Philanthropy Officer: Stewardship

British Museum; London; On-site; GBP 35,000; Full time

Job summary

The British Museum is seeking a Philanthropy Officer: Stewardship to enhance donor engagement and manage relationships. This role involves key responsibilities in donor cultivation, including events and tailored stewardship communications, ensuring meaningful interactions with supporters.

Benefits

Generous annual leave allowance of 25 days

Membership of the civil service defined benefit pension scheme

Free entry to a wide range of museums and exhibitions

Discounts on food and gift shop purchases

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level, preferably in a subject requiring excellent written skills.
• Experience of stakeholder relationship management and stewardship.
• Good at problem solving and implementing solutions under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Supporting the cultivation and stewardship of individual donors.
• Managing a portfolio of mid- and high-level donors.
• Maintaining accurate records on the CRM system.

Skills

Communication

Problem Solving

Education

Degree level education

Job description

Vacancy for Philanthropy Officer: Stewardship

Salary: 34,713

Location: London - Bloomsbury

Role Summary

Philanthropy Officer: Stewardship
Development
Full-time, 41 hours per week (including one hour paid lunch break)
Permanent
£34,713 per annum
Application deadline: 12pm (midday) on Thursday 3 July 2025

About the role:

The British Museum is embarking on one of the most significant cultural redevelopment projects undertaken anywhere in the world. The Masterplan will transform the Museum for the 21st century while staying open, maintaining the founding commitment to keep the collection safe and accessible to the public for generations to come.

The Philanthropy Team, as a key function of Development, will play a vital role in enabling the Museum’s vision for the future. The Philanthropy Officer: Stewardship role is central to supporting the team’s growing portfolio of donors and prospects and facilitating meaningful relationship management of both individual and organisational supporters.

Key areas of responsibility:

The post holder will be responsible for:

• Supporting the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individual donors and trusts/foundations.
• Managing and growing a portfolio of mid- and high-level donors and prospects.
• Maintaining accurate records on the CRM system, tracking interactions, deadlines, and income.
• Assisting in planning and delivering donor events, tours, and other cultivation opportunities.
• Supporting the Philanthropy Team with other duties as required.

About you:

• Educated to degree level, preferablyin a subject which requires excellent written skills, or equivalent experience.
• Experience of stakeholder relationship management and stewardship.
• Excellent communication and listening skills.
• Ability to work independently while also collaborating as part of a team.
• Good at problem solving and implementing solutions under pressure.

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 an extensive collection of prints and drawings spanning 600 years, including works by the greatest graphic artists Dürer, Michelangelo and Rembrandt.

You can view a selection of our impressive collection of prints and drawings in ourvirtual gallery .

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 out here what 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.

The interviews are expected to take place on 14 July 2025.

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

We have a legal responsibility to ensure that employees have the right to work in theUK.If you currently do not hold the right to work in the UK, we can only sponsor a limited number of roles that meet eligibility criteria. To offer a sponsorship, the job role you apply needs to be in the list of eligible occupations:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-eligible-occupations . Additionally (with some limited exceptions), the role will need to meet the minimum salary threshold of £38,700 or the going rate for the job, whichever is the highest. You can find more information here:https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-job

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 because of their relevant knowledge, skills, and experience.

We offer a flexible way of working scheme that 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, as required, several days a week.

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