The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford Commercial Director



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The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Commercial Director


Hours - Full Time

Duration: 3 years fixed term


Job Description



Background Information
The Ashmolean Museum has been described as “unquestionably the finest university museum in the world” (The Times, October 29th, 2009). The Museum is a part of the Oxford University Museums Group and houses the University’s collections of art and archaeology together with objects and works owned by other private individuals and bodies and loaned to it. The collections themselves are of world significance. They range from archaeology to the fine and decorative arts of Europe and Asia and from coins to casts of classical sculpture. These are used for teaching and research purposes both within the University and in the worldwide academic and research communities. Above all, the Ashmolean is a great public Museum, open to all without charge.
The vision of the Ashmolean Museum is to be an open door to the excellence of Oxford, sparking in everyone a curiosity for the beauty, diversity and intellectual richness of our collections As an essential step towards achieving this, the Museum completed its “Masterplan” redevelopment in November 2009. This delivered 39 new permanent galleries together with new temporary exhibition galleries, study and teaching facilities, conservation studios and significantly enhanced visitor facilities, including Oxford’s first roof-top restaurant. A new brand identity has also been established. The redevelopment has received huge critical and public acclaim, evidenced by the very significant number of visitors to the Museum since its reopening, anticipated to exceed 1 million in the first year of operation. It has been long-listed for the Art Fund Prize (March 2010).
The Museum is funded in part by a grant from HEFCE (the Higher Education Funding Council for England) and by support from the University. It is increasingly required, however, to develop and exploit the potential of its own commercial activities to generate the funds needed to support its operations and future plans. The Museum has therefore created the new senior management position of Commercial Director to address this challenge. The jobholder will be responsible for directing, co-ordinating, and developing these activities, which currently principally comprise retail, catering, venue hire and events, publishing and the sale of image rights and marketing the Museum at large. They will also be required to identify and deliver new income streams, consistent with the brand values and ethos of the institution. The jobholder will thereby play a crucial role in enabling the Museum to achieve its objectives.
Reporting to: Operations Director (see attached structure chart)
Key Responsibilities:


  • The strategic management of commercial activities within the Museum, including the development of plans, strategies and initiatives, with identified supporting budgets, to achieve these.

  • Report to the Museum Board’s Trading Committee on performance against strategy, plans and targets

  • Chair the Museum Marketing Committee

  • Brand management, development and marketing, co-ordinating with the Head of Development.

  • Increase the net profitability of the existing commercial activities. These are targeted to deliver a minimum net contribution in excess of £0.5M in 2010-11. The key to success will be to capitalise upon the very strong visitor numbers being achieved and convert these into income.

  • With, creativity, imagination and determination, act as the commercial interface between the Museum and the external world, identifying new income streams and delivering a contribution from these, in line with the values and objectives of the institution.

  • Lead the management and development of the Museum’s retail activities, including the on-site shop, mail order and on-line shopping facility.

  • Oversee the management of the catering contract (held by Benugo), bringing optimum performance from the contract through effective joint working. Catering services are provided through a lower ground floor café and roof-top restaurant, which also operates as a separate “destination dining” operation in the evening. The success of these ventures in enhancing the quality of the visitor experience, supporting overall external perceptions of the Museum and making a very significant financial contribution are central to the Museum’s success.

  • Lead the management of venue hire and events.

  • Lead the management of the publishing and picture library operations to ensure that an appropriate and commercially viable publishing programme is delivered in line with the Museum’s objectives.

  • Exploit the potential for revenue generation which the Museum’s new and exciting temporary exhibitions programme will provide.

  • Ensure that the Museum’s commercial activities are marketed appropriately to its target audiences, liaising with the Press and Publicity Team.

  • Manage all staff engaged in revenue generation, to bring best practice and excellent standards of customer care to the business. The jobholder will have direct responsibility for managing the Events, Shop and Publications Managers who in turn have 11.3 FTE in their teams. The jobholder will need to build effective working relationships across the Museum, which currently employs 175 FTE, working at all levels of seniority but with a particular focus at Director and senior management levels to ensure the co-ordinated and effective delivery of service.

  • Set and get agreement to annual targets for all business streams, in line with the Museum’s annual budgets and medium term plans. Monitor and report against these, taking appropriate corrective action where necessary.

  • Identify and advise on systems to improve profitability and activity management and reporting.

  • Co-ordinate the production of sales and other relevant management information within agreed schedules and reporting on performance to the Museum’s senior team and governance bodies as required.

  • Ensure compliance with all legal and University requirements, regulations, protocols and best practices in all business activities.

  • Maintain and report against an allocated budget.


Qualifications and Experience:


  • A proven track record in retail or other commercial activity with specific profit and loss responsibility. Experience in the Museums, galleries, heritage or culture sectors would be desirable.

  • A strong entrepreneurial spirit and appetite.

  • Strong supplier management and negotiation skills.

  • Demonstrable experience of managing and developing a team.

  • Strong communication skills to inspire and inform

  • Capacity and drive to deliver fresh opportunities; and the integrity, diplomacy and professional skills to work effectively on cross-team initiatives.



Further particulars

This post is offered on a 3 year fixed term contract and is subject to the provision of original documentation which indicates the successful applicant’s right to work in the UK.


Pay and benefits

A competitive salary is offered in line with skill, experience and market pay for similar roles. Payment is made by credit transfer to a bank or building society, monthly in arrears.


The University has a generous maternity leave scheme and also offers paternity leave to expectant fathers, and adoption leave. It offers subsidised nursery places, a childminding network, a holiday playscheme, and tax and National Insurance savings schemes. For further information see http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/child.
Annual Leave

The annual holiday entitlement is 38 days a year (including public holidays and any Museum closure days).


Pension

The post is pensionable and the post holder eligible for membership of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) which is a contributory scheme.


Data Protection

All data supplied by applicants will be sued only for the purposes of determining their suitability for the post, and will be held in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the University’s Data Protection Policy.


How to Apply

All applications must be made on an application form and sent by email to human.resources@ashmus.ox.ac.uk (It is possible, but not preferred, to send applications by post to The Human Resources Department, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford OX1 2PH.)


The closing date is Monday 23rd August 2010 at 12 noon. An interview date has not yet been scheduled, but as there are several staff members involved in the selection process it will not be possible to alter the interview date, once agreed. In the interests of economy we will only contact those candidates who have been shortlisted for interview and they will be informed by telephone or email. If you do not hear from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have not been successful on this occasion.

Useful Web Links

The Ashmolean - http://www.ashmolean.org/

The Ashmolean Vacancies Page - http://www.ashmolean.org/about/vacancies/

The Ashmolean Staff / Contact List - http://www.ashmolean.org/contact/

Oxford University - http://www.ox.ac.uk/

Oxford University Personnel Services - http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/ps/

Staff Benefits - http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/ps/staff/benefits/

Academic Related Payscales - http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/finance/salaries_expenses/scales/aa0_cur.shtml

Academic Related Staff Handbook - http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/ps/staff/handbooks/contents/indexa.shtml

Oxford Maps & Directions - http://www.ox.ac.uk/visitors_friends/maps_and_directions/index.html





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