We are a world-class visitor attraction and leading science research centre. We use the Museum's unique collections and our unrivalled expertise to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today. We care for more than 80 million objects spanning billions of years and welcome more than five million visitors annually and 16 million visits to our website.
Today the Museum is more relevant and influential than ever. By attracting people from a range of backgrounds to work for us, we can continue to look at the world with fresh eyes and find new ways of doing things.
We employ 1100 staff in a variety of roles, all united by our vision of a future where people and planet thrive. We need everyone to have the passion and drive to help us with our mission to create advocates for our planet and inspire millions to care about the natural world.
Our vision is of a future where both people and the planet thrive. Diversity is one of our core values and we strive to build a workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging. All new staff who join us learn about the importance of diversity and inclusion to the Museum and how to contribute to creating an inclusive environment.
We know we have more to do, but we are committed to ensuring that everyone who works at the Museum feels they can thrive and feel valued and respected.
Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Governance and Executive Support Officer is a trusted and highly visible member of the Director’s Office, working closely with senior stakeholders including the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Finance Officer and the Director’s Executive Assistant. This is a role for someone who thrives at the centre of organisational activity — calm, confident and capable of navigating complex priorities while representing the Museum’s leadership with professionalism and discretion.
As secretariat to the Audit and Risk Committee, will produce high‑quality support for Trustees and senior stakeholders, ensuring that meetings, papers and communications are delivered to an exceptional standard.
With responsibilities spanning governance, executive operations, risk coordination and stakeholder engagement, this is an ideal role for an individual who is motivated by variety, responsibility and the opportunity to contribute to the smooth running of a high‑profile cultural institution.
About you
The person in this role will be someone who builds strong relationships across the Museum, comfortable working at pace, balancing executive support including diary management for the COO and CFO with broader Director’s Office responsibilities, including stakeholder logistics, committee coordination and cross‑departmental planning.
They will bring sound judgement, excellent organisational skills and a proactive mindset — someone who spots what needs to be done, takes ownership and continually looks for ways to improve processes and strengthen the effectiveness of the Director’s Office.
We are proud to work at the Museum and have identified the qualities we all need to embody to reach our shared ambition. This sits alongside the Museum’s values and forms the framework for the way we work.
- 27.5 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays (full time equivalent)
- Generous defined contribution Natural History Museum Pension Scheme (employer contribution 4 - 10%)
- Season ticket, bicycle and rental loan
- Life insurance
- Free admission to our exhibitions and many other paid exhibitions at museums, galleries and institutions across London and the UK.
- Staff discount at our Museum shops and cafes
- We offer a wide variety of training initiatives and opportunities to build skills. Investing in staff development is important to us, and we are ambitious about helping staff to grow and fulfil their potential.
- Affordable membership to the Civil Service Sports Council which offers a range of benefits including an extensive list of special offers and reduced entry fees at a selection of cinema chains, theme parks, theatres, retailers and supermarkets. It also provides entry to up to 300 English Heritage sites and other national treasures. For more details, visit https://www.cssc.co.uk
- Membership to our Sports and Social Association (for a small fee), which includes access to our in-house gym and clubs such as football, softball, table tennis and tennis and classes in Middle Eastern dance, yoga and Tai Chi
We are working towards a vision where both people and planet thrive, and nothing gives a greater connection with this, than seeing first-hand, the visitors, scientific research and collections that all of our work is inspired by and working side by side with the teams delivering the visitor experience and events. We also recognise the benefits and flexibility that hybrid working brings. We operate a hybrid working model that requires regular, weekly attendance for this role, with the precise pattern of days on site and worked from home to be agreed with your manager.
