Head of Major Gifts & Legacies – The British Museum – Hybrid (at least 2 days per week on-site in Bloomsbury, London) – Up to £65,00 per annum
About the Role This is a rare opportunity to join the British Museum at one of the most exciting fundraising moments in its history. As Head of Major Gifts & Legacies, you will play a central leadership role in securing philanthropic support for the Museum’s Masterplan - a once in a generation redevelopment programme.
With the autumn bringing the high profile Museum Ball and the landmark Bayeux Tapestry visit, this is a pivotal moment to shape the Museum’s philanthropic future. You will lead our major gifts and legacy programmes, develop relationships with high value donors in the UK and internationally, and inspire a dedicated team to deliver exceptional results.
The Masterplan The British Museum is undertaking its biggest transformation since its founding nearly 300 years ago. This physical and intellectual transformation includes large scale building and gallery transformation, new ways of connecting with audiences and different ways of working. As we look towards this exciting future, we remain guided by the words of our founder Hans Sloane – who dreamed of a museum connecting all arts and sciences, which would be accessible to everyone, everywhere.
About You We are looking for an ambitious, strategic and emotionally intelligent fundraising leader who thrives in high profile, high stakes environments. You will bring proven experience securing six and seven figure gifts and have the confidence to build relationships with influential philanthropists, private foundations and family offices.
You combine exceptional communication skills with an understanding of legacy giving, donor stewardship and complex gift cultivation. You are a collaborative leader who motivates teams, builds trust across the organisation and can operate with pace, discretion and diplomacy, especially during a major campaign cycle.
Key Areas of Responsibility
Lead a portfolio of high value funders, cultivating and securing major gifts to support the Masterplan, exhibitions, curatorial posts and core Museum priorities.
Provide strategic leadership for the Museum’s legacy giving programme, increasing long term philanthropic commitments.
Motivate and develop the Major Gifts & Legacies team, setting ambitious goals and ensuring high quality delivery.
Produce compelling proposals, case statements, stewardship plans and donor briefings to support major fundraising moments – including the Museum Ball, Bayeux Tapestry programme and autumn campaign launches.
Maintain excellent donor data, pipeline planning and relationship tracking to underpin an effective and insight driven fundraising strategy.
Benefits At the British Museum, we believe our people are at the heart of everything we do and have designed a benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary. Our full list of benefits can be found here, but we’ve outlined some highlights below:
Free exhibition entry
for you and guests, exclusive private views, ICOM and reciprocal museum access.
25 days’ annual leave
plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days (and +5 days after 10 years).
Discounts
at onsite catering, Museum shops and local Bloomsbury partners.
Social and wellbeing
perks including Staff parties, social clubs, CSSC sports and leisure, and support from the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship.
Peer support and allyship
with five diversity networks for community.
Learning and development
through courses, mentoring and Athena as well as support for professional qualifications.
Employee Assistance Programme
available 24/7 for counselling, wellbeing support and more.
Eyecare vouchers
for VDU tests and contributions toward glasses.
Enhanced parental leave
including maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave.
Support for carers
through Employers for Carers.
Civil Service Pension Scheme
with a secure, inflation linked defined benefit.
Interest free loans
including season ticket, rental deposit and bicycle loans.
Our Values Our values drive everything we do, from how we handle our objects to how we work in our team to fostering a culture where everyone feels heard and empowered:
Care Deeply
Embrace the Unknown
Spark CuriosityValue Many Voices
These are a core part of how we recruit. Throughout the application, interview and selection process, we look for examples of how candidates demonstrate these behaviours in their own work and experiences. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with our values and reflect them in your application.
We may be able to provide visa sponsorship for this role, subject to meeting eligibility requirements. You can find out more about these here.
The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre-employment screening of Civil Servants.
Closing date for applications: Friday 26th June 2026
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