The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) is a world-famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding collections as well as its expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. It has two main botanic garden sites which attract >2.5m visitors a year and which are home to the most diverse living collection of any botanical garden in the world: Kew Gardens in south-west London, a top London visitor attraction and UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Wakehurst in West Sussex, our wild botanic garden which is home to the Millennium Seed Bank. We also have a permanent research office in Madagascar, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
RBG Kew’s mission is to understand and protect plants and fungi for the well-being of people and the future of all life on Earth. Our aspiration is to end the extinction crisis and to help create a world where nature is protected, valued by all and managed sustainably.
With over 8.3 million biological specimens, we house the largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world. They incorporate living and preserved material, seeds, spores and DNA. Many of our collections are unique, and together they provide an unrivalled record of plant and fungal diversity in space and time. Our collections, our people, and our partnerships in over 100 countries enable us to make an invaluable and highly relevant contribution to some of the biggest issues facing the global population.
RBG Kew is now seeking to appoint a new Executive Director of Science to build on the successful tenure of Professor Alex Antonelli. The Executive Director is the strategic, intellectual, and operational leader of Kew’s world-class scientific enterprise. Reporting directly to the Director of RBG Kew this role is responsible for driving Kew's scientific strategy, maintaining its position as an undisputed global leader in plant and fungal science, and maximising impactful outcomes for biodiversity conservation and climate resilience.
Salary
Commensurate with Experience
Location
Kew Gardens, Richmond
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The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate an internationally recognised academic research profile in an area relevant to RBG Kew with evident success in strategic and operational leadership of a complex scientific directorate or research institute. They will have a proven track record in securing significant external funding, together with experience of working with Government, arm’s length bodies or research councils. The appointee will have highly effective communication and influencing skills and evidence of working effectively in partnership across a complex stakeholder environment and with a range of national and global partners.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) is a leading plant science institute, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and major visitor attraction. Our mission is to understand and protect plants and fungi for the well-being of people and the future of all life on Earth.
We are working to end the unprecedented extinction crisis and to help create a world where nature is protected, valued by all and managed sustainably. We will achieve these goals by drawing on our leading scientific research, unrivalled collections of plants and fungi, global network of partners, inspirational gardens at Kew and Wakehurst, and our 260 years of history.
Join us on our journey as protectors of the world’s plants and fungi.
Our fantastic benefits package includes opportunities for continuous learning, a generous annual leave entitlement, flexible working to help you maintain a healthy work-life balance, an Employee Assistance Programme and other wellbeing support such as cycle to work scheme and discounted gym membership. We also offer a competitive pension, an employee discount scheme and free entry into a wide range of national museums and galleries, as well access to our own beautiful gardens at Kew and Wakehurst.
Appointment Process and How to Apply
We have engaged Perrett Laver to support the recruitment to this post.
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Daniel Munks at: [email protected]
Application is by submission of a curriculum vitae and a covering letter addressing the job description and person specification. Completed applications should be uploaded by the deadline of 09.00 BST on 10th August 2026
We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition.
If you would like us to make adjustments during the application process, please contact Esther Elbro at the following email address: [email protected]
If you have comments that would support us to improve access to documentation, or our application process more generally, please do not hesitate to contact us via the following email address: [email protected]
