Placing a Senior Data Manager to strengthen Historic Royal Palaces’ analytics capability

Established in 1989, Historic Royal Palaces is an independent charity that cares for some of the most iconic heritage sites in the UK, including the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, and Kensington Palace. Alongside preserving history, the charity is committed to delivering exceptional visitor experiences, supporting fundraising efforts, and running complex operations across its portfolio. 

In 2025, they set out to advance their long-term data strategy – building the analytics capability to make smarter decisions across marketing, fundraising, operations, and visitor experience. 

The Historic Royal Palaces needed to appoint a Senior Data Manager to drive its analytics strategy. This pivotal role required a unique blend of technical expertise, a passion for the public/heritage sector, and the ability to operate strategically as an individual contributor. All whilst delivering impact across marketing, fundraising, operations and visitor experience. 

The hiring team had already tried two routes - an internal recruitment campaign and their preferred technical recruitment partner - without finding the right mix of skills and cultural fit. That's when our specialist recruitment consultants stepped in. 

A Data Consultant within the organisation, who had previously connected with Tommaso, recommended 3Search for our track record in data and analytics hiring. 

Quickly identifying the challenges of the search, Tommaso advised repositioning the role for the market. Retaining the internal job title of Senior Data Manager but marketing it externally as Data Analytics Lead better aligned with candidate searches and expectations. This allowed for stronger candidate engagement. 

From there, he ran a combined approach of headhunting and job board sourcing, delivering: 

• 6 shortlisted candidates within two weeks 
• 4 were invited to first-stage interviews 
• 2 were taken to final stage onsite 
• 1 successful offer, accepted within three weeks of starting the search

Throughout, we kept communication fast, clear, and collaborative, helping the hiring team regain confidence in the process after earlier setbacks. 

The successful candidate will be joining the organisation as a Senior Data Manager, bringing a strong track record in stakeholder engagement, technical analytics, and delivering impactful projects. She is expected to play a critical role in improving analytics maturity across the organisation and enabling smarter, data-led decision-making.