Collections & Gallery Operations Manager

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.