Commercial Officer

We are seeking a creative, motivated and enthusiastic Commercial Officer to join our team at the London Museum of Water & Steam. This is an exciting new role – we are looking for someone with the business acumen and an enterprising spirit to significantly enhance the income from our catering, retail and event hire spaces. The postholder will be a key figure in the collective effort to deliver our bold vision for the future. You’ll be involved in all aspects of the commercial development of our offer including merchandising, product range selection, promotion and customer care. Working closely with the Museum Director, you’ll generate an exciting, sustainable commercial model that embraces innovation, creativity and supports wider museum objectives. As befits a role of this nature, there is potential for the postholder to earn an additional bonus if ambitious annual targets are met.

About the London Museum of Water & Steam

The London Museum of Water & Steam is an outstanding independent Museum based in an historic site – a Georgian water pumping station in Brentford, West London. We tell the story of a city’s mission for clean water and the innovative steam pumping methods used to distribute it to millions.

The Museum is a charity and a membership organisation, the site was saved from demolition by volunteers in the 1970s. We are home to a unique collection which tells the story of water from Thames to tap, including some of the largest pumping engines in the world. The pumping station has been an important part of West London since 1838 and this continues today. We are still a majority volunteer organisation with over 65 volunteers and just 12 staff members who look after 24,500 visitors per year, including over 4500 primary school pupils.

The Team

The London Museum of Water & Steam is a small, focused team. The postholder will report to the Museum Director. The successful candidate will also work particularly closely with the Front of House Officer and the Marketing Officer.

Responsibilities

1. Working with Director to create realistic income and cost budgets for the shop, café and event hire operation. Analyse these financial targets, contributing to a regular review of all processes and procedures.
2. Thinking commercially about upselling across all the different areas of responsibility and delivering a gold standard of customer satisfaction across all initiatives.
3. Working with the Director and wider team to generate innovative new commercial income streams.
4. Act as a Weekend Manager at the Museum on a rota basis.
5. Adhere to all departmental processes and procedures for managing the business, for example: the raising of invoices, logs, trackers, etc and maintaining necessary records.
6. As a member of the Core Museum Team, provide clear and consistent leadership to relevant staff and volunteers and act in a front of house/duty manager role where required.
7. Ensure the café consistently delivers on all agreed commercial targets and work to understand, monitor and achieve agreed gross margins on the food and beverages sold through the café.
8. Create a seasonal and general café offer that gains great visitor feedback and promote the café as a visitor destination.
9. Plan and execute great merchandising and visual impact in the café, ensuring that this works with the shop and admissions activity.
10. Ensure the café maintains compliant with all food safety and other relevant regulations so that the café achieves and maintains a Food Hygiene Rating of 5.
11. Ensure that all relevant training in health and safety, food hygiene and allergens is undertaken and up to date.

SHOP

1. Working with the Director to develop a strategy that drives up retail sales and which fully integrates with the overall vision for the museum. Formally review effectiveness 6 months, maximising all revenue and cost saving opportunities.
2. Maintaining the visual appearance, evaluation of the merchandise positioning, stock rotation and themed promotions, achieving agreed gross margins and identifying and implementing new and increased revenue opportunities.
3. Support the Front of House Officer where necessary with stock ordering, analysis of sales, 6 monthly stock takes.
4. Working with the Marketing Officer to ensure media outlets used by the museum are updated with details of café and shop promotions and marketed to the public.

COMMERCIAL EVENTS & VENUE HIRE

1. Deliver premium client and stakeholder experiences, ensuring all expectations are met throughout the consultation, planning and delivery of a commercial hire.
2. Respond to and manage all enquiries, negotiation and delivery related to commercial hires.
3. Take a proactive approach to the sale of hireable spaces to a wide range of existing and new clients.
4. With reference to the Director, plan and organise events and venue hire and ensure that there is the necessary additional volunteer/freelance support, an operational plan and any new risk assessments are completed prior to the event.
5. Contract negotiation and management of external contractors as needed.
6. Ensure we comply with all health and safety, hygiene and allergy requirements either in house or working with external contractors.
7. Act as Duty Officer and oversee delivery and staffing complement of commercial hire events.
8. Act as Licence Holder for the Museum site.
9. Work with the site management team to renew relevant licenses, managing any extensions to late license on behalf of clients.

Team Contribution and Culture

1. Work alongside and support colleagues to achieve the Museum’s vision, values and objectives and be flexible in offering support to others.
2. Contribute to a positive, forward-looking, and result-orientated organisational culture.
3. Adhere to our values that help us be: inclusive, fun, collaborative, entrepreneurial, & ambitious.

Person specification

1. At least 3 years’ experience gained in a retail or hospitality environment including sales, merchandising, reconciliation, stock management and budgeting.
2. Demonstrable experience of setting and managing budgets, financial literacy, and a track record in income and profit generation.
3. Knowledge and experience in relevant health & safety, food safety, data protection and environmental legislation.
4. Ability to understand and review monthly financial profit & loss reports.
5. Experience of assessing risk and meeting relevant Health & Safety requirements.
6. Problem-solving abilities, capable of innovation, identifying opportunities and selling them to others.
7. Working knowledge of client sales, planning, organising and overseeing a range of events.
8. Knowledge of contract creation and negotiation.
9. Excellent organisational and planning skills but having the ability to adapt and respond to changing events quickly when required to, taking a hands-on approach.
10. Excellent interpersonal skills, motivating teams, showing the ability to delegate effectively.
11. Self-motivated and adaptable, able to deal with an unpredictable, pressured environment with effective time-management and proven ability to prioritise workload.
12. Willingness to work on some evenings and weekends and flexibility with working hours in accordance with business needs.
13. Communication and presentation skills.
14. A love of the heritage environment.
15. Excellent listening skills and approachable nature.
16. A keen team player, happy to work and learn alongside a team.
17. Good humour, enthusiasm and emotional intelligence.
18. Effective negotiator, able to maximise the value obtained from suppliers and clients.

Terms of appointment

This is a part-time post: 22.5 hours (3 days) a week. We are flexible and can negotiate how the hours are allocated but it will include some weekend and evening work and is based on-site at the Museum.

Salary £27,040 pro rata (£16,224 actual salary) plus additional performance related bonus (indicative 10% pro rata, with additional incentives achievable TBD) will be awarded if targets for commercial activity are met/exceeded.

The successful candidate will be engaged as an employee on a fixed term contract for two years in the first instance. There is a possibility of extension and even permanence if targets are met.

How to apply

To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter succinctly outlining your reasons for applying and your experience and skills related to the role to Hannah Harte, Museum Director, at

We are an equal opportunities employer and if you have any accessibility needs please get in touch.

Closing date: 23:59 Wednesday 19 th February 2025

Interviews in the week commencing 10 th March 2025, and will be on site at the Museum for a tour of the spaces.

Seniority level

• Entry level

Employment type

• Part-time

Job function

• Sales and Management
• Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos

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