Director of Commercial Growth in Worthing

This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for shaping and delivering the organisation's commercial growth strategy. The organisation recognises significant unrealised potential across its venues and commercial activities and seeks a Director who can unlock this potential to deliver sustainable, long‑term income growth.

With the full support of the Executive, Senior Management Team, and both Trading and Charity Boards, the postholder will have genuine scope to influence strategic direction, strengthen financial resilience, and ensure commercial activity underpins the charity's mission and long‑term objectives. The role requires a highly analytical, data‑driven approach to commercial income generation, setting clear financial targets, improving profit margins, diversifying income streams, and developing new market opportunities.

• Develop and deliver a commercial venue hire strategy that diversifies income and achieves ambitious growth targets.
• Lead strategic development of bars, concessions, and food and beverage provision across all venues, including the Museum.
• Set and deliver a retail strategy to maximise gross profit.

Commercial Business Development

• Develop and lead a forward‑looking commercial growth strategy aligned with the charity's mission and long‑term financial sustainability.
• Identify and develop new commercial opportunities across the organisation, with a focus on maximising the potential of buildings, spaces, and public‑facing assets.
• Drive growth across existing income streams (venue hire, bars, retail) while identifying and testing new, innovative revenue opportunities.
• Work with the Director of Marketing & Sales to ensure market insight, audience behaviour, and competitor analysis inform commercial decision‑making.
• Report quarterly on commercial performance, risks, and opportunities to the Charity and Trading Subsidiary Boards.

Venue Hire

• Provide strategic leadership of the venue hire function, ensuring strong pipeline development, yield management, and profitability across all hires.
• Lead on business development for new hire markets including corporate events, life events, conferences, filming, and expanded Museum use.
• Represent WTM externally, building senior relationships with businesses and stakeholders to strengthen reputation and generate demand.
• Ensure venue usage aligns with WTM's brand and values, working with the Head of Programming to balance commercial hire with artistic and public programming priorities.
• Set pricing strategy, review and benchmark hire rates, and approve venue hire agreements, managing political or reputational risk in liaison with the Executive.
• Ensure effective sales, CRM usage, client relationship management, and high standards of customer service across the hire journey, supporting the Head of Customer Experience in training the team to achieve sales‑driven targets.
• Work with the Head of Technical & Production to monetise technical equipment hire.
• Develop commercial packages and commission rates, and develop preferred supplier arrangements.

Strategic Development - Secondary Spend

• Line manage the Head of Customer Experience, providing strategic direction and oversight of bars, concessions, and retail operations.
• Set and deliver a performance strategy to increase secondary spend across venues, informed by review of current provision, contracts, and working practices.
• Lead development of the Museum food and beverage operating model, including contract and lease arrangements.
• Work with the Head of Development to identify sponsorship opportunities linked to bars and concessions.
• Set retail and merchandise strategy to meet gross profit targets, reporting progress to the Trading Directors quarterly.

Customer Experience

• The Head of Customer Experience is responsible for operational delivery and reports to the Director of Commercial Growth.
• Provide leadership and oversight to ensure consistently high‑quality customer experience for all WTM users, including visitors, audiences, hirers, partners, and artists.
• Staffing models balance cost control with service quality, including consideration of volunteer roles.
• Policies and procedures ensure compliance with legal, licensing, and Health & Safety requirements.

Budgets, Contract Management and Reporting

• Set and monitor commercial KPIs with the Executive, ensuring strong financial controls, risk management, and clear reporting.
• Work with the Director of Finance & IT to agree annual commercial targets, budgets, and forecasts.
• Prepare business cases and plans for Executive and Trading Board approval as required.
• Contribute to WTM's Volunteering Strategy, identifying volunteer opportunities to support organisational growth.
• Ensure best value across commercial contracts and renewals, in line with procurement policy.
• Contribute to statutory reporting, including the Annual Trustee Report, and provide high‑quality data to support strategic decision‑making.

Key Holder

• Be a key holder and on call should issues occur out of hours.

What we expect from our Senior Managers

• Positive ambassador for WTM, ability to articulate our vision and inspire the team and external partners.
• Work closely with the Executive to deliver the Business Plan and strategic objectives of the organisation contributing to policies and procedures as required.
• Engage with Board members, attend Sub‑Committee and Board meetings, delivering reports and presentations as required.
• Adopt a holistic approach to the organisation working closely with all departments for the best outcome for the business.
• Lead by example, developing team member knowledge and skills, identifying personal development needs to support the effective delivery of WTM's objectives.
• Ensure all team members understand the Vision, Mission, Values, business objectives and artistic vision of the charity.
• Nurture a culture of collaboration, respect and team working.
• Manage change and workplace conflict effectively with teams, ensuring good communication.
• Responsibility for ensuring WTM's HR policies and procedures are implemented and the Code of Conduct is followed for direct line reports and the department.
• Hold quarterly department meetings with staff.
• Inclusion is everyone's responsibility and all of our everyday behaviours should create a more inclusive environment.
• Senior managers must be aware of their potential to influence others through their own inclusive, supportive and respectful behaviour to ensure this is the norm amongst teams.
• Be committed to environmental sustainability and taking positive action through this role.
• Ensure best practice in all areas of the department.

