Head of Patrons

The British Museum; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free exhibition entry

Civil Service Pension Scheme

25 days’ annual leave

Social and wellbeing perks

Peer support and allyship

Learning and development

Enhanced parental leave

Job summary

The British Museum is seeking a Head of Patrons to lead and grow the Patrons programme, shaping a high‑impact donor experience for 200+ supporters. This is a senior leadership role with strategic and operational responsibility.

You'll strengthen recruitment, retention and engagement, identify major donors, and work with senior stakeholders to align philanthropy with the Museum’s priorities. The role combines line management with external relationship management.

Qualifications

• Experienced fundraising or relationship management professional with a track record working with patrons, major donors or high value clients.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Patrons programme, creating ambitious plans to grow membership, engagement and income.
• Build and deepen relationships with Patrons and prospective supporters, developing long term engagement with the Museum.
• Grow the programme using insight and performance data to identify opportunities and drive results.
• Identify and cultivate Patrons with the potential to become major donors.
• Lead and develop the Patrons team and work closely with senior volunteers and colleagues across the Museum.
• Shape and oversee a compelling programme of cultivation and stewardship, including events and international travel.

Skills

Fundraising

Relationship management

Donor pipeline

Face-to-face asks

Job description

Hybrid, at least 3 days per week on-site in Bloomsbury, London

Permanent contract

£60,256 to £67,828 depending on experience

About the role

The Head of Patrons is a senior leadership role, responsible for shaping and growing the British Museum’s Patrons programme and delivering an exceptional experience for more than 200 supporters. You will lead the programme strategically and operationally, strengthening recruitment, retention and engagement while maximising its contribution to the Museum’s fundraising ambitions.

At an important moment for the Museum, you will help connect Patrons with its strategic priorities and build clearer pathways into major philanthropy as the Museum prepares for its major capital campaign. Working closely with the Head of Major Gifts and Legacies, Director of Philanthropy, senior volunteers and colleagues across the Museum, you will identify supporters with the potential to deepen their giving and ensure the Patrons programme continues to evolve as a sector‑leading donor programme.

About you

You will be an experienced fundraising or relationship management professional with a strong track record of working with patrons, major donors or high value clients. You will know how to build trusted relationships, manage a substantial donor pipeline and create thoughtful cultivation plans, including making face‑to‑face asks.

A confident and persuasive communicator, you will combine excellent judgement and diplomacy with a proactive, commercially minded approach. You will be comfortable working independently in a complex organisation and have experience of coaching and supporting colleagues. You will bring strong organisational skills, attention to detail and the ability to adapt your approach to individual supporter motivations.

Key areas of responsibility

• Lead and develop the Patrons programme, creating ambitious plans to grow membership, engagement and income
• Build and deepen relationships with Patrons and prospective supporters, developing long term engagement with the Museum
• Grow the programme using insight and performance data to identify opportunities and drive results
• Identify and cultivate Patrons with the potential to become major donors
• Lead and develop the Patrons team and work closely with senior volunteers and colleagues across the Museum
• Shape and oversee a compelling programme of cultivation and stewardship, including events and international travel

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.

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.
• Civil Service Pension Scheme defined benefit with 28.97% employer contribution.
• 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days (and +5 days after 10 years).
• 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.
• Enhanced parental leave including maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave.

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
• Value 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.

If you have any additional needs that we should be aware of to support you with your application, please provide details to [e-mail].

Right to Work:

The British Museum holds a Skilled Worker sponsor licence. Applicants are responsible for determining whether the advertised salary and role meet current UKVI sponsorship requirements and for ensuring they have, or can obtain, the appropriate right to work in the UK. The Museum cannot provide immigration advice, and eligibility should be checked before submitting an application.

The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre‑employment screening of Civil Servants.