Director of Development

Sir John Soane's Museum; London; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious museum in London is seeking a Director of Development to lead its fundraising efforts. This role involves strategic planning to broaden reach and income, managing a dedicated team, and engaging key stakeholders. The successful candidate will be experienced in securing donations and have a passion for cultural philanthropy.

Benefits

Annual leave of 26.5 days

Access to Civil Service Pension Scheme

Interest-free season ticket or bicycle loan

Free entry to museums and galleries

Qualifications

• Significant fundraising experience at a senior level.
• Proven success in securing five- and six-figure gifts.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement fundraising strategies.
• Lead and inspire the Development team.
• Cultivate relationships with major donors and corporate partners.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Team leadership

Relationship management

Communication

Budget management

Education

Degree or equivalent

Job description

2 days ago Be among the first 25 applicants

Direct message the job poster from Sir John Soane's Museum

Sir John Soane’s Museum is one of the world’s greatest works of art, a rare example of a true Gesamtkunstwerk – a total work of art - uniting architecture, sculpture, painting, literature, design, and curation in a single poetic, educational setting.

The Development Department devises and delivers all the Museum’s fundraising, including Patron and Friend schemes, major giving, grants from trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships and legacies. The department is responsible for creating and maintaining relationships with all of the Museum’s supporters, including the Museum’s sister organisation in New York, Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation, USA. Additionally, the department produces necessary marketing materials, manages the three private views the Museum hosts each year and supports various teams in the delivery of the programmes mentioned above, most of which receive 100% of their funding through donations.

The new Director will be ambitious and driven to help support the Museum in its strategic aims to broaden its reach and income, with a specific focus on new digital programmes, an expanded learning offer, and building on the Soane’s 4 international supporters. The Director of Development is part of the Museum’s Senior Management Team, and is supported by two permanent, full-time Development Managers.

Reports to: Director of the Museum

Direct reports: Development Manager – Patrons, Development Manager – Trusts, Foundations and Major Donors.

Purpose: As a member of the Senior Management Team, the Director of Development will lead the Soane’s Development department and its activities, creating and implementing new and imaginative fundraising strategies, and creating cases for support for raising revenue from individuals, corporate partners, legacy givers and trusts and foundations.

Key Criteria for Success

• Working with the Director to articulate a clear strategy for revenue and project fundraising that derives from, and supports the Soane’s strategic plan

• With the team, achieved and sustain income targets for the Development department across all fundraising revenue streams

• Develop, lead and inspire a continuously high performing and well-motivated team

• Establishes rapport with colleagues, and ensured internal buy-in to the fundraising strategy through sound internal communications and well-established relationships

• Become an excellent internal and external advocate for the Museum

Key Responsibilities

Strategic development and delivery

• Develop a coherent fundraising strategy to meet the Museum’s revenue and endowment needs, addressing all relevant donor audiences and forging beneficial relationships to support and promote the Museum’s cause

• Maintain and develop close and productive relationships with key supporters, especially via high quality events for the two tiers of our Patrons.

• Identify and cultivate suitable new prospects, whether individuals, grant-making trusts or corporate partners • Play an active role as a member of the Senior Management Team

• Engage Trustees in the work of the department through timely and clear reports and action plans

• Lead the implementation of agreed fundraising strategies effectively, achieving or exceeding budgeted levels of income and ensuring that all income is handled as tax effectively as possible, including maximising Gift Aid income 6 • Develop a network of senior volunteers, including the Trustees, to assist with fundraising by utilising their contacts and engaging them in active solicitations where appropriate

• Initiate and develop long-term individual donor, trust, public funding and corporate partnership relationships to secure major gifts from all sources to meet agreed targets

• Provide appropriate stewardship and reporting tailored to suit each particular donor or corporate partnership as necessary

• Lead individual donor cultivation and solicitation plans, ensuring that the contacts and expertise of others are used to maximum benefit

• Devise effective fundraising documentation and presentations for specific projects, benefits packages, revenue generation schemes etc.

