Head of Research and Development Operations

Location: St Pancras

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time (36 hours)

Grade: SB4

Salary: £52,724 per annum

About the role

The British Library is the United Kingdom's national library and one of the world's most significant centres of knowledge. Its collections - over 170 million items and continually expanding - span every era of written civilisation. Among its treasures are the earliest surviving copy of Beowulf, Shakespeare's folios, the Magna Carta, early maps of the New World and handwritten Beatles lyrics. Alongside these iconic works sits a living archive of books, manuscripts, newspapers, sound recordings, and digital materials collected from every format and every corner of the globe.

Philanthropy plays a vital role in enabling us to care for our collections, expand digital access, support ground-breaking research and deliver ambitious public programmes.

We are seeking an exceptional Head of Research and Operations to play a pivotal leadership role within our Development team. This is a strategic and highly collaborative position, responsible for driving the research, prospect development and operational infrastructure that underpins successful fundraising across major gifts, trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships and campaigns.

Reporting to the Director of Development, the postholder will lead a high-performing team to deliver robust prospect research, insightful data analysis and effective systems management. You will oversee the optimisation of CRM and reporting processes, ensure compliance and data integrity, and provide strategic insight to inform fundraising priorities and pipeline growth.

Working closely with senior stakeholders across the Library, you will translate organisational strategy into actionable fundraising intelligence.

The ideal candidate will bring significant experience in prospect research and development operations within a complex organisation, alongside strong leadership, analytical and project management skills. You will be confident operating at both strategic and operational levels, with a deep understanding of fundraising best practice, governance and data protection. A proactive and solutions-focused approach, coupled with the ability to build trusted relationships across departments, will be essential.

This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of fundraising at a globally renowned cultural institution, ensuring that the British Library can continue to preserve knowledge and open it up to the world for generations to come.

About us

We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone. Our shelves hold over 170 million items - a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future. Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things.

What we can offer you

• 25 days' holiday plus 2.5 privilege days.
• Access to a defined benefit Civil Service pension scheme.
• Flexible working arrangements, including flexi-time.
• Full details of employee benefits can be found on our website

Things you need to know

• We are unable to provide sponsorship under the UK Skilled Worker visa for this role.
• Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check (DBS check).
• Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn.
• We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse candidates and disabled candidates. Creating an inclusive workplace is the core of our business and a way to engage the diversity of thought that is essential to achieve our aims.

Closing at 23:59 on Sunday 22 March 2026

If you have any questions, please contact: