Head of Prospect Research and Fundraising Priorities

British Museum; London; Hybrid; GBP 57,000; Full time

Job summary

The British Museum seeks a Head of Prospect Research and Fundraising Priorities to guide strategic fundraising efforts and manage high-value donor relationships. This role involves leading a team, providing insights for fundraising strategy, and shaping compelling funding propositions to support the Museum’s ambitious projects.

Benefits

Generous annual leave allowance

Civil service pension scheme membership

Free entry to museums and exhibitions

Professional and personal development opportunities

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Proven expertise in prospect research and strategic fundraising.
• Experience in managing and developing high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to create compelling narratives.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Prospect Research and Fundraising Priorities team.
• Drive prospect identification and fundraising intelligence.
• Provide insights to senior management for fundraising strategy.

Skills

Strategic fundraising planning

Prospect research expertise

Stakeholder collaboration

Data analysis

Communication skills

Education

Relevant degree or equivalent experience

Tools

CRM databases

Research and wealth screening tools

Job description

Vacancy for Head of Prospect Research and Fundraising Priorities

Location: Bloomsbury

Role Summary

Head of Prospect Research and Fundraising Priorities
Development
Full-time, 41 hours per week (including one hour paid lunch break)
Permanent
£56,195 per annum
Application deadline: 12pm (midday) on Thursday 19 June 2025

About the role:

The British Museum is embarking on a once-in-a-generation transformation through its ambitious Masterplan—one of the most significant cultural redevelopment projects in the world. As part of this vision, we are seeking a strategic and analytical leader to join the Development Department as Head of Prospect Research and Fundraising Priorities.

This pivotal new role will lead the research and prioritisation of prospects for high-value philanthropy, playing a key part in shaping the Museum’s fundraising strategy and enabling transformational gifts and sponsorships. Working closely with senior stakeholders and leading a high-performing team, the role will drive the identification, evaluation, and alignment of major gift opportunities to support the Museum’s strategic and capital fundraising priorities.

Key areas of responsibility:

• Lead and develop the Prospect Research and Fundraising Priorities team, overseeing prospect identification, due diligence, research, and fundraising intelligence.
• Devise and implement a strategic approach to prospect research, supporting fundraising across individuals, corporates, and foundations.
• Provide high-level briefings and insight to the Director, Trustees, and senior staff ahead of key cultivation meetings and events.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across the Museum to shape and prioritise compelling fundraising propositions, leading the integration of insight-led fundraising briefs and cases for support.
• Support the strategic management of the donor pipeline, advising on opportunities, challenges, and alignment with institutional priorities.
• Lead on reporting and analytics, providing insight into fundraising performance and helping to forecast income potential.
• Ensure compliance with data protection regulations and ethical research standards and oversee the use of research tools and systems (e.g. Raiser’s Edge).

About you:

• Proven expertise in prospect research and strategic fundraising planning, ideally within the cultural or non-profit sector.
• Demonstrable experience identifying and qualifying high-value donors and sponsors in the UK and internationally.
• Skilled in managing complex research and turning data into actionable fundraising insights.
• Experienced in managing and developing high-performing teams, with a collaborative and motivating leadership style.
• Confident advising senior stakeholders and aligning cross-departmental goals to drive fundraising success.
• Proficient in CRM databases (such as Raiser’s Edge) and other research and wealth screening tools.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to distil complex information into compelling, donor-focused narratives.
• Calm under pressure, highly organised, and solutions-oriented, with a keen eye for detail and a strategic mindset.

About the British Museum:

Founded in 1753, the British Museum’s remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history and culture. The Museum is a leading visitor attraction, and its world-famous collection includes the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies, the Sutton-Hoo finds, and the Lewis Chessmen. The Museum also holds anextensive collection of prints and drawings spanning 600 years, including works by the greatest graphic artists such as Dürer, Michelangelo and Rembrandt.

The Museum offers a competitive benefits package including:

• Generous annual leave allowance of 25 days (rising to 30 days after 10 years’ service) plus 2.5 privilege days and plus bank holidays
• Membership of the civil service defined benefit pension scheme (find outherewhat benefits a civil service pension provides).
• Free entry to a wide range of museums and exhibitions
• Participation in private and public Museum activities, including talks by leading curators from around the world and behind-the-scenes opportunities to learn how museums care for and manage their extraordinary collections
• Interest-free travel, bicycle and rental deposit loans
• Professional and personal development opportunities
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounts on food and gift shop purchases

For more information about this role, please see the job description.

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

The British Museum is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals can make best use of their skills, free from unlawful discrimination or harassment. We value the benefits that a diverse workforce brings to a museum which represents world culture. The Museum is committed to ensuring that no job applicant suffers unlawful discrimination because of any protected characteristics. Our recruitment procedures aim to ensure that individuals are treated in line with their relevant knowledge, skills and experience.

We offer a flexible way of workingthat allows our employees to work remotely in a way that suits them and the organisation. We welcome questions and conversations at interview stage about how flexible working could work for you. We would typically see this role as working on site about 2 days a week.

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