Gallery Coordinator (Maternity Cover)
Monday to Friday (10.00am to 5.00pm)
Paid hourly – up to £8.00 per hour subject to experience
Information pack and Application Form
About this opportunity
The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) is a charity dedicated to promoting engagement with the visual arts. We own and run the RBSA Gallery, just off St Paul’s Square in Birmingham and are looking for a responsible and flexible Gallery Coordinator to join our dedicated and energetic team.
Working Monday to Friday from 10.00am to 5.00pm, your role will be to take responsibility for customer services and administration in our busy contemporary art gallery. This will include: welcoming visitors, dealing with enquiries, selling our wide range of original art-works and craft, delivering marketing activities, contributing to exhibition planning (particularly for the Craft Gallery) and completing a variety of administrative tasks.
Educated to at least degree level (or an equivalent level, including length of work experience), you will have substantial experience of customer service, retail sales and administration and be ready to make an outstanding contribution to a thriving arts organisation. A key player in a small team, you will enjoy working in a visitor-focused role, demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills, command outstanding levels of accuracy and attention to detail, and be able to work on your own initiative. The role requires a self-motivated and organised individual keen to deliver all tasks to the highest standard. We deliver a range of programmes in arts and heritage and opportunities can arise for creative and motivated individuals to develop depth of experience in these sectors.
If you would like to apply for this post, please complete this application form and return it, by email only, by 4.00 pm on Monday 10 July 2017, to Natalie Osborne, Learning and Engagement Manager, RBSA Gallery on .
Please note that only applications using this application pack will be considered.
Interviews will be held on Thursday 20 July 2017, between 10.30am and 3.30pm. The likely start date for the successful candidate is week beginning 7 August 2017.
Duties
· Visitor services
o To welcome visitors to the Gallery, answer the telephone and direct calls, open and distribute post, respond to emails, and deal with enquiries received by email, telephone, post and in person.
o To communicate the range of products and services offered by the Gallery to all visitors.
o To encourage all visitors to join the Gallery’s email mailing list and take part in the wide range of activities delivered by the Gallery.
· Security and Health and Safety
o To take responsibility for opening and locking up the premises, the safety of exhibits and the secure storage of credit card information, as well as cash held in the till.
o To carry out daily Health and Safety checks and to ensure that all Health and Safety issues are reported and resolved.
· Sales
o To be sales driven and take responsibility for selling artworks, workshops, exhibition entries, Friends memberships,100 Club tickets and any other products or services offered for sale by the Gallery.
· Cash handling
o To take and process cash, card and cheque payments on the till.
o To keep faultlessly accurate records of all transactions, using point-of-sale software, cashing up sheets and other documents to balance receipts each day.
· Gallery administration
o To manage all aspects of front-of-house administration, including assisting with the preparation of exhibition application packs, recording exhibition entries, advising artists of selection decisions, booking on stock from artists and makers and returning stock to artists and makers, creating price tags and labels, attaching price tags/labels to works, and all other tasks required to ensure the smooth running of the Gallery.
o To monitor displays to ensure that all displays are well stocked and presented and that works for sale are clearly labelled.
· Planning and organising exhibitions as briefed
o To contribute to the creation of exhibition themes and content for craft exhibitions, to compile, design and print artists’ statements, to design craft exhibition layouts, to take part in the installation and take down of craft exhibitions, to write copy and collate images for marketing materials, and any other tasks that may be required to run the craft exhibition programme.
o To plan the annual programme of RBSA members and associates solo shows, including liaison with other staff, volunteers and artists to devise the programme; compiling, designing and printing artists’ statements, price labels and any other sales material; and any other tasks required to organize the solo show programme.
· Communications and promotions, including digital marketing
o To help promote the Gallery, including carrying out web updates, updating listings, creating and scheduling digital mailings, sending daily Tweets and Facebook posts, including using systems such as Campaign Monitor and Social Oomph.
o To provide copywriting for print and web features.
o To liaise with exhibitors to source images for print and web features.
· Other
o To contribute to the work of the gallery team in a variety of disciplines; this could include accounts, audience research, exhibitions, fundraising, graphic design, digital communication, learning, marketing and/or media.
Please note that this list is not exhaustive as all team members are required to contribute to the work of the gallery team in a variety of disciplines; this could include audience research, exhibitions, fundraising, graphic design, digital communication, learning, marketing, visitor services and/or other roles.
Contract
· The Gallery Coordinator (Maternity Cover) will be covering for an employee who is absent because of pregnancy/childbirth, therefore please note the following:
o A contract expected to last 7 months will be applicable to this employment, with a likely start date of week commencing 7 August 2017, which may be extended by agreement.
o The employment will be terminated when the employee who is absent because of pregnancy or childbirth returns to work, so that this employee can return to work.
Working hours
· Working hours will be Monday to Friday from 10.00am to 5.00pm. On occasions, it may be necessary to work flexibly before and beyond these hours to fulfil the role and meet deadlines.
· The successful candidate will also be required to work on some Saturdays and/or Sundays between 10.00am and 8.00pm during exhibition changeovers, to cover holidays for other team members, to work RBSA evening events including private views (these can be on any day of the week usually from 5.30 to 8.30pm), and to work any additional hours in line with the Gallery’s needs.
Holiday entitlement
The post holder will be entitled to 5.6 weeks’ annual leave (including bank holidays), pro-rata.
Notice period
The position will be subject to one calendar month’s notice of termination on either side.
References and training
The appointment is subject to receipt of satisfactory references and the successful completion of an enhanced DBS disclosure and First Aid training (these training costs will be covered by the RBSA). If you have a portable DBS check, you will be required to provide a copy of it or its reference number.
