Art Buyer & Artist Partnerships Manager

DROOL; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative e-commerce startup in Greater London is seeking a mid-level Art Buyer & Artist Partnerships Manager. This role involves scouting and curating artists, managing partnerships, and aligning art collections with market trends. Ideal candidates will have 3-6 years of experience in art buying, excellent communication skills, and a background in e-commerce. The position offers competitive salary, share options, flexible working arrangements, and various employee benefits.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Share options

Flexible working

25 days holiday + birthday + duvet day

Work a week from abroad

Monthly health & wellness budget

Company retreat

Learning budget

60-75% employee discount

Qualifications

• 3-6 years of experience in art buying or creative partnerships.
• Experience in ecommerce, DTC, fashion, or home brands is a strong plus.
• Proven experience in buying or gallery management.

Responsibilities

• Proactively source and curate visual artists.
• Lead artist outreach and manage onboarding processes.
• Curate collections and track relevant market trends.

Skills

Artist relations

Negotiation

Trend tracking

Curation

Communication

Job description

About

DROOL is a fast-growing e-commerce startup that has become one of the world's leading platforms for contemporary art prints. Over the last 3 years we have seen exceptional year‑on‑year profitable revenue growth, have been featured in leading publications (GQ, Architectural Digest, Vogue), and have amassed a community of 1M+ Instagram followers along the way. Our growth is supported by the backing of a US VC firm with considerable domain expertise scaling startups like Ruggable, Dr Squatch and Fabletics into e‑commerce powerhouses.

Job Summary

We're looking for a mid‑level Art Buyer & Artist Partnerships Manager to own artist discovery, partnerships, and curation across multiple visual disciplines, including photography, graphic design, illustration, and painting. You'll be responsible for finding exceptional artists early, spotting emerging visual trends, building our artist roster, and curating collections that both elevate the brand and perform commercially. You'll work closely with team members across marketing, data and merchandising to ensure the art we launch is relevant, distinctive, and scalable.

Responsibilities

• Artist discovery and scouting:
  • Proactively source artists using Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, online marketplaces, fairs, and design communities
  • Identify emerging visual trends and under‑the‑radar talent early
  • Build and maintain a strong pipeline of prospective artists aligned with our brand aesthetic
• Artist outreach and onboarding:
  • Lead artist outreach, pitching our platform and partnership model
  • Manage onboarding, including contracts, licensing, and artwork submission
  • Build long‑term, positive relationships with artists, studios and partners
• Curation and collection development:
  • Curate cohesive collections that balance trend‑led work with evergreen bestsellers
  • Maintain a consistent visual direction while evolving the brand's target segments
• Trend & Market Insight:
  • Track cultural, design, and interior trends and translate them into actionable art directions
  • Share trend insights with marketing and creative teams to inform campaigns and launches
• Commercial performance:
  • Use sales data and customer insight to refine artist sourcing and selection
  • Continuously evaluate what sells and adapt curation accordingly
  • Partner with e‑commerce and marketing to support drops, launches, and featured collections

Requirements

• 3-6 years of experience in art buying, curation, fashion buying, design sourcing, or creative partnerships
• Experience working with creators, artists, or designers in a commercial context
• Background in ecommerce, DTC, fashion, home, or lifestyle brands is a strong plus
• Proven experience in buying, artist relations, acquisitions, or gallery management
• Excellent communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Share options in a high‑growth profitable start‑up
• Flexible working (3 office days per week in Shoreditch, London)
• 25 days holiday + your birthday + a duvet day + bank holidays
• Work a week from abroad
• Monthly health & wellness budget (for fitness class, gym, meditation, therapy)
• Company retreat: trip once a year
• Learning budget: for courses, books etc
• 60-75% employee discount for you + friends & family