candidate brief for the position of commercial director
TRANSCRIPT
Candidate Brief for the position of
Commercial Director
Ashmolean Museum Oxford
August 2021
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Museum Overview
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 Ashmolean Museum holds a bronze Athena Swan award to recognise advancement of gender equality:
representation, progression and success for all.
Our Proposition
The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s beautiful, inspiring and free museum of art and archaeology.
Situated in the heart of the city, we are open every day to welcome everyone to explore our fascinating
world-class collections and share in enjoyable and enriching experiences.
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Our Vision
As a world-class museum and cultural destination we will broaden our reach, welcome everyone and offer
experiences which are innovative, inspiring and relevant.
We will preserve, enhance and share our collections and knowledge to promote research, learning and
enjoyment, to enrich lives and expand our understanding of the world and our shared humanity.
Our Mission
To achieve our vision we will:
◼ Ensure the expertise, skills and resources are available to develop, improve and care for our
extraordinarily rich collections.
◼ Work to increase knowledge and understanding, by delivering, encouraging and enabling world-class
research and teaching.
◼ Widen our reach, grow our reputation and build awareness of the Ashmolean name and brand, while
also promoting the University of Oxford.
◼ Broaden our local, national and international audiences, focusing on engaging diverse local
communities and welcoming them to connect with the University of Oxford.
Our Values
Ashmolean for All
Caring, Responsible, Responsive.
Looking after our collections and our people
Inclusive, accessible and welcoming.
Broadening our audiences and connecting with diverse local communities.
Ashmolean personality
Inspiring, knowledgeable and confident.
Sharing our collections, knowledge and expertise to inspire our audiences.
Ashmolean experience
Imaginative, engaging and relevant.
The principles that bring the brand to life for our audiences.
Ashmolean ambitions
Innovative, dynamic and brave.
To remain exciting and relevant we need to constantly evolve and reward new ideas.
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About the University of Oxford
Welcome to the University of Oxford. We aim to lead the world in research and education for the benefit of
society both in the UK and globally. Oxford’s researchers engage with academic, commercial and cultural
partners across the world to stimulate high-quality research and enable innovation through a broad range of
social, policy and economic impacts.
We believe our strengths lie both in empowering individuals and teams to address fundamental questions of
global significance, while providing all our staff with a welcoming and inclusive workplace that enables
everyone to develop and do their best work. Recognising that diversity is our strength, vital for innovation
and creativity, we aspire to build a truly diverse community which values and respects every individual’s
unique contribution.
While we have long traditions of scholarship, we are also forward-looking, creative and cutting-edge. Oxford
is one of Europe's most entrepreneurial universities. Income from external research contracts in 2018/19
exceeded £624.8m and we rank first in the UK for university spin-outs, with more than 130 companies
created to date. We are also recognised as leaders in support for social enterprise.
Join us and you will find a unique, democratic and international community, a great range of staff benefits
and access to a vibrant array of cultural activities in the beautiful city of Oxford.
For more information, please visit www.ox.ac.uk/about/organisation.
Background to the Role
Working as part of a small Executive management Team and reporting to the Director, this role has direct
responsibility for leading, developing and delivering against the Museum’s commercial objectives in its
Strategic Plan. The Commercial Director provides leadership for all commercial activities which currently
comprise retail (shop & online), catering, venue hire and events, corporate membership), publishing,
licensing, photography, filming and the sale of image rights. In addition, they will oversee the ticketing of the
Exhibition Programme, What’s On programme and associated box office support. The Commercial Director
will also be required to identify and deliver new income streams, consistent with the brand values and ethos
of the institution. The jobholder will therefore play a crucial role in enabling the Museum to achieve its
objectives and financial sustainability.
The position will have direct responsibility for managing the Head of Publishing & Licensing, Head of Events,
Catering and Coroprate Relations,, Retail & Ticketing Manager, Buying & Visual Merchandising Manager and
the Merchandising & Online Manager, - - The role will require the ability to work at all levels of seniority but
with a particular focus on collaboration across the organisation GLAM and the wider University to shape
commercial policy and strategy. The ability to motivate and lead all staff engaged in revenue generation to
deliver excellent operational and service standards is key.
