Commercial consultant

We are seeking an experienced commercial income lead from the cultural sector, ideally with Museum or Galleries background, to work with us over the next 3-7 months. The freelance contract will be for approximately three days per week but can be delivered flexibly with an expectation of hybrid working and some in person time in Cambridge. We are looking for the earliest possible start date for a minimum contract of three months and the possibility of extending this to seven. Up to £5,000 per month is available for the contract based on the above allocation of days. The freelance role will report into the Chief Operating Officer, Lucy Perman.

The Museum is at a pivotal point as we grow our commercial income across a range of activities – exhibition ticketing, memberships, conservation commercial business, venue hire and events, retail and catering. This is part of a wider Museum transformation programme to improve financial resilience and embed a culture where commercial activities can thrive alongside, and as part of, our public programming, research and collections care. Recently shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year, this is an exciting time to come and work with us.

The key deliverables are:

1. Support staff to deliver on an agreed plan of work to grow our venue hire.

2. Lead and contribute to monthly commercial meetings to track commercial performance across Museum footfall, retail and catering contracts.

3. Support the box office team with exhibition charging ideally bringing Tessitura experience or CRM knowledge with ability to skill up on Tessitura.

4. Work with the COO to maximise catering revenues and to prepare the groundwork for re-tendering of the Museum’s café catering contract.

5. Support the ongoing work to improve our retail offer, growing revenue and improving the visitor experience. Build on substantial recent retail consultancy input.

6. Bring a commercial voice into programming and other Museum decision-making eg masterplan developments, new brand implementation, new digital strategy, finance planning.

7. Help to increase internal visibility about commercial activities and build knowledge and confidence in our commercial income growth.

8. Bring cultural sector commercial insights, research and benchmarking to inform and build Museum commercial success.

If you are interested, please send a CV and a short covering letter detailing your relevant experience and availability. We will follow-up with suitable candidates with an invitation for an informal conversation. Please send to Lucy Perman at lp672@cam.ac.uk by 9am Monday 21st September.