The Fitzwilliam Museum

The Fitzwilliam Museum is widely considered the world’s most outstanding university art collection. We care for works of art and material culture from Europe, Egypt and Asia of exceptional international importance, works that connect people across cultures and time. Founded in 1816 ‘for the increase of learning’, the Fitzwilliam has long been both a great public cultural asset and an extraordinary scholarly resource – local, regional, national and global. The Museum’s historical and modern buildings houses over half a million works of art spanning centuries and civilisations within a collection, including: Antiquities; Coins and Medals; Paintings, Drawings and Prints; Manuscripts and Printed Books; and Applied Arts. The Museum’s conservation centre, the Hamilton Kerr Institute (HKI) is one of the world’s leading centres for teaching and research in the conservation of easel paintings.

The Museum is also a place of enormous potential; we are now building on our achievements, bringing them together in ways that will be truly transformational.  Part of our ambition is to develop robust systems of revenue generation to support our operating costs and to reflect our growing ambitions. Our newly created Chief Operating Officer post will be key in supporting this more entrepreneurial spirit at the Fitzwilliam. Reporting to the Museum Director, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a member of the Museum’s Senior Leadership Team, which comprises all the Museum Director’s direct reports, and is responsible for cross-service strategic planning and delivery. The COO will provide strategic leadership and oversight of our operations, which underpin the efficiency and effectiveness of the Fitzwilliam Museum and Hamilton Kerr Institute operating at scale across 2 physical sites, 200 staff headcount and annual budget of £11m. Given the financial oversights of this role we are looking for a candidate who is steeped in commercial acumen, and who can work strategically to develop and implement new and creative ways of generating income for the Museum. We are open to candidates from non-museum backgrounds, though they must have an empathy for the arts, and the skills suited to working in a cultural organisation within a university context. Strong communication skills, a warm leadership style and the ability to influence wider stakeholders are all essential.

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to the Fitzwilliam Museum on this appointment. For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit www.saxbam.com/appointments using reference PBKIA. Alternatively telephone +44 (0)20 7227 0880 (during office hours). Applications should be received by noon on Friday 20th October 2023.