The British Museum
Head of the Director's Office
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Head of the Director’s Office
Full-time
On-site working daily
Permanent contract
£70,739 per annum
Application deadline: 23:59 on 15 October 2026. Interviews will be held on 21 October.
About the role
The Head of the Director’s Office leads a high-performing team that provides strategic advice and support to the Museum’s Director and senior leadership team. The postholder acts as a trusted adviser to the Director, providing oversight and quality assurance across the Director’s Office, coordinating key strategic initiatives, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality support for the Director’s activities, engagements and wider programme.
As the Museum’s Masterplan and capital campaign progress, you will develop a deep understanding of the Director’s priorities and the Museum’s strategic objectives, ensuring that the programme of events and engagements reflects these. You will lead the Director’s engagement with the Museum’s community of donors, patrons and supporters, working closely with the Director of Development as the principal liaison to strengthen relationships and support the successful delivery of fundraising objectives. You will also oversee the Museum’s public affairs strategy, ensuring it effectively broader organisational priorities.
Internally, you will play a key role in supporting the Director’s engagement with leaders and colleagues across the Museum. Acting as a key liaison with the People and Culture and Internal Communication functions, you will help drive effective organisational communication, workforce planning, recruitment, succession planning and organisational resilience, ensuring the Director remains connected to the needs and priorities of the Museum.
About you
You will be an experienced leader with a proven track record of providing strategic advice and high-quality executive support within a complex organisation. Resilient and adaptable, you will be comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment, managing competing priorities while maintaining sound judgement and discretion.
You will bring a strong understanding of governance, public affairs and stakeholder management, with the ability to navigate sensitive issues confidently and effectively. Highly organised and detail-oriented, you will consistently produce accurate, concise and well-presented documentation, including reports, briefings, meeting papers, minutes and correspondence, ensuring the highest standards of quality and professionalism.
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An accomplished communicator, you will be able to build credibility and influence at all levels, both internally and externally. You will possess excellent interpersonal skills, combining diplomacy, tact and political awareness with the confidence to challenge constructively and provide trusted advice. You will also possess a willingness to travel and work flexibly, as appropriate to the level and nature of the role.
Key areas of responsibility
- Lead and develop the Director’s Office, managing and motivating a high-performing team of c. five colleagues.
- Oversee the delivery of effective, efficient and compliant secretariat support to the Director and senior leadership team.
- Act as a trusted liaison for the Director, ensuring their priorities and strategic objectives are communicated and reflected across the Museum.
- Provide quality assurance on behalf of the Director, maintaining high standards across key decisions, outputs and projects.
- Coordinate the Director’s strategic priorities, including major exhibitions, public affairs activity, capital projects, fundraising initiatives and supporter engagement.
- Build strong relationships across the Museum and with external stakeholders to support the delivery of organizational objectives.
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.
Benefits
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 considerable employer contribution.
- 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days (and +5 days after 10 years).
- Discounts at onsite catering, Museum shops and local Bloomsbury partners.
- 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.
- Interest-free loans including season ticket, rental deposit and bicycle loans.
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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
- Spark Curiosity
- 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.
Additional details
If you have any additional needs that we should be aware of to support you with your application, please provide details to bmrecruit@britishmuseum.org.
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.
Internal Applicants: We welcome internal applicants regardless of background, department or length of service but encourage you to let your manager know before applying. If you are on a permanent contract and want the fixed-term contract to be treated as a secondment, you will need to obtain your manager’s support before submitting an application.
The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre-employment screening of Civil Servants.
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