Visitor Services

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

As part of the Visitor Services team at Culzean Castle and Country Park, the Visitor Services Supervisor plays a key role in ensuring every visitor enjoys and exceptional, engaging, and safe experience. You will support the day to day running of the Castle, lead and motivate the Castle team and help bring the stories of Culzean and the Kennedy family to life.

The role combines people leadership, operational responsibility, and hands-on visitor engagement. You will model excellent customer service, support staff and volunteers, and ensure the Castle is presented and operated to the highest standards of conservation, safety and visitor care. There is a degree of physical activity involved in the role and will include standing for periods of time and/or walking through the building during guided tours. Due to the historic nature of the building, physical access from the upper levels in the event of an emergency is currently only by stairs.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

People Leadership & Team Support
• Operate as part of the supervisory leadership group, maintaining alignment with other the other Castle Supervisor and Visitor Services Manager to ensure consistency of instruction, operational standards, and team communication across all Castle Shifts.
• Provide supportive, fair and professional line management to Castle staff and volunteers, including rota planning, recruitment, induction, coaching and performance conversations (if/when required)
• Create a positive, inclusive team culture where staff feel confident, informed and motivated
• Lead daily briefing, ensuring staff understand priorities, visitor flow, and any operational updates.
• Skilled in delivering training to large numbers of staff.
• Support staff development through on-the-job coaching, feedback and modelling excellent visitor engagement.
• Uphold the highest standards of confidentiality and discretion, safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring trust across the team and wider organisation.

Delivering an Exceptional Visitor Experience
• Ensure all visitors receive the same warm welcome and consistently high levels of customer care throughout their visit.
• Lead by example in delivering engaging tours (where required) and interactions that bring the Castle’s stories to life
• Support delivery of schools workshops and group visits, ensuring content is accessible, accurate and enjoyable.
• Encourage donations and promote NTS Memberships in a confident, visitor-focused manner that highlights the impact of visitor support.

Operational Excellence
• Act as a key holder, responsible for opening, closing and ensuring the Castle is safe, secure and ready for visitors
• Maintain high presentation standards across all rooms and visitor areas, working closely with Conservation and Collections teams
• Ensure staff follow procedures for visitor flow, queue management, and room coverage.
• Support the smooth running of events, specialist tours and seasonal activity within the Castle.

Safety, Security and Conservation
• Monitor visitor behaviour and room conditions to minimise risk to the Castle, it’s collections and its people.
• Support the implementation if conservation measures, including environmental controls. Object handling protocols, and visitor guidance.
• Share responsibility for emergency procedures, including evacuations, incident response, and first-aid support (where trained).
• Ensure all staff and volunteers understand and follow Health and Safety Policies (including Risk Assessments and COSSH guidance).

Administration & Communication
• Maintain accurate rota, attendance, and performance records in line with NTS processes.
• Communicate clearly and professionally with staff, volunteers, and colleagues across the wider property.
• Support cash handling, EPOS use, and daily reconciliation where required.
• Contribute to continuous improvement by identifying issues, proposing solutions and supporting change.

SCOPE OF ROLE

People Management
• Shared Line management of up to 12 Castle Team Members and 20 Castle Volunteers
• Will have daily interaction with members of the public of all ages and abilities

Financial Management
• Not a budget holder.

Essential
• Genuine belief in the work and values of the NTS and ability to exemplify these
• Confident, fair and supportive leadership style
• Flexibility – able to adapt working patterns and tasks as required.
• Understanding of confidentiality, discretion and GDPR guideline requirements, with the ability to apply these appropriately to daily operations.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to motivate and guide others.
• Experience delivering excellent customer service in a public-facing environment.
• Ability to adapt pace and approach to match visitor flow and team needs.
• Skilled in delivering engaging tours and team/visitor interactions.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks.
• Experience working with volunteers
• Understanding of working with historic interiors and collections.
• Awareness of security issues within collections and property-wide
• Confident in promoting memberships, donations and guidebooks.
• Cash Handling and EPOS experience.

Desirable
• Supervisory experience in a heritage, museum or visitor attraction setting.
• Experience of working with People Management systems and creation of rota’s
• Knowledge of Health & Safety legislation and emergency procedures.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Experience in delivering training/talks
• First Aid qualification

JOB PURPOSE

The Seasonal Rangers will be the face of the National Trust for Scotland in Lunga, Staffa & Iona during the busy summer months of the first year of the Treshnish islands being in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. This role is also critical in providing seven-day cover of Staffa and Lunga. The Seasonal Ranger will welcome visitors and help ensure their time on Lunga is highly enjoyable and memorable, while helping to protect and enhance the island’s natural and cultural heritage. They will play a critical role in forging a strong and close working relationship with Day Boat Operators

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Visitor Services
• Welcoming and engaging visitors, enhancing their experience by providing information about Lunga, the Treshnish Islands, Staffa and Iona. Their geology, natural, built and cultural heritage, including strong messages around safety and respect for wildlife.
• Encourage people to further contribute to caring for Staffa, Lunga and Iona through donating or taking up membership of NTS.
• Collect donations made on the island and securely transfer them to the full-time Ranger or Property Manager for receipting and banking.
• Assist with practical countryside management including safety checks of visitor infrastructure, litter picks, beach cleans and maintenance.
• Lead and assist with events such as guided walks and talks as appropriate.