The post holder will be required to undertake such other duties as may be required within the grade and competence of the postholder. Therefore, the list of duties in this job description should not be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive. Please note duties will be set out in this job description but please note that WTM reserves the right to update the job description, from time to time, to reflect changes in, or to, the role. The post holder will be consulted about any proposed changes. Significant permanent changes in duties and responsibilities will require agreed revisions to be made to this job description.

Essential Experience, Skills and Knowledge

• Significant commercial experience with a strong track record of driving growth and increasing profitability across multiple income streams in a comparable environment.
• Demonstrable success in maximising profitability from commercial income streams, including venue hire, bars, concessions, and retail.
• Experience leading the redevelopment or strategic enhancement of bars and/or concessions to increase sales and margins.
• Strong experience negotiating and managing leases, commercial contracts, and supplier relationships.
• High level of financial acumen, with experience setting and managing budgets, forecasts, and financial projections to optimise resource allocation and delivery of financial objectives.
• Sound knowledge of licensing legislation and regulatory compliance relevant to public venues and commercial trading.
• Experience of procurement and commercial negotiation, securing value and strong returns from suppliers and partners.
• Confident and credible communicator, able to influence, challenge, and report effectively at Board and senior leadership level.
• Proven ability to build collaborative relationships and secure buy‑in from a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong track record of using data, insight, and performance metrics to inform strategic decision‑making.
• Understanding of theatre and venue operations, including relevant business and licensing regulations.
• Clear understanding of high‑quality customer care and its role in driving commercial performance.
• Understanding of charity governance and compliance requirements in relation to trading and commercial activity.

Essential skills for our Senior Managers

• Excellent budget management skills with an understanding and appreciation of the business needs to achieve financial targets and charitable objectives.
• Ability to work at a conceptual level as well as hands on delivery.
• Understanding of broader management functions beyond individual departments and apply a generous collaborative approach.
• Proven ability to manage and inspire a team.
• Excellent communication skills, ability to communicate effectively with our audiences, visitors, the general public and with a range of stakeholders.
• Effective conflict and change management skills.
• Practical knowledge of risk management.
• A flexible, positive and proactive approach to work.
• Able to prioritise the urgent and important, and proven ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Proven project management skills.
• Proven ability to write and present reports.
• Creative and proactive approach to problem solving.
• Skilled in the use of Microsoft Office and/or Google equivalent and department specific software.
• Up to date knowledge of GDPR and data protection requirements.
• Willingness to work flexibly and be available for some evening, weekend and bank holiday work.

Our Structure

At the top are the Board of Trustees and the Trading Subsidiary Directors. The Board of Trustees manage the Creative Director and Executive Director. The Executive Team manages The Senior Management Team. The Senior Management Team consists of Director of Marketing and Sales, Director of Commercial Growth, Director of Finance and IT, Head of Museum and Exhibitions, Head of Programming, Head of Technical and Production, Head of Buildings and Sustainability, Head of Development, Head of Customer Experience, HR Department and HR SLA.

Team Structure and Role Context

At the top is the Director of Commercial Growth. The Director of Commercial Growth manages the Head of Customer Experience and Venue Hire Coordinator. The Head of Customer Experience manages the Duty Managers, the Bars Duty Manager, the Bars Supervisor, and the Customer Experience Assistants.

Future Plans

The charity has ambitious plans for the large portfolio of venues with three large scale capital projects over the next ten years, starting with a redevelopment of the museum, taking the building back to its original open plan architecture and enabling the display of 30% of the collections (currently just 5%). This will be followed by a redevelopment of the Connaught Theatre and Studio and lastly the redevelopment of the Pavilion Theatre to increase the wing space (which will allow large scale musical performances) and add a balcony and raked seating giving every audience member a clear view of the stage.

Equal Opportunities

Worthing Theatres & Museum is a registered charity and pursues a policy of equal opportunities. Worthing Theatres & Museum values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination. We encourage and welcome applications from all backgrounds and all parts of the community. All applications are judged on merit. If you have any questions or require any support with the application process please get in touch with the HR team at hradmin@wtm.uk. Worthing Theatres and Museum is a Disability Confident Committed employer.