Our client, a Blue Chip Contemporary Art Gallery in New York, are looking for a skilled candidate with previous experience in a commercial gallery. Reporting to the Director, the Director’s Assistant supports the team in fulfilment of exhibition support, research, and sales; ensuring excellent post-sale client service; updating Salesforce with meaningful business intelligence about our clientele; and, updating the entire team on recent efforts by the Sales team vis artist management.
Job Responsibilities
The Director’s Assistant understands the goals that are specific to artist development, exhibitions, and sales. He/she executes the plan by working closely with members of the Sales team and liaising with other departments. The Assistant is responsible for:
Artist Management:
· US institutional relationships
· Art historical research
Exhibition calendar:
· Work with Director(s) on the development strategy for designated artists;
· Manage artist relationships pro-actively to seize on media, museum, promotional and sales opportunities;
· Maintain up-to-date and accurate artist biographies, dossiers and related content for the website and internally;
· Facilitate commissions and the fabrication of works with the Operations team;
· Collaborate with artists on the concept, design and installation of gallery exhibitions;
· Update the gallery’s team regularly on the status of inventory, exhibitions, special projects and other issues related to the artists with whom they work.
Sales Strategy:
· Understand the digital marketing and ecommerce strategy for the year;
· Identify works that should be marketed and sold online;
· Fully understand the costs, discount policies and target margins for works;
· Balance outstanding client service with the needs of the gallery;
· Implement consistent engagement strategies with walk-in visitors, phone and email inquiries;
· Generate sales invoices and facilitate post-sale service to clients (i.e. deliveries, storage and/or installation);
· Update Salesforce with works on reserve, NFS and sales;
· Provide remote support to sales staff who are traveling;
· Provide client service on-site when sales staff are traveling or out of the gallery;
· Reconcile expense reports for sales staff;
· Develop richer client profiles including interests, engagement and sales;
· Mine business intelligence in Salesforce to focus client outreach and improve the results of every campaign;
· Review auctions to determine comparable values and selling opportunities;
· Work with Head of Client Development to segment prospects and clients and undertake research to offer relevant works and tailored content to prospects and clients;
· Cultivate new types of collectors who haven’t thought of the gallery as a “go-to place” for them;
· Manage a pipeline of prospects and clients and input conversion efforts and sales in SF;
· Serve as a brand ambassador at gallery and museum exhibitions.
General:
· Attend all sales meetings and compile weekly re-caps;
· Staff gallery events as needed;
· Assist with gallery maintenance to ensure an exceptional client and visitor experience;
· Orient and train new hires as needed;
· Ensure effective internal communication so that colleagues have sufficient and timely information to achieve their goals;
· Use information systems to improve efficiency.
Requirements:
· Team player
· Eager to learn about the art world and gallery operations
· Detail-oriented; capable of prioritizing and executing multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment
· Clear oral and written communication
· Excellent interpersonal skills
· Creative problem solving
· Consistency and reliability
· Models a professional way of working
· Able to manage a sometimes busy workload and stay calm under pressure
· BA and/or MA in Art History. 3+ years as an artist liaison or a salesperson in the commercial art world. Computer skills: Adobe InDesign, MS Office Suite and Salesforce
Reporting to: Director
Start Date: ASAP
Salary: up to $60k DOE
Location: New York