Nature conservation
• Contribute to National Trust for Scotland biological monitoring programmes including seabird surveys and regular biosecurity checks.
• Manage and collate biological information in a consistent manner compatible with Trust and national datasets.

Community engagement
• Build strong working relationships with Day Boat Operators, their crew members, and other local stakeholders to support consistent messaging to visitors.

Marketing & Communications
• Enthusiastically promote awareness and understanding of the role that NTS plays in protecting and caring for Lunga, Staffa, Iona, the Treshnish islands and wider work across Scotland.
• Regularly update and contribute positive stories to NTS social media and other communication outlets relevant to Lunga.

Learning
• Assist the Ranger Team with educational and other outreach activities on site or to the local community and to communities of interest, including for volunteers.

Other responsibilities
• Ensure that all activities undertaken are compliant with the Trust’s health and safety policies and procedures including the Safe System of Work, Visitor Safety in the Countryside, and environmental policy and practices, mindful of impacts on people and environment.
• Contribute knowledge and experience to projects and management decisions within the NTS Plan for Nature.
• Provide occasional support to the full time Mull and Iona Ranger Service with projects and activities across the southwest of Mull, Staffa, The Treshnish Islands, Burg or Iona.
• Criminal records (Disclosure Scotland) checking and clearance essential for safeguarding of children/vulnerable adults. The role is one for which the duties/responsibilities/accountabilities of the role will require staff to become a member of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme.

Do you have a passion for whisky and a dedication to providing exceptional visitor experience? Well, this may be the perfect role for you…

We are looking for friendly and charismatic individuals with a positive work attitude, who can use their own initiative and focus on providing exceptional visitor experiences as part of our warm and welcoming team. Our experience offering is varied and our visitors come from all over the world to learn about Glengoyne whisky, so the ability to adapt and build rapport with different groups and communicating effectively is essential (multi-lingual skills would be highly desirable, although not essential!).

The role of Seasonal Tour Guide is responsible for the delivery of tours, tastings, and other visitor focused activities at our Distillery. The visitor centre typically operates between 10:00 – 18:00, seven days per week, however, this is dependent on the needs of the business and hours may vary in line with consumer demand. We are therefore looking for individuals who can be flexible in their availability.

Glengoyne is located North of Glasgow on the A81 at Dumgoyne, and it is anticipated that applicants should be within commuting distance of the distillery and ideally with their own transport given the remote location. In addition, given the industry and product we service, to be considered for a role, applicants must be aged 18 or over. Candidates must also be able to demonstrate that they currently have the required documents to live and work in the UK.

What We Will Provide You…

This is a temporary job opportunity with an hourly rate of £13.45. In addition, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes a generous holiday allowance, pension contributions and product discount to name but a few.

We are seeking candidates who can demonstrate flexibility, as this role offers a mix of full-time and part-time hours on fixed-term contracts running either from March to October 2026 or March to November 2026. Our roles are offered on an annualised hours contract, meaning you will receive a guaranteed monthly income.

We anticipate interviews will take place on 9th or 10th February 2026. For successful candidates, a comprehensive two-week induction is scheduled for the weeks commencing 16th and 23rd March, running Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 17:00.

If this sounds like the perfect role for you, then we’d love to hear from you!

Next Steps…

Please note, that along with your CV, you will need to answer some key questions and submit a tailored cover letter, clearly outlining why your skills and previous experiences are a perfect fit to what we are looking for – remember this is your opportunity to make yourself stand out from the crowd!

Please note, that to be able to be considered for this opportunity candidates must already have full eligibility documentation to be able to live and work in the UK. This is also an open application window, therefore we may close the advert at any point depending on the candidate applications received so our recommendation is that you apply early to ensure you don’t miss out!

Proudly supporting the #OpenToWork movement.

Ian Macleod Distillers (IMD) are proud members of the Scotch Whisky Association, Drink Aware and the Portman Group. In our individual IMD way, we endeavour to follow best practice to help shape our commitment to wider social responsibility and industry standards. We are advocates of promoting responsible selling and consumption of alcohol.

**No Agency Contact**

The Company

We are privileged to remain one of the most widely respected Scottish independent family firms in the spirits industry, with four generations of expertise, distilling, blending and bottling to our name.