The Commercial Director will be responsible for delivering against a set of Commercial KPIs (Commercial
income, GP% and net profit, SPV, Gift Aid conversion, souvenir guide and exhibition catalogue conversion
and on site membership sales ) and ensure that departmental procedures conform to relevant law and
government legislation together with University statutes, regulations, policies and procedures.The work of
the Development Office covers a wide range of activities and priorities which will inevitably change from day
to day. All staff operate as a team, and, while each has his or her own responsibilities, they are expected to
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assist each other in peak periods. The post holder will need to become conversant with the University as a
whole and especially with the numerous academic staff and volunteers.
Responsibilities
The principal responsibilities of the post are as follows:
Strategy & Planning
◼ Define, implement and embed the overall commercial strategy ensuring it is aligned to the overall
Museum strategic objectives.
Manage all commercial activities, including the development of plans, and initiatives, with identified
supporting budgets, to achieve these.
◼ Report quarterly to the Museum’s Commercial Board on performance against strategy, plans and
budgets.
◼ Increase the net profitability of the existing commercial activities. With, creativity, imagination and
business acumen, act as the commercial interface between the Museum and external contacts,
identifying new income streams for the Museum.
◼ Define, agree and implement annual targets for revenue streams, in line with the Museum’s annual
budgets and finance strategy. Monitor and report against these, providing quarterly forecasts and
taking appropriate corrective action where necessary.
◼ Identify and advise on systems to improve profitability and efficiencies combined with proactive
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.
◼ Actively contribute to Senior Management discussions, plans and initiatives in order to continually
develop, improve and enhance the Museum in terms of reaching new audiences, and continuing to
increase visitor numbers.
Financial & Operations
◼ Oversee the management and development of the Museum’s retail activities, including the on-site and
on-line shop(s). Maximising Sales and improving efficiencies; with particular attention to increasing
SPV, conversion, upselling, Tax Free Shopping, Membership Sales and Gift Aid conversion.
◼ Oversee the management of venue hire, events sales & operations. Including Corporate Membership
and Sponsorship. Maximising sales and improving delivery of events. Nurture Corporate Member
relationships and encourage new Members to join.
◼ Oversee the management of the publishing, licensing and picture library operations to ensure that an
appropriate and commercially viable publishing programme is delivered in line with the Museum’s
objectives.
◼ Oversee the management of the catering contract (held by Benugo or other third parties), and the
development of the Museum’s food and drink offer, bringing optimum performance from the contract
through effective partnership working. Catering services are provided through a lower ground floor
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café and roof-top restaurant, which also operates as a separate “destination dining” operation on
three evenings a week, when the Museum is not open.
◼ In-conjunction with the procurement and legal teams oversee all tender, negotiation and contract
processes throughout the department. The Commercial Director will be the signatory for all contracts
up to £10k.
◼ Responsible for the management of all commercial systems, and planning of upgrades and projects,
working closely to external system suppliers (software & hardware), IT Services and the GLAM
Commercial Systems team.
◼ Exploit the potential for revenue generation from the Museum’s temporary exhibitions programme,
oversee the exhibition shop build; maximising sales and opportunities to engage new and niche
audiences.
◼ Conduct statistical analysis making recommendations and providing data and reports as required.
◼ Ensure that the Museum’s commercial activities are marketed appropriately to its target audiences,
liaising with the Press, Marketing, and Digital Communications teams.
People Management
◼ Ensure the recruitment and selection of Commercial staff is conducted appropriately.
◼ Provide leadership and management support to the five key commercial reports.
◼ Ensure all commercial staff and volunteers receive an iinduction and appropriate training and
information related to commercial systems, processes, compliance, sales and service.
◼ Oversee the completion of annual PDRs/appraisals, up-skilling and development outputs.
◼ Oversee sickness monitoring (return to work), and holiday allocation/management.
Health & Safety and Trading Compliance
◼ Ensure compliance with all University requirements, regulations, policies and procedures (RAMs,
RIDDOR, COSSH, cash handling, living wage with contractors, payments to individuals etc.)
