Heritage manager job profile

Heritage managers preserve historic sites and landscapes so that the general public can enjoy them for years to come

As a heritage manager, you'll be responsible for the conservation and management of heritage sites like historic buildings, landscapes, museums, ancient monuments and other properties.

You'll have a broad remit, with responsibilities ranging from the preservation of important sites, through to developing plans to maintain a community's culture or a region's industrial legacy. Your aim will be to balance the preservation of a site, with the need for income generation and business sustainability.

Responsibilities

As a heritage manager, you'll need to:

manage budgets and carry out strategic planning
secure funding from external sources
generate income from commercial activities, such as catering and hiring out the venue for events and film shoots
run a commercial shop
administer the collection of entrance fees, donations, sponsorship and memberships
organise and monitor building, renovation and conservation work
recruit, supervise and motivate staff and volunteers
deal with the media to promote the site
use IT to generate market share, raise visitor numbers, etc.
develop new ways to present the attraction or collection to maximise visitors' enjoyment and understanding
ensure high standards of customer service and health and safety for visitors to the site
write reports, policies and procedures, marketing documents and interpretive material
project management
relate at a senior level to local authorities or national bodies within whose remit the site may fall
liaise with external agencies such as funding bodies, professional associations, other heritage organisations, tourist bodies and regional development agencies, perhaps to deliver co-funded and joint-venture projects
develop outreach activities in the local community
keep up to date with developments in the field and with historical research into topics related to the attraction
deal with enquiries from researchers and the public
design and analyse visitor feedback surveys.

Salary

At entry or trainee level, your salary is likely to range from £16,000 to £21,000, though with a postgraduate qualification you could expect to earn up to £25,000.
After two to three years' experience, and once you've dealt with more strategic responsibility, salaries reach £25,000 to £40,000.
At senior management or director level, you may earn in the region of £35,000 to £70,000.

The Museums Association published Salary Guidelines in 2017 as part of a UK-wide survey, carried out with the aim of addressing the issue of low pay in the museums sector.

Figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

There can be early starts and late finishes. Expect to work unsocial hours if employed at visitor attractions that are open on weekends, or for evening events/filming.

Part-time work, job sharing and career breaks are possible.

What to expect

You'll mainly be office-based but will likely spend some time outdoors at open-air heritage sites and on guided tours.
Self-employment is uncommon, although there is some scope for consultancy work at a senior level. Private consultants and specialists, such as bid writers, can earn around £250+ a day.
Jobs are available across the UK in both urban and rural locations.
Some jobs, for example in marketing, collection management or conservation, involve a variable amount of travel to sites within a region or to attend national meetings, including overnight stays.
If you work as an area manager with a national organisation you may spend a significant proportion of your time travelling. As a manager of a museum in an urban local authority you would be centrally based.

Qualifications

This area of work is open to all graduates, but the following subjects may be particularly useful:

administration
archaeology
countryside or estate management
education - secondary or primary with a PGCE qualification
geography
heritage or museum studies
history or history of art
library and information services
marketing or other business-related subjects, especially finance.

Entry with an HND or foundation degree only is unlikely. While lower-level jobs, such as seasonal posts or internships in visitor reception, interpretation or retail, do not require a degree, they are often sought by graduates as a direct entry post or by undergraduates and postgraduates as work placements or holiday jobs.

A role such as a heritage officer or interpreter would provide good experience and help towards achieving a management role.

A postgraduate qualification is not always essential, although a pre-entry qualification in heritage or museum management provides evidence of commitment and may increase your pay prospects. Search for postgraduate courses in heritage management.

A postgraduate course may provide you with the opportunity to complete a work placement or work-based project, which is valued by employers. Qualifications in areas such as teaching, marketing, communication, finance or digital and web-based technologies are useful for specific roles in the sector.

Skills

You'll need to show evidence of the following:

the ability to deal effectively with a range of people
excellent written communication skills
a genuine interest in and understanding of the heritage sector, plus awareness of related current political agendas
good negotiation skills
administrative and budgeting skills
digital media and IT skills
commercial awareness and customer service skills
an enthusiasm for learning
the ability to use your initiative and work well in a team
experience of partnership and collaborative working
flexibility and creativity
time-management skills
project-management skills
leadership ability.

Work experience

You'll need to gain some relevant experience as competition is fierce. Look for seasonal work as a tour guide, interpreter or visitor reception assistant. It can be worth making speculative approaches, if you do your research.

Organisations such as the Wordsworth Trust and the National Trust offer paid structured training programmes, for a variety of roles in their buildings and grounds.

Volunteering is a good way of gaining experience too. Search for opportunities with the National Trust, English Heritage, the National Trust for Scotland and The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (AHSS), as these recruit volunteers to work directly with the public and for practical conservation projects.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

The main employers of heritage managers are:

amenity societies
cathedrals and churches
conservation organisations and charities
heritage charities and trusts
local authorities
museums
privately owned historic houses, heritage centres and independent museums. Many of these are members of Historic Houses.
tourist boards and other tourism operators.

Look for job vacancies at:

Professional development

If you work for a larger national body, or a local authority, you may receive in-house training on heritage issues and have the opportunity to attend conferences. You'll usually be encouraged to study qualifications that will aid your career development and may be given some training on general topics, such as IT, and management skills.

Training may also be available through a local consortia of heritage organisations and museums. For further information, see The Heritage Consortium.

Smaller heritage attractions may not have the scope or money to offer regular training but joining a local heritage group can provide you with access to training opportunities and networks.

If you don't already have a postgraduate qualification, you may be encouraged to complete a part-time Masters in heritage management or museum studies, while you're working. Employers occasionally offer help with funding or study time.

The MA Careers section has information about training courses and continuing professional development (CPD). Including, details about the AMA (Associateship of the Museums Association), which is the MA's professional development programme. It takes, on average, three years to complete the qualification and requires approximately 35 hours of input per year.

Joining a relevant professional association such as Historic England, the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), RIBA or any of the other associations listed on the Historic England site is also a good way to maintain your professional development.

The Association for Heritage Interpretation (AHI) also runs short courses and training events.

Specialist providers include:

Career prospects

Career paths within the sector are extremely diverse. You may begin at a fairly junior level but with a couple of years' experience secure posts with greater responsibility.

If you stay with a particular heritage attraction for a few years, it's likely you'll be given the opportunity to influence your job description, by developing areas of personal strength or professional interest.

The larger national organisations offer scope for widening your experience and gaining promotion internally, perhaps into an area or property manager role. You may work towards gaining Associateship of the MA, which demonstrates competence developed over several years and a commitment to continuing professional development (CPD).

Alternatively, you may be able to develop a career in the independent heritage or museums sector by applying skills you’ve gained in an associated area, such as from writing bids or funding applications.

Heritage manager