Office Manager in Newport

12 month fixed term contract

Reporting to Katrina Fray (Operations & Systems Director)

Location: Bristol office-based

Hours: 15 hours per week, with flexible, mutually agreed hours

Salary: £28,000–£32,000 FTE, pro-rated to days worked, depending on experience

Contract type: Contractor – Part-time

About Lougher Contemporary

Lougher Contemporary is an online contemporary art gallery based in Bristol. We work with some of the most recognised names in contemporary art, offering collectors carefully curated works with a focus on quality, knowledge, and service. We are a small, close-knit team, where everyone’s contribution is visible and valued. We move quickly, care about what we do, and take pride in the experience we create for our clients and for each other.

The role

The Office Manager is the operational backbone of Lougher Contemporary. This is a varied, hands-on role: you will keep the business running smoothly day to day, giving everyone else the space to focus on what they do best. This suits someone who takes ownership, uses their initiative, and is comfortable working independently in a small business environment. We are looking for someone who anticipates what is needed and acts accordingly. As the business grows, there may be scope for responsibilities to expand.

What you’ll be doing

• Running the office: You will keep our Bristol office running smoothly, managing suppliers, planning ahead for a growing team, and making sure the practical infrastructure of the business is always in good shape.
• Supporting the team: From the MD's diary to team-wide logistics and performance tracking, you will be the co-ordination engine that keeps everyone moving in the right direction, making sure that information reaches the right people at the right time.
• People, HR, and team experience: You will take care of the people side of the business: from HR administration and onboarding, to celebrating team milestones and helping maintain the kind of environment people want to work in.
• Compliance and administration: You will keep us on the right side of our health and safety obligations and support the team with finance and recruitment tasks that keep the business running properly.

What we’re looking for

We have listed essential and desirable experience below, but we are aware that the right person may not tick every box. If you have the core experience and the right approach, we encourage you to apply.

Essential:

• Proven experience as an Office Manager in a small to mid-sized business, with the ability to manage a varied workload autonomously.
• Demonstrable experience managing business systems, tools, and software – taking ownership of the operational infrastructure rather than simply using it.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, able to represent the business professionally in correspondence with external parties.
• Strong organisational skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Proficient in the Microsoft Office suite; comfortable with cloud-based tools and able to pick up new systems quickly.

Desirable:

• Experience working in a creative, luxury, or art-related environment.
• Familiarity with HR administration tools, like absence management systems.
• Experience supporting health and safety compliance in a small business setting.
• Some exposure to finance administration and payment processes.
• Familiarity with SharePoint or similar intranet or document management tools.
• Experience providing executive or senior administrative support to a director, founder, or equivalent.

Personal qualities:

• Approachable – this person will be a point of contact for the whole team and needs to be someone people feel comfortable going to.
• Calm and composed under pressure, with the ability to prioritise effectively when demands conflict.
• Adaptable – Lougher moves quickly and this role will evolve with it.
• Trustworthy and reliable, with a high level of discretion and sound judgement, particularly when handling sensitive and confidential business information.
• A proactive, solutions-oriented approach – able to identify what needs doing and act without being directed.

How to apply

Please send your CV and a formal covering letter by 8th May 2026. Tell us about your experience, why this role appeals to you and what you would bring to the team. We review applications on a rolling basis and may close the role early if we find the right person, so we encourage you to apply promptly. We are not accepting applications made directly through LinkedIn.