Development Officer

As a Development Officer, you’ll play a crucial role in sustaining and growing the legacy of two of London’s most distinctive museums – Leighton House and Sambourne House. By developing vital partnerships, building donor relationships and driving fundraising initiatives, you’ll help ensure these cultural landmarks continue to thrive for generations to come.

This is a full-time role. You’ll be based at the museums for 3 days a week, working from home the rest of the time, and you will be required to attend occasional cultivation and fundraising events out of standard working hours as needed.

This is a hands‑on, creative and relationship-focused role. Working closely with the Senior Curator and the Trustees of the Friends of Leighton House, you’ll take lead in strengthening fundraising activity across both museums. Your main responsibility will be identifying, applying for and securing funding from trusts, foundations and other sources that align with the museums’ mission and programmes. You’ll also manage documentation for grant‑giving bodies – preparing evaluation reports, monitoring performance and ensuring all conditions are met.

A key part of your work will be cultivating long‑term relationships with existing supporters while identifying and engaging new donors. You’ll plan and deliver targeted fundraising campaigns and appeals, ensuring that the museums’ messages resonate with audiences who care about culture and heritage.

You’ll work to deliver key events such as the annual members dinner and garden party, – moments that bring together donors, artists and the local community. Collaboration is central to this role. You’ll work with colleagues across the museums – from marketing and curatorial to operations – to understand ongoing activity in all areas, identify potential projects for external funding, ensure the promotion, running and development of donations and membership schemes, and the appropriate acknowledgement and allocation of funds raised.

For more information, please review the Job Description and Person Specification
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You’ll bring a proven track record in fundraising or development, ideally within the museums, heritage or arts sector. You’ll understand the funding landscape and be confident in preparing persuasive grant applications and proposals that align with donor priorities.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential – you’ll be crafting tailored messages, liaising with partners and presenting ideas clearly to a range of audiences. You’ll have experience working with financial data, preparing budgets and reporting on outcomes.

Equally important is creativity – the ability to spot opportunities, think strategically and find imaginative ways to meet fundraising targets. You’ll bring strong organisational skills, managing multiple projects at once while maintaining attention to detail.

Experience in engaging and inspiring donors, supporters and volunteers will be highly valuable.

At RBKC, we’re all in – investing in our people, our communities and our future.

You’ll join a close‑knet, dedicated museums team working within the beautifully restored surroundings of Leighton House – a place of creativity, collaboration and inspiration. Following a £9.6 million award‑winning refurbishment in 2022, the museum was named a finalist for the Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2023, recognised for its excellence and team spirit.

This is a pivotal time to join. As the museums face new financial challenges, your work will directly support their sustainability and growth. You’ll play a key role in ensuring both houses continue…