Business Manager, 20th & 21st Century Art

CMW Ltd Company; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Christie's, the world’s leading art business, seeks a Business Manager for the Post-War to Present, American Art, Design, Photographs, Prints and Outsider Art departments. Reports to the Business Director and partners with sale teams and stakeholders on seasonal activities.

You will lead operations, manage staff, and oversee financial and strategic initiatives to support successful sales in a fast-paced, high-profile environment.

Responsibilities

• Directly manage Sale Coordinators, Department Coordinators, and temporary staff; responsible for hiring, training, and performance reviews.
• Coordinate staffing with Business Director and Heads of Department; plan workload and succession.
• Allocate resources across sales and projects; ensure clear priorities and deadlines.
• Support sale teams on operational matters and resolve issues.
• Maintain relationships with partners (operations, publishing, finance, marketing, legal) to keep functions running smoothly.
• Ensure proper flow of information and timely delivery of sale-related data and commitments.

Job description

Business Manager, 20th & 21st Century Art

The Company

Christie's, the world's largest Art Business, is an incredibly exciting & enriching place to start or continue your career. Whether you work within one of our Specialist Art Departments or in our more Operational focused teams we are all working together with one common goal in mind: to continue the success of this over 250 year old company, steeped in history, bringing constant innovation whilst not forgetting our age old values; Respect, Passionate Expertise, Exceptional Client Service, Teamwork, Integrity, Business Judgement & Innovation. Colleagues across all departments are truly passionate about what they do and it is constantly inspiring to work with industry leaders across all segments of the business.

Why this role matters

The Business Manager is responsible for the financial, operational, and executional management of the Post-War to Present, American Art, Design, Photographs, Prints and Outsider Art departments. This role reports to the Business Director and partners with the sale teams and key stakeholders on activities in relation to the sale season. In conjunction with the Heads of Department and Business Director this role is involved in making decisions relating to the areas outlined below.

How you will make an impact

Leadership and People Management

• Directly manage Sale Coordinators, Department Coordinators, and temporary staff. Responsibilities include hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance and setting development plans; addressing challenges and resolving problems.
• Partner with the Business Director and Department Heads on staffing needs, workload management and succession planning.
• Allocate coordinator and temporary resources effectively across sales and projects.
• Provide support and guidance to sale teams and coordinators on operational matters.
• Effectively and regularly communicate to ensure clarity around priorities, deliverables, deadlines and departmental initiatives.

Operational Management

• Maintain relationships with critical business partners, including operations, publishing, finance, marketing and legal to ensure all functions run smoothly to support the sales
• Facilitate communication with external support teams as needed to ensure propersupport, trouble shoot potential issues and define and implement process improvements
• Work closely with sale coordinators to ensure flow of information, management ofdeadlines and deliverables, and accuracy of all sale related information andcommitments
• Resolve and expand where necessary all operational issues
• Work closely with sale team, marketing, publishing and others to ensure key saledeadlines are met
• Oversee sale execution to ensure deadlines, compliance requirements and operationalmilestones are met.

Financial Management & Sale Related activities

• Oversee and approve consignment agreements within level of authority
• Assist Regional Managing Director and Business Director to provide necessary information to the Finance Business Partner for financial reporting (e.g. Sale Forecasts updates, budgeting, and quarterly forecasts)
• Support Business Director in preparing documentation for deals requiring elevated approvals.
• Work with Sale Coordinators to review and approve: Lot Withdrawals (including associated fees and charges), cancelled sales below a certain threshold, post-sale settlement amendments, client settlements, damage claim costs, etc.
• Manage catalogue to budget provided by Content
• Approve purchase orders
• Approve property movement and associated costs
• Approve all catalogue elements related to compliance and general sale information
• Review client charges to ensure costs are correctly captured and entered, acting as a point of escalation for over budget spend
• Inventory control: proactively work with Specialists, Sale Coordinators and Logistics to clear old inventory and action property in breach of Inventory Policy
• Manage and resolve client concerns, working closely with client contact and internal departments as needed
• Work with sale team and credit to monitor payment terms and other sale financials

Strategic Support

• Participate in, make recommendations for, and lead where appropriate, strategic initiatives as directed by the Regional Managing Director/Business Director, including areas for opportunity and growth
• Work with the Regional Managing Director, Business Director, and Heads of Department on preparing and delivering all internal and external communications for significant events, including policy, staffing, best practices and any strategic changes
• Develop and implement improvements to operational systems for the department, working closely with other support departments and international team to ensure consistent approach within the global team
• Work with Business Director to monitor and mitigate outstanding risk, identifying areas for improvement
• Partner with external departments to ensure proper support and impl