Chair of English Heritage’s Board of Trustees, Gerard Lemos CMG, said: “We are looking for a new Chief Executive to build on the achievements of recent years and to take English Heritage to a new level of significance in how England’s heritage is understood, reflected upon, talked about, debated – sometimes amid controversy – and celebrated with pride both here and internationally.

“We want to continue to widen access to our sites and our collections for people from all communities. Our new Chief Executive will ensure that all the communities of England feel that our sites and the stories we tell are part of their local experiences, strengthening their sense of place and belonging, and ensuring they can participate in animating their local landmarks and the stories that go with them.

“If you think you have the vision, skills and experience to take on such a wonderful opportunity, we’d love to hear from you.”

English Heritage became an independent charity in 2015 and since then – despite the huge challenges of the pandemic – has exceeded the ambitions of the original launch plan, including by…

• increasing its visitor numbers to over 6 million people a year and growing its membership base to over 1 million, while expanding its volunteer force to 4,700 people;
• spending around a third more each year on conservation and maintenance than the organisation did prior to 2015;
• and doing more to connect local communities with their heritage.

English Heritage’s Chief Financial Officer Mark Stuart-Smith is interim Chief Executive until the charity recruits a permanent Chief Executive. Recruitment specialists Saxton Bampfylde are leading the search and the closing date for applications is noon on Monday 31st July 2023.