Development Officer

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is seeking a Development Officer to secure funding for Leighton House and Sambourne House. You will build vital partnerships, manage donor relationships and drive fundraising initiatives to sustain the museums’ legacy.

Based at the museums three days a week with home working on other days, you’ll work with Trustees, prepare grant proposals, monitor reporting and run events to engage supporters.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in fundraising or development within museums/heritage/arts is desirable.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for crafting grant proposals and donor communications.
• Experience with budgets, financial data and reporting on outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Identify, apply for and secure funding from trusts, foundations and other sources.
• Cultivate and manage long-term relationships with existing supporters and engage new donors.
• Plan and deliver targeted fundraising campaigns and appeals to align with mission and programmes.
• Collaborate with colleagues across departments to promote donations and memberships and acknowledge funds raised.

Job description

Job Description

Secure the future of our historic museums through fundraising and community support As a Development Officer, you’ll play a crucial role in sustaining and growing the legacy of two of London’s most distinctive museums – Leighton House and Sambourne House. By developing vital partnerships, building donor relationships and driving fundraising initiatives, you’ll help ensure these cultural landmarks continue to thrive for generations to come.

Working Style

This is a full-time role. You’ll be based at the museums for 3 days a week, working from home the rest of the time, and you will be required to attend occasional cultivation and fundraising events out of standard working hours as needed.

What You’ll Be Doing

This is a hands‑on, creative and relationship‑focused role. Working closely with the Senior Curator and the Trustees of the Friends of Leighton House, you’ll take lead in strengthening fundraising activity across both museums. Your main responsibility will be identifying, applying for and securing funding from trusts, foundations and other sources that align with the museums’ mission and programmes. You’ll also manage documentation for grant‑giving bodies – preparing evaluation reports, monitoring performance and ensuring all conditions are met. A key part of your work will be cultivating long‑term relationships with existing supporters while identifying and engaging new donors. You’ll plan and deliver targeted fundraising campaigns and appeals, ensuring that the museums’ messages resonate with audiences who care about culture and heritage. You’ll work to deliver key events such as the annual members dinner and garden party, – moments that bring together donors, artists and the local community. Collaboration is central to this role. You’ll work with colleagues across the museums – from marketing and curatorial to operations – to understand ongoing activity in all areas, identify potential projects for external funding, ensure the promotion, running and development of donations and membership schemes, and the appropriate acknowledgement and allocation of funds raised.

For more information, please review the Job Description and Person Specification.

What You’ll Bring

You’ll bring a proven track record in fundraising or development, ideally within the museums, heritage or arts sector. You’ll understand the funding landscape and be confident in preparing persuasive grant applications and proposals that align with donor priorities. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential – you’ll be crafting tailored messages, liaising with partners and presenting ideas clearly to a range of audiences. You’ll have experience working with financial data, preparing budgets and reporting on outcomes. Equally important is creativity – the ability to spot opportunities, think strategically and find imaginative ways to meet fundraising targets. You’ll bring strong organisational skills, managing multiple projects at once while maintaining attention to detail. Experience in engaging and inspiring donors, supporters and volunteers will be highly valuable.

Why join us

At RBKC, we’re all in – investing in our people, our communities and our future. You’ll join a close‑knit, dedicated museums team working within the beautifully restored surroundings of Leighton House – a place of creativity, collaboration and inspiration. Following a £9.6 million award‑winning refurbishment in 2022, the museum was named a finalist for the Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2023, recognised for its excellence and team spirit. This is a pivotal time to join. As the museums face new financial challenges, your work will directly support their sustainability and growth. You’ll play a key role in ensuring both houses continue to deliver an ambitious programme of exhibitions, learning opportunities and cultural events as they celebrate 100 years as public museums. We’ll support your professional development with access to training, mentoring and opportunities to shape fundraising strategy and delivery. You’ll be part of an environment that values inclusion, creativity and teamwork – where your ideas and initiative can make a tangible impact.

About Us

Kensington and Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough. As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our work every day, ensuring our services are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all. As a Development Officer, you’ll embody the ‘We’re all in’ mindset – getting stuck in and showing full commitment. From drafting grant proposals to planning events and cultivating donors, you’ll play an essential role in transforming financial challenges into opportunities for growth. Your creativity, persistence and collaboration will ensure our museums continue to inspire, educate and connect our community.

Interview Details And Role Requirements

Interviews will take place in person at Leighton House Museum week commencing 16 th November. This post requires a Standard DBS check, which will be carried out as part of the pre‑employment screening process for the successful candidate.

We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.

We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.

We are committed to fair, transparent, and consistent pay practices. New hires will start at the minimum of the advertised salary range. Employees receive annual salary increases until they reach the top of the pay scale. In addition, employees will receive any agreed cost of living pay rises.