Over 80 years, our family business has expanded its portfolio to include award winning premium Scotch whisky, gin, and rum brands.

Our independence allows us to balance traditional craftsmanship with endless opportunities for creativity and innovation, ensuring continued growth and relevance for the future.

As a family-owned company, we are strong believers in looking after our people. After all, everyone should have a workplace that they can call home. We’d love you to join us…In Good Company!

Dunnottar Castle is a world-renowned tourist attraction that has played host to some of the most significant events in Scottish history and holds many secrets to its colourful past. Once an impregnable fortress, the Castle is now largely a ruin and a Scheduled Ancient Monument, yet its location some 150ft above a rocky outcrop in the North Sea still provides a powerful, haunting, and dramatic backdrop for the over 120,000
visitors we welcome each year.

We are seeking enthusiastic and conscientious people with excellent customer service skills to join the team at Dunnottar Castle over the summer season.

To apply please submit a CV to joseph.sellors@dunechtestates.co.uk.

• Provide a warm, professional welcome to all customers and visitors, creating a memorable experience through excellent customer care, attentiveness, and efficiency.

• Actively encourage visitors to make donations, complete gift aid forms and encourage secondary spend in the shop.

• Ensure all banking and cash handling requirements are met accurately and adhere to security and cash handling procedures.

• Ensuring retail space is clean, welcoming and fully stocked.

• Ensure the museum is cared for by undertaking housekeeping and cleaning duties to ensure the building and artefacts are kept to the highest standards.

• Support both your immediate and wider teams within the museum, including providing cover in Café North as required.

• To have or gain certificated knowledge of food safety standards and allergen legislation.

• Ensure that all activities are carried out safely and in line with High Life Highland’s Health & Safety policies.

• Work on a rota basis, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays ensuring you are up to date with rostered shifts and give advance notice of any leave requests for consideration.

• Actively promote a positive and collaborative workplace culture that supports the Charity’s purpose of Making Life Better and i-care values to increase morale, productivity and performance.

• Pursue continuous professional development and contribute to the continuous improvement of North Coast Visitor Centre and High Life Highland as a whole.

• Attend and undertake any training online or in person.

• Aim to reduce wastage and uphold our environmental values of being as sustainable as possible in all tasks.

• Assist and support other areas of High Life Highland with particular projects, training or in the event of holidays or sickness working cross-functionally across the North Coast Visitor Centre team.

• Undertake all tasks in accordance with High Life Highland policies and procedures, including General Data Protection Regulations, health and safety procedures, relevant checks, reporting any concerns to management to ensure corrective action is taken.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

Culzean Castle is one of Scotland’s most loved castles, as one of the Visitor Services team within the castle, you’ll ensure that all visitors receive an excellent visitor experience and leave feeling inspired by this magical place. This will be achieved through being welcoming; engaging and knowledgeable; prepared to answer visitors’ questions about objects, stories of the castle and its family and the NTS.

The role involves some physical activity and will include standing for periods of time and/or walking through the building undertaking guided tours. Due to the historic nature of the building physical access from the upper levels in the event of an emergency is currently only by stairs.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Visitor Welcome & Front of House Duties
• Warmly welcome visitors to the Castle, checking tickets and upselling guidebooks to enhance their visit
• Ensure the highest level of customer service so all visitors receive an excellent experience
• Maximise visitor enjoyment and understanding of the property by engaging them with the history of Culzean and the Kennedy family
• Ensuring accurate recording of visitors through the till system

Membership Engagement & Promotion
• Share the benefits of membership with ticket holders and actively seek innovative ways to encourage recruitment
• Actively promote the work of the National Trust for Scotland and the value of membership to existing and potential members

Tours, Interpretation & Learning
• Deliver a broad range of high-quality guided tours and talks for the public and organised groups, following a pre-arranged script within the allotted time of 45 minutes
• Deliver engaging school workshops for all ages and abilities
• Enhance the visitor experience through third-person costumed interpretation, object handling and conservation demonstrations (where applicable)
• Promote and sensitively encourage donations during guided tours and/or at the Front Desk ensuring that visitors understand the impact of their support on the property’s conservation work.

Security, Conservation & Property Care
• Be mindful of the security needs of the property and its contents, minimising opportunities for theft or damage through diligent monitoring of visitors and the implementation of security measures (e.g. locking up procedures etc.)
• Support the VSS Collections Care and the conservation the property and its contents, reducing the risk of accidental damage through visitor engagement and appropriate conservations/object handling practices

Health, Safety & Emergency Procedures
• Share in the common responsibility of implementing the Trust’s Health & Safety policy, being mindful at all times of health & safety of self, staff, volunteers, and visitors
• Participate in the safe evacuation and management of colleagues and visitors in the event of a fire, security alert or alarm

Housekeeping & Daily Operations
• Share responsibility for housekeeping duties at the beginning of and end of each shift (e.g. hoovering, rubbish removal) including staffroom and staff bathroom

SCOPE OF ROLE

People Management
• No line management responsibility but will work closely with other property colleagues and will interact with other technical/specialist advisory colleagues based in other locations and departments.
• Will have daily interaction with members of the public of all ages and abilities

Financial Management
• Not a budget holder.

