Commercial Manager

About People’s History Museum

People’s History Museum (PHM) is the national museum of democracy, telling the story of its development in Britain: past, present, and future.  The museum provides opportunities for all people to learn about, be inspired by and get involved in ideas worth fighting for; ideas such as equality, social justice, cooperation, and a fair world for all.

PHM currently welcomes a local, national and international audience, attracting 125,000 visitors annually, as well as reaching people online through digital activities.  The museum involves audiences and communities in all aspects of its work, using models of co-curation, collaboration and crowd-sourcing when developing and delivering programmes of activity.  Engaging people directly in the work of the museum helps to build a passionate and committed audience who become supporters and advocates for PHM, while ensuring we are shaping authentic content representative of diverse audiences, providing an inclusive space for their voices, stories and ideas.  PHM’s innovative programme-led approach explores important subjects and issues relevant to us all today.

PHM has an annual turnover of around £1.5 million, employs over 30 members of staff and has a team of freelance staff and volunteers.  PHM is funded by Arts Council England (ACE) as a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) and by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Culture and Social Impact Fund. PHM is an independent museum, charitable trust and company limited by guarantee, with a Board of Trustees, a Trading Company Board, and an Audit and Risk Committee.

About the role

PHM generates income through many channels including retail, venue hire, catering contracts and commissions. Since the impact of COVID-19, we have worked hard to rebuild these commercial income streams as a key source of self-generated income for the museum.

Within the current climate, self-generated income is more important than ever, and we are now embarking on a new project to grow our commercial work further. This two-year project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and will focus on the future resilience of the museum. We aim to evolve our approach to grow and develop our existing commercial income streams and explore what our future model should look like.

This is a dynamic role which will lead on refining our commercial strategy. The immediate focus will be to deliver our commercial plan, working with our skilled team to develop, market and grow our existing income streams. This role will have responsibility towards meeting ambitious targets and reporting to our Trading Company Board. Over time, the role will shift to have an eye on the future, testing new ideas to increase the level of self-generated income.

We are seeking a strong project manager with commercial experience and excellent relationship management skills. Experience within the events and hospitality sector is essential. This will be a fast-paced role, where no two days are the same.

Job Description

Salary:                        £30,825

Hours:                     Full time (35 hours a week) with flexible working and consideration of part time hours. This role will involve evening and weekend working.

Annual leave:          24 days plus bank holidays

Contract:                 Fixed Term 2 years

Location:                 Based at People’s History Museum with the opportunity for agile working in line with PHM’s flexible working policy

Key responsibilities

The Commercial Manager will lead on the development and growth of PHM’s commercial income.  Responsible for achieving ambitious income targets, the role will focus on business development.

The role will:

• Lead on delivering the commercial strategy – growing income across our revenue streams of venue hire and public events, external contracts and commissions, and retail
• Develop and manage relationships with suppliers to maximise income and ensure client expectations are met
• Work closely with the Operations Manager, Venue Hire team and external suppliers to ensure appropriate resources and customer service for client events
• Work with a cross-organisation team to develop and test marketing strategies to drive growth
• Explore new revenue streams using museum resources
• Line management of the Venue Hire team
• Ensure compliance with all policies and procedures, licensing, standards and contracts

Experience, knowledge and skills of the ideal candidate:

• Strong commercial acumen and a track record of developing successful strategies and driving sustained growth
• Experience in a sales, events and/or hospitality environment
• Proven track record of meeting financial targets
• Strong and demonstrable project management skills
• Experience of line management or leading a team
• Outstanding abilities in thinking clearly, prioritising, problem-solving and finding creative solutions
• Excellent people management skills, and the ability to lead and work collaboratively in a friendly and helpful manner
• Keen financial awareness and experience of budget management and financial reporting
• Strong organisational and time management skills, as well as meticulous attention to detail
• Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Office, EPOS systems, digital ticketing systems and e-commerce systems

How to apply

Please outline how your experience, skills and knowledge meet the job description and provide details via our online application form.  Your application will be assessed and scored against the job description using the information provided.

Deadline for applications:   5.00pm on Wednesday 31 July 2024

 Interviews:                             Thursday 15 August 2024, at People’s History Museum

If you have any questions or would like to arrange to discuss the role please contact Jackie Royle, Finance & Operations Officer, at hr@phm.org.uk

Equity

PHM prides itself on being a welcoming and inclusive organisation, profoundly committed to advancing equality and diversity in the broadest sense.  We highly value the benefits that diverse perspectives bring to PHM’s mission.

We recognise the museum currently underrepresents people of colour, disabled people, LGBTQI+ people and those with intersecting identities in our workforce; PHM is actively working to address this and encourages applications from these backgrounds.  While the successful candidate will be selected purely on merit, in the event of a tie between two candidates with equal experience, we may select a candidate who helps us better represent the communities the museum serves.