Vacancy: Art Exhibitions Coordinator
Contract: Permanent, part-time, 2-3 days per week (hours negotiable). Includes some out-of-hours work.
Location: Aberlady, East Lothian with some possible hybrid home working
Salary: £23,200- £27,125 pro rata (dependent on experience)
The Organisation
The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club (SOC) is a charity promoting the study, enjoyment and conservation of wild birds in Scotland. It aims to encourage people to take an interest in birds and birdwatching, while providing a supportive network to its membership of committed birdwatchers across Scotland. The Club has 15 branches across the country and a growing base of over 3,000 members. The headquarters in Aberlady serves both as an administrative hub as well as a visitor centre, which houses a library, small shop and art gallery. The gallery focuses on art inspired by wildlife and natural history. It plays a key role in attracting a wide audience and communicating the charity’s goals. Since the inaugural exhibition in 2005, the gallery has established a reputation for hosting some of the best wildlife art in the UK and attracts close to 10,000 visitors a year. The organisation currently has a permanent staff of nine people.
The Role
Our current exhibitions coordinator is retiring, and we are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic professional to manage all aspects of the exhibition programme and build on the success of the gallery. We currently have around seven exhibitions a year, and links to the current exhibition and an archive can be found here.
Responsibilities:
- Organise a year-round programme of exhibitions. The programme is organised roughly a year ahead: seeking new interesting artists, working with other organisations when appropriate.
- Deliver the programme of exhibitions: hang and take down the exhibitions (currently done on Mondays and Tuesdays when the gallery is closed), organise all aspects of exhibition openings when applicable (e.g. catering, volunteers, invitations).
- Manage the promotion of shows: write press releases, create content for social media, email newsletters, the website, the SOC’s magazine, design posters/invitation cards, book advertising.
- Manage art stock and sales admin: liaise with artists re delivery/collection of work, log art stock in and out, manage sales log, prepare payment sheets for artists, prepare sold work for collection and liaise with buyers. Manage art stock in browsers.
- Manage the SOC Online Art Shop (an online selection of works by our regular exhibitors sold via our website): liaise with artists to refresh stock, manage sales and organise payments to the artists.
- Liaise with and support other staff to ensure that they are informed about the exhibitions and ensure that systems are updated so they can deal with sales (e.g. till, website).
- Meet and greet visitors to the art gallery, assist with enquiries and shop sales.
- Manage art-related stock in the Club shop (artists' prints and cards).
- Welcoming visitors to Waterston House as part of the front-of-house team.
Essential:
- Experience of working in an art gallery, organising and setting up exhibitions.
- Excellent organisation and forward planning skills, working on different timelines.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills (writing press releases and promotional material).
- A customer-focused approach and excellent relationship building skills.
- Good IT skills (Microsoft Office suite, inc. Excel).
- Good interpersonal skills for liaising with a small team of staff and volunteers.
- A flexible approach to work and a team player (willingness to work some evenings, weekends and bank holidays and support other staff as part of a small team).
- Self-motivation and ability to act on your own initiative.
Desirable:
- Sales/marketing background.
- Knowledge of, and contacts within, the field of wildlife/natural history art.
- Experience using online marketing software (Mailchimp) and design software an advantage.
- An interest in birds/wildlife.
For any questions or further information about the role, please contact us at manager@the-soc.org.uk.
To apply: Please email CV and covering letter (no more than 400 words) to recruitment@the-soc.org.uk
Closing date: October 16th, 2024, 5pm
Interviews: w/c 28th October
