Associate Director - Gallery

Curatorial and Co; Sydney; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Curatorial+Co. Gallery in Sydney is seeking an Associate Director to lead the gallery team, nurture artists and drive sales. Working with the Director, you will steer exhibitions, manage client relationships and contribute to commercial growth.

Based at 80 William St, Woolloomooloo, this full-time role offers a high-impact leadership path in a vibrant, contemporary art environment, with opportunities across private collections, design spaces and major art fairs.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a commercial gallery, auction house, art advisory or arts organisation
• Demonstrated success in selling contemporary art and developing long-term collector relationships
• Strong knowledge of the Australian contemporary art market and an established network within the arts and/or design community
• Experience managing a team, with the ability to set expectations, provide support and encourage accountability
• Commercially minded, with confidence working to sales targets, budgets and performance metrics
• An excellent relationship builder who is equally comfortable engaging with artists, emerging collectors, established clients and senior industry stakeholders
• Strong curatorial judgement and the ability to balance artistic integrity with commercial outcomes
• Highly organised and able to manage multiple exhibitions, artists, clients and priorities simultaneously
• Confident, warm and articulate, with excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proactive and entrepreneurial, with the instinct to identify opportunities rather than wait for them to arrive
• Collaborative and generous in approach, but comfortable making decisions and having clear conversations when required
• A genuine passion for contemporary art and for building artists' careers over the long term

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operation and commercial performance of Curatorial+Co. Gallery
• Take ownership of gallery sales targets, developing and implementing strategies to achieve and exceed them
• Lead, motivate and manage the Gallery team, creating a high-performance and collaborative culture
• Build and maintain strong relationships with private collectors, designers, institutions and other key clients
• Proactively develop new collectors and audiences while deepening relationships with our existing client base
• Maintain a strong personal sales pipeline and lead by example in client engagement, follow-up and conversion
• Oversee the gallery exhibition program in collaboration with the Director and Gallery Manager, including exhibition planning, artist selection, scheduling and commercial strategy
• Manage relationships with represented artists, acting as a senior point of contact and maintaining clear, constructive and transparent communication with all artists
• Develop individual strategies for represented artists, considering exhibitions, sales, positioning, commissions, art fairs, prizes, institutional opportunities and career development
• Identify opportunities to place artists' work in significant private, corporate and institutional collections
• Contribute to the gallery's participation in Australian and international art fairs and identify opportunities to expand the reach of our artists
• Maintain a strong understanding of the Australian contemporary art market, while keeping up on broader international market developments
• Collaborate with Marketing to ensure exhibitions, artists and gallery activities are communicated strategically across digital, editorial, PR and client channels
• Ensure CRM and sales pipelines are actively maintained, with disciplined follow-up, accurate forecasting and clear visibility across opportunities
• Review gallery performance, including sales, artist performance, exhibition results, client acquisition and pipeline, and report regularly to the Director
• Maintain Curatorial+Co.'s reputation for exceptional service, intelligent curation, accessibility and genuine advocacy for our artists

Job description

Curatorial+Co. is a leading Sydney contemporary Gallery and Art Consultancy representing an exciting roster of emerging, mid-career and established artists. We are passionate about discovering and championing exceptional talent, building artists’ careers and connecting their work with new audiences. Through an ambitious program of exhibitions, art fairs, events and collaborations, alongside our Art Consultancy, we create opportunities for our artists well beyond the gallery walls, placing their work in private collections, hotels, commercial spaces and major public art projects, bringing exceptional contemporary art into the spaces where people live, work and gather.

YOUR IMPACT

The Associate Director – Gallery is a senior leadership position responsible for the commercial success, day-to-day leadership and continued growth of Curatorial+Co. Gallery. Working closely with the Director, the Associate Director will lead the Gallery team, nurture our represented artists and collector community, drive sales, and ensure every exhibition and client interaction reflects the ambition and values of Curatorial+Co.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead the day-to-day operation and commercial performance of Curatorial+Co. Gallery

Take ownership of gallery sales targets, developing and implementing strategies to achieve and exceed them

Lead, motivate and manage the Gallery team, creating a high-performance and collaborative culture

Build and maintain strong relationships with private collectors, designers, institutions and other key clients

Proactively develop new collectors and audiences while deepening relationships with our existing client base

Maintain a strong personal sales pipeline and lead by example in client engagement, follow-up and conversion

Oversee the gallery exhibition program in collaboration with the Director and Gallery Manager, including exhibition planning, artist selection, scheduling and commercial strategy

Manage relationships with represented artists, acting as a senior point of contact and maintaining clear, constructive and transparent communication with all artists

Develop individual strategies for represented artists, considering exhibitions, sales, positioning, commissions, art fairs, prizes, institutional opportunities and career development

Identify opportunities to place artists' work in significant private, corporate and institutional collections

Contribute to the gallery's participation in Australian and international art fairs and identify opportunities to expand the reach of our artists

Maintain a strong understanding of the Australian contemporary art market, while keeping up on broader international market developments

Collaborate with Marketing to ensure exhibitions, artists and gallery activities are communicated strategically across digital, editorial, PR and client channels

Ensure CRM and sales pipelines are actively maintained, with disciplined follow-up, accurate forecasting and clear visibility across opportunities

Review gallery performance, including sales, artist performance, exhibition results, client acquisition and pipeline, and report regularly to the Director

Maintain Curatorial+Co.'s reputation for exceptional service, intelligent curation, accessibility and genuine advocacy for our artists

ABOUT YOU

Significant experience in a commercial gallery, auction house, art advisory or arts organisation

Demonstrated success in selling contemporary art and developing long-term collector relationships

Strong knowledge of the Australian contemporary art market and an established network within the arts and/or design community

Experience managing a team, with the ability to set expectations, provide support and encourage accountability

Commercially minded, with confidence working to sales targets, budgets and performance metrics

An excellent relationship builder who is equally comfortable engaging with artists, emerging collectors, established clients and senior industry stakeholders

Strong curatorial judgement and the ability to balance artistic integrity with commercial outcomes

Highly organised and able to manage multiple exhibitions, artists, clients and priorities simultaneously

Confident, warm and articulate, with excellent written and verbal communication skills

Proactive and entrepreneurial, with the instinct to identify opportunities rather than wait for them to arrive

Collaborative and generous in approach, but comfortable making decisions and having clear conversations when required

A genuine passion for contemporary art and for building artists' careers over the long term

THE DETAILS

Location: 80 William St, Woolloomooloo, Sydney

Full-time employee position working in office Monday-Friday

Remuneration will be based on the right candidate’s experience