Person specification
We are looking for a highly-motivated individual who has a genuine interest in the arts and contemporary craft, together with a sound knowledge of the RBSA and a commitment to our work as a visual arts charity.
The successful candidate will have a proven commitment to the efficient and accurate completion of administrative tasks, be able to demonstrate an ability to work on their own initiative, be a reliable, energetic, and flexible team worker and have an enthusiasm for all aspects of the role.
Qualifications
Essential:
· Educated to at least degree level (or have an equivalent level of qualification or three years’ experience in a relevant sector/job).
· A proven interest in either a crafts discipline, fine art, graphic design, arts marketing or an allied subject.
· GCSE English and Mathematics at Grade C or above.
Desirable:
· Educated to degree level or higher in a relevant subject, such as Fine Art or Craft, History of Art, Museum Studies, Graphic Design, Charity Management, Public Administration, Business Management or Marketing.
Skills
Essential:
· A good level of numeracy and literacy.
· Precise and accurate administrative skills.
· A friendly and confident approach to visitors and telephone callers.
· Strong computer skills, including the use of all Microsoft Office packages, particularly Outlook, Word and Excel.
Desirable:
· Data input skills: the ability to input information accurately, for example when using Content Management Systems to update websites.
· Copy writing skills: the ability to write appealing, informative and concise promotional text for use in digital and print media and to proof-read text to produce high quality work.
· Graphic design skills: the ability to create printed and digital promotional materials from text and images using Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Creative Suite and Campaign Monitor.
Experience
Essential:
· Extensive administrative experience including experience of dealing with a large volume of enquiries and of completing administrative tasks accurately and without supervision.
· A flair for welcoming visitors and providing outstanding customer service.
· Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
· Good team-working skills, with the initiative to support colleagues in a range of roles and the flexibility to cover shifts for other team members.
· An organised and efficient approach to managing multiple tasks.
· An interest in art and museums.
Desirable:
· Demonstrable experience of retail sales including meeting sales targets.
· Comprehensive customer service experience including substantial experience of handling challenging situations such as customer complaints.
· Experience in the use of Content Management Systems to update websites.
· Experience of creating promotional materials for print and digital campaigns, using Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Creative Suite, and Campaign Monitor or similar.
· Experience of delivering digital marketing campaigns using social media and email marketing applications such as Campaign Monitor to create, send, manage and track email mailings
· Experience of working with contemporary artists and designer-makers and an interest in and enthusiasm for the organisation and administration of exhibitions of contemporary arts and crafts.
Key performance indicators
We monitor and challenge our performance at all levels to understand and develop the health and progress of our charity and to promote accountability. All staff are expected to make a real contribution towards achieving our aims as a charity and a range of key performance indicators is used to assess achievements. Key performance indicators are reviewed quarterly and in addition we have regular staff meetings, usually weekly, where any issues can be raised.
Key performance indicators are as follows:
· Measuring organisational efficiency:
o Evaluating the accuracy of administrative work.
o Assessing the prioritisation of tasks and achievements in meeting important deadlines.
· Measuring our performance in developing engagement with the visual arts:
o Number of visits made to the Gallery.
o Numbers of artists entering exhibitions and of individual artworks entered.
o Number of Friends of the RBSA, including the numbers of new and of retained Friends.
o Number of individuals engaging with RBSA through digital activity, including social media and e-mailings.
o Percentage occupancy of art workshops.
o Visitor satisfaction ratings.
· Measuring our financial sustainability:
o Value of income from activities, including sales of art and craft and competition entries, with an emphasis on sales from key exhibitions such as the annual Members & Associates and StART exhibitions.
o Value of income from fundraising programmes, with special focus on individual fundraising, such as sales of 100 Club tickets and funds raised through donations boxes.
Please note that this list is not exhaustive as all staff are expected to contribute to our work across a wide range of tasks.
Deadlines
· Application deadline 4.00pm on Monday 10 July 2017.
· Interviews will be held on Thursday 20 July 2017, between 10.30am and 3.30pm.
· The likely start date for the successful candidate is week beginning 7 August 2017.
· If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the application deadline, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion.
Thank you for your interest in the RBSA and we look forward to receiving your application.
This information aims to provide details relating to this opportunity; it is not a contract of employment or role profile.
Application Form
Personal Details:
NameAddress
Telephone
Mobile
Emergency contact name
Their relationship to you
Their contact numbers
Allergy or health condition / E.g. nut allergy
Are you eligible to work in the UK? / Yes/No
Delete as appropriate
You will be required to provide evidence of this at interview
For further information see https://www.gov.uk/legal-right-work-uk
Education/Training/Qualifications (most recent first):
School/college/university / From / To / Qualifications gained / Date
Professional memberships and other qualifications (e.g. member of AHRC / NSEAD / Museums Association, First Aid certificate, Food Hygiene certificate, etc. )
Employment and/or educational history: (Begin with present occupation/last employer or educational institution and work backwards. Please add extra sheets as required.)
Position Held
Key responsibilities
Reason for leaving
Final salary / hourly rate of pay in role
Employer/ College/ University / Address / Dates To/From
Position Held
Key responsibilities
Reason for leaving
Final salary / hourly rate of pay in role
Please give details of any periods not accounted for, including any unemployment
Please give details of any sickness absence from work over the last two years, including occurrences, number of days and explanation for absence
Notice required
Availability
· Working hours will be Monday to Friday from 10.00am to 5.00pm.
· On occasions, it may be necessary to work flexibly before and beyond these hours to fulfil the role and meet deadlines.
· In addition, the successful candidate will also be required to work on some Saturdays and/or Sundays from 10.00am to 8.00pm during exhibition changeovers and to cover holidays for other team members, RBSA evening events including private views (which can be on any day of the week and are usually from 5.30 to 8.30pm), and to work any additional hours in line with the Gallery’s needs.