Chief of Staff

About the Natural History Museum and our values

The Natural History Museum is at a pivotal moment in its history as it seeks to appoint a Chief of Staff. In autumn we will launch a new strategy setting out our role as the natural world faces increasing threats. Building on our world-leading collection, global reputation for science and as one of the world’s leading visitor attractions, we have ambitious plans leading up to our 150th anniversary in 2031 making this a truly exciting time to be part of the NHM leadership team.

Our vision is to create advocates for the planet. Our strategic priorities include the creation of a resilient and sustainable organisation and the transformation of the study of natural history. We also wish to develop our gardens and galleries, engage and involve the widest possible audience and secure the future of our expansive collection.

Our staff, volunteers, PhD research students and Trustees all share and support this vision, and our values are at the core of all that we do. When we recruit, we look for individuals who embody our values – we champion diversity, encourage creativity, we are connected, and we value evidence.

 If this sounds like you, then create your career with the Natural History Museum today.

About the role

Acting as a trusted aide to the Director, Sir Michael Dixon, you will facilitate the effective governance and management of the Board of Trustees, the Executive Board and a new, to be established, Management Board. Long-range planning of agendas for all 3 Boards, the timely preparation of papers for respective meetings and attendance of all 3 Boards in a supporting role to the Director are all key features of this role. You will need to track follow up actions for each of these Board meetings.

You will support the Chair of the Board of Trustees and the Director in the process for the appointment of new Trustees which will require liaison with our sponsoring government department, DCMS, making every effort to increase the diversity of this group.

You will line manage other members of this Directorate, including the Internal Communications, Government Relations, Strategic Planning and Monitoring functions.

A blend of business as usual and special projects will provide terrific variety to this role. Special projects will require you to work across the museum and are likely to include submissions to our sponsoring government department, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

About you

Highly collaborative, you will need to positively engage stakeholders across the Museum and possess the ability to influence and persuade effectively. An excellent communicator, you will be highly articulate, able to present to different audiences, including senior stakeholders inside and outside the Museum. Your written English must be exceptional, you will need to write with fluency and flair and prepare high quality, impactful presentations using a variety of channels/media.

You must be an exceptional people manager, able to extract the best out of people and lead by example. You will quickly establish credibility and trust within your team and across the Museum at all levels to ensure their delivery of our strategy and vision. 

Commercially astute and numerate, you will be accountable for the Directorate budget.

You will be degree educated or equivalent, ideally in a science subject or be able to demonstrate a keen interest in the sciences and the natural world.

Proactive and productive, you will relish getting things done and making change happen.

Closing 9am on 01/10/2019

To read the full job description and person specification and to apply please visit: https://careers.nhm.ac.uk/templates/CIPHR/jobdetail_1791.aspx