◼ Ensure compliance with all legal requirements (weights & measures, retail trading standards, online
trading, HSE, food hygiene, alcohol licensing, wedding licensing, PCI and data protection etc.)
◼ Ensure required training courses are attended by nominated personnel within the department to keep
legislation knowledge up to date and relevant.
◼ Attend Health and safety meetings as the Commercial Representative.
University & Other GLAM Commercial Duties
◼ Support the GLAM Financial Resilience Strategy and project manage elements of it where appropriate.
◼ Aid and support the delivery of commercial best practice, and maximise sales across Oxford University
Gardens, Libraries and Museums working in collaboration with the GLAM Commercial Management
teams.
◼ Lead, develop and contribute to relevant university, local, regional and national professional networks
and associations relating to hospitality, commercial and operations management in the tourism,
heritage, commercial and cultural sectors representing the Museum and the University. (For example,
ACE, Art Fund and Business in Oxford).
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◼ Deputise for the Director as and when required and carry out any other duties which are within scope,
spirit and purpose of the job as requested by the Director.
Hazard-specific / Safety-critical duties
This job includes the following hazard-specific or safety-critical duties which will require successful pre-
employment health screening through our Occupational Health Department before the successful candidate
will be allowed to start work:
Regular manual handling.
Additional security pre-employment checks
This job includes the following duties which will require additional security pre-employment checks: A
satisfactory Disclosure Scotland check (basic) due to role requiring oversight of online payments and
handling of customer data.
The Candidate
Essential
◼ A strong entrepreneurial spirit and appetite.
◼ A proven track record of increasing profitability of commercial operations and driving sustained
growth within a similar environment
◼ Ability to think strategically and understand the practical issues of identifying markets and planning,
implementing and meeting targets in a challenging financial environment.
◼ Experience of successfully managing budgets and projects as well as developing management
reporting and analysis.
◼ Ability to work flexibly and under pressure, plan and manage personal and team workloads
◼ Demonstrable line management experience with a track record of delivering results through leading,
developing and motivating teams, including experience of setting individual and team priorities,
identifying strengths and supporting development needs
◼ Ability and willingness to successfully work with the constraints of a large organisation with non-
commercial objectives
◼ A strong communicator (verbal and written) with excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to forge
and maintain effective business working relationships with partners, suppliers and colleagues at all
levels.
◼ Experience in managing contracts (e.g. catering and licensing), bringing optimum performance from
the contract through effective joint working whilst ensuring profitability.
◼ Capacity and drive to deliver new opportunities; and the integrity, diplomacy and professional skills to
work effectively on cross-team initiatives.
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Desirable
◼ Commercial experience in publishing, licensing and picture library operations to ensure that an
appropriate and commercially viable publishing programme is delivered in line with the Museum
strategy.
◼ Experience in the Museums, galleries, and heritage or culture sectors.
Marketing experience including an understanding of brand value and the importance of diverse
marketing channels.
◼ Knowledge of trading compliance and health & safety issues relevant to a commercial environment.
◼ A good working knowledge of the principles of image licensing models and rights clearance.
Additional Details
Job Title Commercial Director
Division Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM)
Department Ashmolean Museum
Location Beaumont Street, Oxford
Grade and Salary Grade 10: £55,750 - £64,605 per annum with
possible extension to £70,579
Hours Full-time
Contract Type Permanent
Reporting to Director
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How to Apply
Your application will be judged solely on the basis of how you demonstrate that you meet the selection
criteria stated in the job description.
The preferred method of application is online at www.berwickpartners.co.uk/76459
If you are unable to apply online please email your application to [email protected]
All applications will receive an automated response.
All candidates are also requested to complete an online Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form which will be
found at the end of the application process.
