Collections & Gallery Operations Manager

Black Pearl Consult; Qatar; On-site; QAR 300,000 - 460,000; Full time

Job summary

Black Pearl Consult in Qatar seeks a Collections & Gallery Operations Manager to oversee stewardship, documentation, and movement of artworks and design objects, and manage daily gallery operations. Reporting to the Director of Commercial Art & Design, you will coordinate registrations, inventory, rentals, shipping, and compliance, lead two Gallery Associates, and serve as deputy when the director is away.

The role blends curatorial-adjacent duties with operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8+ years in a commercial gallery, museum, or art logistics.
• Degree or certification in Art History, Museum Studies, or Fine Art.
• Proven buying/procurement experience in gallery settings.
• Strong knowledge of international artwork handling and shipping.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary registrar for the gallery and manage provenance documentation.
• Maintain the gallery inventory system and digital archiving.
• Coordinate rentals, consignments, sales, and related contracts.
• Oversee packing, installation, insurance, and risk mitigation.
• Liaise with artists, collectors, and shipping partners for compliance.
• Lead day-to-day gallery operations and workflows.
• Plan exhibitions, events, and VIP appointments with leadership.
• Manage external vendors and service providers.
• Oversee Gallery Associate workflows and performance.
• Serve as deputy operational contact in Director’s absence.
• Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning.
• Lead acquisition procedures for the design gallery as Lead Buyer.
• Present purchasing and stock data to procurement teams.
• Build relationships with designers and suppliers.
• Research artists and artworks for proposals and inventories.
• Support large-scale art consultancy commissions.
• Ensure compliance with international collections care and AML docs.

Skills

Art logistics

Negotiation

Vendor management

Documentation

Education

Art History

Museum Studies

Fine Art

Tools

ArtLogic

Arternal

ArtBase

TMS

Job description

Collections & Gallery Operations Manager

The Collections & Gallery OperationsManager is a senior operational and curatorial-adjacent roleresponsible for the stewardship, documentation, and movement of artworks anddesign objects, as well as overseeing day-to-day gallery operations.

This role ensures the professional handling of artworksacross exhibitions, sales, consultancy projects, and collections whilemaintaining museum-standard documentation, lead buying, compliance, andlogistics coordination. Reporting to the Director of Commercial Art & Design,this position oversees workflow execution across collection management,operations, and design buying, manages two Gallery Associates, and acts as theprimary operational lead in the Director’s absence.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the primary registrar for thegallery, overseeing all artwork and design object records, supportingprovenance documentation, and managing condition reporting .
• Maintain the gallery inventorymanagement system, ensuring accurate cataloguing, inventory tracking, anddigital archiving of artworks, design objects, and client data .
• Coordinate incoming and outgoingrentals, consignments, and sales, including contracts, insurance, shippingdocumentation, customs clearance, and courier coordination .
• Establish packing specifications,installation requirements, insurance coverage, and risk mitigation strategiesfor artworks in transit, storage, and on display .
• Liaise with artists, collectors, andshipping partners to ensure professional handling and compliance withinternational museum standards .
• Provide oversight of day-to-day galleryoperations, managing operational policies, workflows, and systems acrossfront-of-house, back-of-house, vault storage, exhibition, and consultancydelivery .
• Coordinate operational planning forexhibitions, events, private views, and VIP appointments in collaboration withexecutive leadership and marketing teams .
• Manage relationships with externalvendors and service providers, including fabricators, facilities, security, andmaintenance contractors .
• Oversee Gallery Associate workflows,including scheduling, task delegation, performance standards, and art handlingprotocols .
• Act as deputy operational contact in theDirector’s absence for logistics, staffing, and client-facing matters .
• Contribute to strategic planning,budgeting, and forecasting related to roster artworks, design items, andgallery operations .
• Lead acquisition procedures for thedesign gallery as Lead Buyer, sourcing design-related retail items, books,objects, and limited-edition design works aligned with curatorial andcommercial strategy .
• Present purchasing, inventory mix, andstock levels to procurement teams, while managing purchase orders, pricingstructures, and margin frameworks .
• Build relationships with local,regional, and international designers, studios, manufacturers, and suppliers,tracking stock levels, sales performance, and replenishment strategies .
• Conduct targeted artist and artworkresearch (availability, pricing, provenance, commission history) and prepareformatted materials for proposals, reports, inventories, and presentations .
• Support large-scale art consultancycommissions, serving as a primary point of contact with galleries, artists,clients, architects, and commercial galleries regarding onsite artwork handling .
• Ensure full compliance withinternational best practices in collections care, customs regulations, andanti-money laundering documentation, producing quarterly and annual inventoryand risk reports .

Requirements

• Minimum 8+ years of experience in a commercialgallery, museum, or art logistics environment with collections management andsourcing responsibilities.
• Degree or equivalent certification/experience inArt History, Museum Studies, Fine Art, or a related field.
• Demonstrated buying/procurement experience in amuseum or commercial gallery enterprise.
• Expert knowledge of international artwork handling,documentation, shipping, customs regulations, and insurance processes.
• Hands-on experience with collections managementsystems (e.g., ArtLogic, Arternal, ArtBase, TMS, or similar).
• Exceptional organizational, project management, anddocumentation abilities.
• Strong negotiation, procurement, and vendormanagement skills.
• Detail-oriented with a risk-aware, commercial, andcompliance-focused mindset.