About the role
Hotlotz is looking to recruit a talented individual with an art or design background to join our team in an Operations Director role. This role is integral to the delivery of our expansion plans. You will manage the day-to-day activities of the operations team and support the valuation team in the successful delivery of all general and specialist auction sales. You will also work closely with the Managing Director to support the growth of the business by building further organisational capability and implementing operational process improvements.
What you will be doing
- You will provide day-to-day management of the operations team, which is made up of client services, logistics and photography functions
- You will interact and work closely with valuation, marketing and finance teams, and other external providers, to support all pre-sale, sale and after sale processes
- The operations team is responsible for managing clients throughout the sale cycle, including handling all initial client communication, ensuring property is received, receipted and entered into our system, sales contracts are generated and issued and client approvals are recorded
- The operations team is also responsible for physically managing client property throughout the pre-sale, sale and post-sale cycle, including inbound and outbound shipping and dispatch
- Operational responsibilities also include managing the timely delivery of photography for all auctions, including catalogue images and styled content for marketing purposes, working with in-house photography to set up photo shoots and manage workload
- Operational responsibilities also include the staging of all sale previews, setting up pre-sale exhibitions in our salerooms, visual merchandising the property, coordinating and accounting for the flow of property within the salerooms
- You will also be responsible for the creation and execution of all social media and direct email marketing campaigns that support our sales
- You will be an experienced user of our bespoke auction management system and primary business tool, providing support, training and mentorship to operations staff and others, where required
- You will generally support the many day-to-day activities of the auction house to ensure our operations develop and evolve as we expand, and continue to run smoothly and effectively
Key skills & attributes
- A relevant bachelor's degree in a design-led subject, for example Art History or Interior Design
- 4+ years experience of managing projects, in a client facing role and managing multiple parties and aspects, in a busy art or design focused business (not necessarily an auction house)
- Excellent digital knowledge fluency across all MS, Google and Apple products, specific proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, AutoCAD, Mailchimp & Canva software
- An innate sense of creativity and style, necessary to deliver the photography requirements, saleroom exhibitions and social media/direct email campaigns that support our sales (previous interior design, visual merchandising or digital marketing experience would be beneficial)
- Strong leadership skills and the ability to manage workflow priorities in a fast-moving environment
- Excellent communication skills in English in all modes with both internal and external stakeholders
- A strong sense of personal responsibility, ownership and accountability. You must enjoy working under pressure to meet deadlines
- A flexible approach and a willingness to support and develop colleagues, particularly junior team members, sometimes outside of your core responsibilities
Other considerations
- Our sales close on Sunday evenings. Saleroom exhibitions take place on Saturdays and some Sundays. You must be available to work at the weekend
- This role involves significant amounts of client liaison, often via phone and WhatsApp as well as email and other forms. You must be available to respond quickly and confidently inside and outside of office hours as needed
- We sell a wide range of property, including larger items such as furniture and art. We are a small team and you will be required to assist with physically moving property which may also be delicate, rare or valuable and must be handled carefully and safely
To apply
Please send a full CV and covering letter via email to [Confidential Information]. All applications will be treated in confidence. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified for interview.
