Operations Manager-Seattle

Art Work Fine Art Services; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Vacation time off

401(k) plan

Job summary

Art Work Fine Art Services in Seattle, WA seeks an Operations Manager to oversee a local office, field team and project workflow. The role focuses on business health, operations excellence, and people development for art handlers, staff and project managers.

You will manage estimates, scheduling, storage projects and client communications, ensuring adherence to museum-standard best practices and company standards. The position is salaried, with a bonus program and a Monday–Friday schedule.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years' experience in a high-volume art service company, museum, gallery or related organization.
• 3+ years Art Handling experience.
• 2+ years experience in people management.
• Knowledge of museum storage, art handling and transportation best practices.
• Proficiency in collections management databases preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint).
• Attention to detail and accuracy in communication.
• Ability to work independently, and as a leader or member of a team.
• Bachelor of Arts Degree in the arts or museum studies or equivalent, or combination of education and experience

Responsibilities

• Manages local office and field team.
• Proactively builds relationships and fosters business development.
• Monitors revenue and provides Leadership sufficient information for planning/forecasting.
• Oversees client communications, project planning and reporting.
• Leads all communication with direct reports and daily operations.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Customer service

Communication

Team coordination

Education

Bachelor of Arts in arts or museum studies

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Operations Manager is responsible for overall management of their assigned location, including business management, operations management and people management. This role requires elements of business management to ensure the financial and operational health of the office and operational management to ensure that communications and operations meet company standards. People management is required to ensure the communication, direction and skill development of art handlers, office staff, and project managers. The Operations Manager will ensure estimating, project management and storage projects are on track, by personally completing or working through others to do so.

This role requires detailed knowledge of art handling best practices, museum standards of care, in-depth understanding of fine art logistics and the documentation requirements necessary to maintain the chain of control and legal necessities. This role reports to the Director of Operations and typically works M-F 9:00am – 5:00pm, with after–hours participation as needed.

Operations Manager Primary Responsibilities Include:

• Business Management
  • Manages local office and field team.
  • Adheres to all guidance regarding client communications, emails, information sharing, project planning and reporting. Ensures that all direct reports are aware of and follow guidance for their applicable communication/information/documentation tasks.
  • Proactively builds relationships and fosters business development.
  • Monitors revenue and provides Leadership sufficient information for planning/forecasting.
  • Participates in yearly strategic planning sessions. Travel may be required.
• Operations Management
  • Responsible for timely response to client requests and excellent customer service: calls and emails responded to by end of day and follow up on outstanding/pending requests or jobs.
  • May respond to new or existing client/customer service requests directly or assign to other members of the team.
  • Ensures all communications are timely, professional and include complete and necessary information.
  • Estimates for field work and transportation for clients, coordinate location-specific estimates with crating and storage departments.
  • Works with Project Managers to schedule all jobs and allocate employee, vehicle, and material resources for jobs in field.
  • Monitors and maintains physical location cleanliness, safety, and overall maintenance and function by scheduling and directing warehouse tasks as necessary.
  • Upholds high standards for storage services in handling, care, data management, and client needs.
  • Communicates and collaborates with management teams across locations to keep consistency of products, services, and processes company wide.
• People Management
  • Leads all communication with direct reports: daily operations, job scheduling, training, and company updates. May assist with HR needs.
  • Leads daily morning meetings with all staff to discuss jobs for the day. Includes crating, collections, storage or other staff to communicate project-specific information. Keep meetings short and efficient, but ensure necessary info is shared, redirect conversation as necessary.
  • Ensures all employees are prepared for daily jobs, including information about upcoming jobs and proper preparation of equipment and materials.
  • Leads monthly meetings with art handling teams to include training, communication, and morale-building activities. May invite "specialists" from other areas of the company or within the team to share information and cross-train on these areas of expertise.
  • Prepares and delivers semi-annual reviews for all direct reports. Gather feedback from other managers to ensure a complete picture of employee strengths and opportunities. Makes recommendations for merit or out-of-pattern increases. May create performance plans when appropriate to redirect employee behavior.
  • Ensures all employees are trained in and use art handling safety and best practices. Foster accountability in upholding Art Work's high standards and white glove services.
  • Ensures that vehicles and driving teams are prepared for all local or long-distance routes, including vehicle/driver training, vehicle preparation and best practices. Works through Project Managers or vehicle specialists to complete physical route-planning, training and vehicle-readiness.
  • Completes initial employee interviews and makes recommendations for second interview or decline.
• Project Management
  • Works with other managers to staff jobs.
  • Ensures clear team communication/preparation.
  • Provides superior client service directly or through another member of the team.
  • Completes project-related tasks through designated Project Manager or other support personnel and completes duties themselves when necessary to maintain successful operations.

Amount of Time in Field: 5%. Work from home available one day per week.

• Estimated time in general activities:
  • 10% business management
  • 30% management of daily operations
  • 20% people management
  • 40% project management
• Required skills and experience:
  • Minimum 10 years' experience in a high-volume art service company, museum, gallery or related organization
  • 3 + years Art Handling experience
  • 2 + years experience in people management
  • Knowledge of museum storage, art handling and transportation best practices
  • Proficiency in collections management databases preferred
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint)
  • Attention to detail and accuracy in communication
  • Ability to work independently, and as a leader or member of a team
  • Bachelor of Arts Degree in the arts or museum studies or equivalent, or combination of education and experience

This position is a salaried, exempt role. Exempt employees manage others or have a specific administrative specialty. Exempt employees are not entitled to overtime pay and are instead assigned tasks or duties for their role.

• Art Work Fine Art Services offers a competitive benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, Vision, LTD, AD&D, Company-paid and Voluntary Life Insurance, Vacation Time Off, and 401(k) Plan.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Your gender, your sex, your faith, your age and your skin color don’t matter here. Art Work Fine Art Services seeks diverse backgrounds and perspectives and strives to offer equal opportunity to all smart, hard-working, dedicated people. Come as you are.

Salary range:

$65k - $85k + bonus structure