Sales Director

Hours: 3 days per week (minimum one day per week in Central London office)

Reports to: CEO

Liaises with: Company Executive Management, Senior Leadership Team

Preferred start date: TBC

The Opportunity:

We are a leading independent communications agency for the arts based in the heart of London, specialising in promoting cultural organisations and individuals across a variety of sectors, including art, music, festivals, prizes, museums, and books. Following a buy-out from the founding team in 2018, the business is owned by its management team. Since 2020 Midas has included a subsidiary, The Bks Agency, which provides agenting and literary representation to authors within the publishing industry. In 2024 the Midas Group became the parent company of Midas and The Bks Agency. Also in 2024, the business became international by opening up Midas US in New York.

We are 35 years young this year, and our vision for the company is still expanding, as we consolidate our Marketing and PR offering in the UK and our newly opened US office. As we continue to grow, we are looking for an ambitious, driven, and experienced Sales Director to join our team and lead new business acquisition across all cultural sectors. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with a strong sales background to make a significant impact on the business’s growth, while also benefiting from a rewarding commission-based compensation structure.

Our clients include the likes of Affordable Art Fair, Association of British Orchestras and BookTrust, festivals such as Henley Festival, S.O.U.L. Fest and Cliveden Literature Festival, literary prizes like the Windham Campbell Prizes, Dylan Thomas Prize and Wolfson History Prize, publishing industry comms for The London Book Fair, and with publishers including Headline, Pan Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Oxford Children’s, and Dialogue plus leading authors such as Patricia Cornwell and Maggie O’Farrell.

Who We Are Looking For:

We are seeking a strategic and results-oriented Sales Director who is passionate about culture and has a deep understanding of the sector. You’ll be an excellent communicator, highly skilled at identifying new business opportunities, building lasting relationships, and driving revenue growth. With a proactive, entrepreneurial mindset, you will thrive in a creative environment and be motivated by the chance to work with the best in the business.

Key Responsibilities:

• New Business Development: Identify and approach potential clients across the arts, books, dance, music, theatre, museums, and broader cultural sectors, using a variety of methods including proactive networking, outreach, and market research.
• Relationship Building: Cultivate and maintain strong, long-term relationships with key decision-makers in target organisations and with individual clients and broader industry stakeholders.
• Sales Strategy: Develop and implement a robust sales strategy that aligns with the agency’s growth objectives, ensuring a steady pipeline of new business opportunities.
• Pitching & Presentations: Lead the pitch process from initial contact to close, delivering compelling presentations and proposals tailored to the unique needs of each client.
• Collaboration: Work closely with internal teams to ensure smooth transitions from sales to account management, ensuring client satisfaction and the successful execution of projects.
• Market Intelligence: Stay informed about trends and developments in the cultural sector, and use this knowledge to refine sales strategies and identify emerging opportunities.
• Reporting: Track and report on sales activities and progress, providing regular updates to senior management and adjusting strategies as necessary. Implement and utilize CRM software and other resources where appropriate.

Skills & Experience:

• Proven track record in sales and new business development, ideally within the cultural sector or a related field (e.g., arts, media, entertainment, or nonprofit).
• Experience working with a wide range of clients in the arts and cultural sectors, with a deep understanding of their unique challenges and opportunities.
• Strong negotiation and closing skills, with the ability to convert leads into long-term, successful partnerships.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently, as well as part of a collaborative team.
• Knowledge of the London and wider UK cultural landscape and established networks within arts organisations, theatres, museums, and other cultural institutions is a plus.
• A track record of meeting and exceeding sales targets.

Attitudes and Attributes:

• Passionate about culture and the arts, with a genuine interest in supporting the growth of cultural organisations.
• Entrepreneurial, growth mindset, with the ability to take initiative and develop creative solutions to business challenges.
• Resilient and adaptable, able to navigate through the fast-paced and ever-changing nature of the cultural sector.
• A natural relationship-builder, with an empathetic, charismatic and client-focused approach.
• Results-driven and highly organised, with a strong attention to detail.
• A team player who can also work autonomously to achieve goals.
• Positive, proactive, and enthusiastic, with a drive to succeed and grow within the company.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is passionate about arts and culture and has the sales skills to match. If you’re looking for a rewarding opportunity where your efforts will directly contribute to the agency’s success, we’d love to hear from you.

What We’re Offering:

• A competitive starting salary dependent on experience starting at c. £40-K, plus commission and benefits
• The opportunity to work with some of the UK’s leading culture brands and creative individuals
• Career growth, and the opportunity to forge your own area of expertise and follow your passions
• A supportive team and a stimulating work environment
• A monthly culture club covered by the company, which in the past include theatre trips, gallery visits, pottery painting and cinema outings
• An annual culture bonus to a subscription/membership of your choice
• 23 days holiday plus extra gifted days for the two week office closure over Christmas and New Year
• A fantastic summer hours policy, where all staff can work extended days Mon-Thurs and take off Friday afternoons in the summer months – this time off is in addition to holiday allocation
• An enviable, vibrant location in the middle of the West End, sandwiched between Trafalgar and Leicester Squares, with all the amazing theatres, galleries and shops on our doorstep
• Regular opportunities to attend client cultural events such as book launches, awards, festivals, gallery openings etc.
• Free membership to the Arboretum member’s club in our building (London’s first net zero member’s club), which has a gym & table tennis
• Hybrid working with one day minimum in our offices in Central London
• Monthly Wellbeing Allowance
• Trained Mental Health First Aider onsite

To apply:

Please email a full CV with a covering letter to hr@midaspr.co.uk with the subject line: Sales Director APPLICATION (YOUR NAME)

Closing Date: 11th July

Midas is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make the application process accessible in line with your needs.