DESCRIPTION

We are looking for people to join our fantastic team at Somerset House Trust. As the home of cultural innovators, the Trust connects creativity and the arts with the broader society.
Somerset House pursues a ‘Step Inside, Think Outside’ spirit and is born from the creative community we nurture - the experience and perspectives we host across background, age, race, and stage, and the intersections and crossovers we encourage.
As the home of cultural innovators, Somerset House connects creativity and the arts with wider society. Our creative community is at the heart of our mission, with over 600 organisations based in the building (known as Residents).
The community is made up of different workspace options from coworking, artists’ studios, shared workspaces and offices. The Residents Team manage shared workspaces and offices across three wings, a large part of this dynamic, expansive creative network (our co-working space and artist studios are managed separately). The team also manage space hires from within the community and internal and external facing meeting rooms. We foster a mutually supportive community through resident collaboration, engagement and facilitated opportunity within our ecosystem and wider networks, our charitable mission, and the wider cultural programme.
The Sales & Business Development Manager will be responsible for leading sales across the multiple workspaces offered at Somerset House, predominately focussing on dedicated offices, securing new residents to strengthen our creative community and achieve income targets. The role will build external relationships and partnerships with creative organisations and cultural networks, that align with our organisational ethos and charitable objectives, to raise the profile of our workspaces and creative community. You will also support the development of our department’s other earned income streams: internal hires of event spaces and meeting rooms, as well as optimising the overarching workspace offering.
This is a great opportunity for a creative thinker, who constantly looks for ideas to drive forward new initiatives, create connections and build an exciting and engaging offer.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Seeking a driven and results-oriented Sales professional to spearhead the growth of our workspace occupancy at Somerset House. You will be directly responsible for generating revenue by actively selling dedicated offices and shared workspace solutions across our iconic Estate, exceeding budgeted income targets and cultivating a vibrant community of resident businesses.

• Lead in selling workspaces, specifically dedicated offices and shared workspace across the Estate, helping to grow the community and deliver budgeted income levels
• Support on the development and marketing of earned income streams including internal space hires and external meeting room hires highlighting Somerset House as the home of cultural innovation, a leading venue for creative collaboration and cultural exchange
• Use creative and cultural networks to identify and target potential residents and members who meet our agreed criteria, are commercially attractive (offering resilience and growth potential) and are aligned to our community, diversity and charitable objectives
• Arrange viewings, conduct tours and liaise with all potential residents, making sure they fully understand the contractual terms, additional benefits of being based at Somerset House, and our community ethos
• Participate in reviewing of workspace applications, making sure all applications fit our criteria to be a resident, in particular adding to the mix of creative businesses in the community, as well as other identified areas for development and Somerset House’s overarching charitable objects
• Lead on supporting existing residents’ changing space requirements and maximining retention
• Work with the Residents Communications Manager, our Marketing and Social Media Teams to improve our online presence and ensure we are reaching target groups
• Act as an ambassador for the Trust, as well as an advocate of the community and its aims

EXPERIENCE:

• Selling workspace/venue hire space and achieving sales targets, ideally within a creative community or similar workspace with creative businesses and freelancers
• Building and managing long-term relationships with clients, meeting customer needs and managing difficult conversations when needed
• Building strong external networks
• Worked with contracts, with strong understanding of property terminology and legal documents

Skills:

• Commercial awareness and ability to maximise revenue streams by identifying new business opportunities
• Self-motivated and targets driven
• Problem solving skills, with ability to identify and address issues before they arise
• Ability to meet deadlines and take personal ownership to achieve team goals

ABOUT SOMERSET HOUSE TRUST

Somerset House hosts the UK’s largest and most exciting creative community right in the heart of London, and are always looking for new talent to join our team. We welcome 3 million annual visitors to share our unique combination of cultural events, the creative industries and history. This mix informs and powers our programme and organisational culture, making us a singular, compelling and inclusive place to visit and work.
Somerset House is actively anti-racist, you can read about our Anti-Racism Pledge and the action we’re taking here. We are working hard to ensure our people, our onsite community and our sector reflect, represent and include all of society.
Our Commitment to Anti-Racism, Diversity and Inclusion:
Somerset House is open to all, and we value everyone’s unique skills. Somerset House Trust is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to championing equality, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We are committed to equal opportunity and encourage applications from all qualified individuals. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background.
Where candidates are equally qualified, we will seek to prioritise diversity to help us increase representation across the creative economy and the Trust.
We anonymise all job applications to help avoid discrimination in the initial screening stage of our recruitment process. This reinforces our commitment to focusing on the skills and qualifications of all applications from the start.
We’re committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help you perform at your best. We’re open to adjusting our process to accommodate your needs please email people.team@somersethouse.org.uk.
The Trust reserves the right to close a job before its application deadline.
Please only apply if you have the right to work in the UK; the Trust cannot currently offer sponsorships

Seeking a driven and results-oriented Sales professional to spearhead the growth of our workspace occupancy at Somerset House. You will be directly responsible for generating revenue by actively selling dedicated offices and shared workspace solutions across our iconic Estate, exceeding budgeted income targets and cultivating a vibrant community of resident businesses.

• Lead in selling workspaces, specifically dedicated offices and shared workspace across the Estate, helping to grow the community and deliver budgeted income levels
• Support on the development and marketing of earned income streams including internal space hires and external meeting room hires highlighting Somerset House as the home of cultural innovation, a leading venue for creative collaboration and cultural exchange
• Use creative and cultural networks to identify and target potential residents and members who meet our agreed criteria, are commercially attractive (offering resilience and growth potential) and are aligned to our community, diversity and charitable objectives
• Arrange viewings, conduct tours and liaise with all potential residents, making sure they fully understand the contractual terms, additional benefits of being based at Somerset House, and our community ethos
• Participate in reviewing of workspace applications, making sure all applications fit our criteria to be a resident, in particular adding to the mix of creative businesses in the community, as well as other identified areas for development and Somerset House’s overarching charitable objects
• Lead on supporting existing residents’ changing space requirements and maximining retention
• Work with the Residents Communications Manager, our Marketing and Social Media Teams to improve our online presence and ensure we are reaching target groups
• Act as an ambassador for the Trust, as well as an advocate of the community and its aim