Essential

• Genuine belief in the work and values of the NTS and ability to exemplify these
• Strong commitment to excellent customer care, with the ability to motivate and engage others
• Enthusiasm for Scottish heritage, including family and history of art and architecture
• Confident, enthusiastic verbal communicator with excellent interpersonal skills
• Experience working effectively with a wide range of people in public facing roles
• Flexible and adaptable, able to adjust tasks and working patterns to meet daily needs of the property
• Able to match pace to visitor flow without compromising service quality
• Warm, welcoming front-of-house presence
• Strong selling skills, particularly for membership and guidebooks
• Effective time-management and prioritisation skills
• Proactive, with the ability to use initiative

Desirable
• Previous cash handling experience
• Historical knowledge of the site and a passion for heritage
• Previous experience or volunteer experience in museum, tourism or conservation sector
• Epos

JOB PURPOSE

The Seasonal Ranger will support the Culzean Ranger team during the busy summer months. Specifically, to combine responsibilities on nature conservation, visitor services, outdoor learning and community engagement to help deliver the strategic objectives of the property and wider National Trust for Scotland.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Visitor Services
• Welcoming and engaging visitors, enhancing their experience by providing information about Culzean, its geology, natural and cultural heritage, including strong messages around safety and respect for wildlife.
• Encourage people to further contribute to caring for Culzean through donating or taking up membership of NTS.
• Assist with practical countryside management including litter picks, emptying bins, maintenance of countryside estate infrastructure (e.g. paths, gates, signs, vegetation management), safety checks of visitor & access infrastructure (including play parks).
• Assist with events such as public gatherings, NTS events and weddings.

Nature conservation
• Contribute to biological survey & monitoring programmes.
• Manage and collate biological information in a consistent manner compatible with Trust and national datasets.
• Assist with the delivery of habitat restoration works within the Country Park including the management of woodland, grassland, heathland and freshwater habitats.

Outdoor Learning & Community Engagement
• Provide educational and other outreach activities on site or for the local community (and for volunteers) including the delivery of formal outdoor education sessions to schools, guided walks and talks etc.

Marketing & Communications
• Enthusiastically promote awareness and understanding of the role that NTS plays in protecting and caring for Culzean and wider work across Scotland.
• Regularly update and contribute positive stories to NTS social media and other communication outlets relevant to Culzean.

Livestock Management
• Will support the team with feeding and care of the property’s livestock; deer and llama.

Other responsibilities
• Supervise volunteers and Project Search interns.
• Ensure that all activities undertaken are compliant with the Trust’s health and safety policies and procedures including the Safe System of Work, Visitor Safety in the Countryside, and environmental policy and practices, mindful of impacts on people and environment.
• Contribute knowledge and experience to projects and management decisions within the NTS Plan for Nature.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Qualifications

Essential
• A full, clean driving licence valid for driving in the UK is essential.
• Graduate level qualifications or equivalent experience in one or more of the following subject areas: heritage or cultural studies, visitor services, rural land management, nature conservation, environmental studies.
• Criminal records (Disclosure Scotland) checking and clearance will be essential for safeguarding of children/vulnerable adults. The role is one for which the duties/responsibilities/accountabilities of the role will require staff to become a member of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme.

Experience

Essential
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to interact positively with a wide range of people in person and through other written or visual forms.
• Ability to implement work in a lone working and challenging environment, and within a small team.
• Willingness to initiate conversational relationships with visitors and community partners, be approachable and welcoming.
• Excellent organisational, time-management skills with the ability to prioritise and be flexible according to weather and changing demands.
• Ability and willingness to undertake strenuous physical work.
• The ability and willingness to learn and try new things, to be flexible and step outside of your comfort zone.
• Competent user of Microsoft Office and social media.
• A sound knowledge of issues affecting the conservation and management of Scotland’s environment (landscapes, habitats, and wildlife).
• Proven track record of delivering visitor experience within a countryside context.
• Experience of managing safety in the countryside.
• An understanding and commitment to the aims and objectives of the National Trust for Scotland.
• Living the values of the National Trust for Scotland and encouraging colleagues to do the same.

Desirable
• Experience of delivering education sessions, talks, guided walks & activities to a wide range of different audiences.
• Working knowledge of ecological survey and monitoring techniques.
• Practical land management and maintenance of small-scale rural estates infrastructure.
• Ability to think and act quickly when confronted with emergencies.
• First Aid, Strimmer, Pesticide, Chainsaw certification.