For detailed information on how we process your personal data, please review our privacy policy on our
website https://www.berwickpartners.co.uk/privacy-policy/
In line with GDPR, we ask that you do NOT send us any information that can identify children or any of your
Sensitive Personal Data (racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade
union membership, data concerning health or sex life and sexual orientation, genetic and / or biometric
data) in your CV and application documentation. Following this notice, any inclusion of your Sensitive
Personal Data in your CV/application documentation will be understood by us as your express consent to
process this information going forward. Please also remember to not mention anyone’s information or
details (e.g. referees) who have not previously agreed to their inclusion.
If you have any queries or would like more information in regard to this document, please contact:
William Pringle
Partner – Not for Profit Practice
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Important information for candidates
Pre-employment screening
Please note that the appointment of the successful candidate will be subject to standard pre-employment
screening, as applicable to the post. This will include right-to-work, proof of identity and references. We
advise all applicants to read the candidate notes on the University’s pre-employment screening procedures,
found at: www.ox.ac.uk/about/jobs/preemploymentscreening/.
Data Privacy
Please note that any personal data submitted to the University as part of the job application process will be
processed in accordance with the GDPR and related UK data protection legislation. For further information,
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please see the University’s Privacy Notice for Job Applicants at:
www.admin.ox.ac.uk/councilsec/compliance/gdpr/privacynotices/job/. The University’s Policy on Data
Protection is available at:
www.admin.ox.ac.uk/councilsec/compliance/gdpr/universitypolicyondataprotection/.
The University’s policy on retirement
The University operates an Employer Justified Retirement Age (EJRA) for all academic posts and some
academic-related posts. From 1 October 2017, the University has adopted an EJRA of 30 September before
the 69th birthday for all academic and academic-related staff in posts at grade 8 and above. The justification
for this is explained at: www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/end/retirement/acrelretire8+/.
For existing employees, any employment beyond the retirement age is subject to approval through the
procedures: www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/end/retirement/acrelretire8+/.
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Benefits of working at the University
Employee benefits
University employees enjoy 38 days’ paid holiday, generous pension schemes, travel discounts, and a variety
of professional development opportunities. Our range of other employee benefits and discounts also
includes free entry to the Botanic Gardens and University colleges, and discounts at University museums. See
www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/staffinfo/benefits.
University Club and sports facilities
Membership of the University Club is free for all University staff. The University Club offers social, sporting,
and hospitality facilities. Staff can also use the University Sports Centre on Iffley Road at discounted rates,
including a fitness centre, powerlifting room, and swimming pool. See www.club.ox.ac.uk and
www.sport.ox.ac.uk/oxford-university-sports-facilities.
Information for staff new to Oxford
If you are relocating to Oxfordshire from overseas or elsewhere in the UK, the University's Welcome Service
website includes practical information about settling in the area, including advice on relocation,
accommodation, and local schools. See www.welcome.ox.ac.uk.
There is also a visa loan scheme to cover the costs of UK visa applications for staff and their dependents. See
www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/permits/reimburse&loanscheme/.
Family-friendly benefits
With one of the most generous family leave schemes in the Higher Education sector, and a range of flexible
working options, Oxford aims to be a family-friendly employer. We also subscribe to My Family Care, a
service that provides practical advice and support for employees who have caring responsibilities. The
service offers a free telephone advice line, and the ability to book emergency back-up care for children,
adult dependents and elderly relatives. See www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/staffinfo/benefits/family/mfc/.
Childcare
The University has excellent childcare services, including five University nurseries as well as University-
supported places at many other private nurseries.
For full details, including how to apply and the costs, see www.admin.ox.ac.uk/childcare/.
Disabled staff
We are committed to supporting members of staff with disabilities or long-term health conditions. For
further details, including information about how to make contact, in confidence, with the University’s Staff
Disability Advisor, see www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/disab/staff.
Staff networks
The University has a number of staff networks including the Oxford Research Staff Society, BME staff
network, LGBT+ staff network and a disabled staff network. You can find more information at
www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/inpractice/networks/.
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The University of Oxford Newcomers' Club
The University of Oxford Newcomers' Club is an organisation run by volunteers that aims to assist the
partners of new staff settle into Oxford, and provides them with an opportunity to meet people and make
connections in the local area. See www.newcomers.ox.ac.uk.