Description:
With a unique and inspiring mission to make the arts accessible to all, this is an incredible opportunity to be an integral part in the opening of the new sites: V&A East Museum and V&A East Storehouse. Currently under construction in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, these major projects are part of the Mayor of London's £1.1 billion Olympic legacy project, which will create a new arts, innovation and education hub in East London and offer unprecedented public access to V&A collections as well as a safe and social creative space for the local community.
Responsibilities
- You will oversee V&A East’s commercial and operational functions working closely with the Director in shaping the vision for the new museums.
- From the ground up, you will work alongside the capital project and curatorial teams toward key milestones to ensure a successful opening of each new site, while taking account of any potential pitfalls or risk factors and budgets.
- You will act as a key POC for 3rd party suppliers, ensuring they meet agreed SLAs and will keep internal stakeholders updated, present to management on status and will deputise for the Director as required.
- You will lead on operational aspects of the venues, working closely with the team to execute the business plan ensuring adherence to the overall creative objectives.
- You will oversee the development of an accessible new visitor experience across all areas of the museums from membership to F&B, to volunteering and learning groups.
- You will create consistent operational manuals and standard operating procedures, manage operational costs across multiple sites, work closely with the People team to develop a resourcing structure and build strong relationships with contractors and stakeholders.
- You will develop new methods and approaches of attracting diverse audiences and engaging people from all walks of life to these new locations through strong relationships with the local community and sustainable partners across the borough.
- This role is not simply about opening new sites, but rather, about finding solutions to what V&A East’s retail offer will be, how the front of house experience could operate, how the overall public programme will meet audience needs and aspirations, and how to make these sites financially and operationally sustainable, while embracing their key mission.
Qualifications
- Must come with proven operational and project management experience ideally from within a similar organisation or commercial site / venue.
- A background in the cultural arts / Museums is ideal as we are looking for someone passionate about the industry. However, this role would also suit an exceptional Operations and commercial professional with an interest in the industry if you can bring a new and fresh perspective.
- Experience in setting up new sites and delivering major projects to tight deadlines and budgets
- Excellent business and financial acumen
- Demonstrable experience leading and motivating multi-disciplinary teams
- Proven ability to influence, manage and negotiate with senior stakeholders
- Passionate about V&A East’s mission - to make the cultural arts more accessible to a wider audience, so a passion for driving diversity and inclusion within the industry is essential.