• Make effective ‘asks’ in person, where appropriate, and support others in doing so • Ensure that all systems, including the development database, and processes required for successful fundraising are in place (including appropriate record keeping, donor research and statistical reporting) and are coordinated effectively with related administrative processes in other areas of the Museum

• Ensure that the Museum has effective fiscal compliance, data protection protocols and due diligence processes for Development in place at all times

Team and budget management

• Direct and develop the team and any Development volunteers, monitoring and managing the performance of the team as a whole and as individuals

• Participate in the recruitment, selection and induction of new staff as appropriate

• Promote and take responsibility for excellent communication within the department and ensure its full integration with the Museum as a whole

• Review working practices regularly and introduce change where appropriate for efficiency and cost-effectiveness

• Carry out all other responsibilities required of a line manager, including health and safety monitoring

• Make proposals for the annual income and expenditure budgets for all Development department activity, monitoring and managing the agreed budgets effectively throughout the year.

Person Specification

Experience and Knowledge

• Significant fundraising experience at a senior level, in both corporate and individual giving

• Proven success in personally securing five- and six-figure gifts from corporates, individuals or philanthropic trusts

• Detailed understanding of what motivates people to give, and current thinking in the area of philanthropic giving, as well as a thorough understanding of development and communicating

• Experience of devising sophisticated cultivation and solicitation plans, and successfully 7 managing a portfolio of senior level prospects

• Experience devising appropriate events for both donors and prospects

• Experience and understanding of academic or cultural organisations

• Understanding of, or enthusiasm for, the work and aims of Sir John Soane and the Museum

• Experience of working strategically to plan for the medium and long term, as well as on a day-to-day basis, and the ability to be an effective member of a senior management team

• A sound knowledge of UK/EU tax laws, investments and legacy giving

• Sound financial acumen and budget management

• Experience of making judgements on the appropriateness of accepting individual gifts in the current reputational, legal and regulatory environment

• Educated to degree level or equivalent

• Computer literacy and knowledge of database programmes

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to communicate confidently and effectively at a senior level with a wide range of people, including donors, potential supporters, trustees, staff and members of the public

• Highly developed written and oral presentation skills, including the ability to prepare attractive and effective applications, proposals, marketing and publicity material, briefing notes, reports and correspondence in a style which is in keeping with a highly literate audience

• Proven ability to develop good working relationships

• Excellent management, planning, organisational, administrative and leadership skills

• Demonstrable ability to collaborate and work with others

• Ability to think strategically and devise long-term solutions for the development of the Museum’s income, drawing on the full range of possible fundraising approaches

• Ability to devise and implement plans, identify critical paths and deliver to target on time and within budget

• Ability to resolve problems that arise in managing relationships between the Museum and its supporters, ensuring that all supporters continue to feel appreciated and appropriately involved in the organisation.

Management and Leadership

• Excellent leadership skills that inspire confidence, engage and motivate colleagues and senior volunteers to achieve ambitious goals

• Highly developed management skills in offering clear direction to colleagues and supporting them to achieve their objectives

• Ability to work effectively as part of a small senior management team and with a collaborative approach to achieving organisational goals

• Availability to work evenings or over weekends occasionally and to undertake some UK and overseas travel as needed in support of the Museum’s fundraising efforts

• Ability to work with absolute discretion, tact and confidentiality

Salary Up to £66,150 per annum

35 hours Monday to Friday.

Annual leave 26.5 days per annum plus an additional privilege day taken on Christmas Eve.

Pension - The post holder will be entitled to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Further information will be available to the successful candidate.

Other Benefits Free entry to a wide range of other Museums & Galleries.

Interest free season ticket or bicycle loan.

The Museum is an Equal Opportunities Employer, committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to a work environment free from discrimination.

A full candidate pack is available on our website Work with Us | Sir John Soane's Museum

To apply please submit a CV and covering letter to [e-mail]

The closing date is Friday 20 June 2025.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Director

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Other

• Industries

  Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos

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