives on delivering outstanding customer experiences, running smooth facilities, and maximising income through retail, catering and visitor engagement.  You will have the ability to manage people, contracts and operational priorities in a fast-paced public-facing setting.

We are particularly keen to hear from applicants who have:

  • Experience managing visitor operations within a heritage, cultural, leisure, tourism or attraction setting.
  • Strong commercial awareness and confidence driving income through retail, catering and visitor engagement.
  • Experience working with external contractors and service providers.
  • The ability to manage and motivate a team and maintain high customer service standards.

Please note, this role is not suited to remote working and therefore the post holder must be available to work at the dockyard.

As an organisation we are committed to the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion, and to implementing these through our work.  We expect our colleagues to have a commitment to this too.

How to apply: Please read the full job description and person specification for the role before applying.  A CV and a brief covering note can be sent to recruitment@portsmouthhq.org with the title “Visitor Operations & Commercial Manager” in the subject box.  Please include where you saw the role advertised.

Closing date: 6 July 2026

Job Description Person Specification

Information for applicants

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies show that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for roles unless they meet every single criterion. We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace. So, if you like the look of this role but your past experience does not align perfectly with everything in the job description, we would still like to hear from you. You may be just the right person for this or other roles.

Our working environment is one where diversity is valued and equity of opportunity is promoted.

We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of job applicant’s personal information. Our applicant privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal information during the recruitment process in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Applicant Privacy Notice
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