Framing Manager

ABOUT AVANT ARTE

Avant Arte is a curated platform connecting the world’s leading artists and public arts institutions with a new generation of enthusiasts, collectors and patrons. We collaborate with the most exciting contemporary artists such as Ai Weiwei, Mickalene Thomas, Maurizio Cattelan and Jenny Holzer to create limited editions of the highest quality, from prints and sculptures to digital works.

Our global community of over 4 million collectors and art enthusiasts reflects the growing energy and curiosity of a new generation transforming how art is discovered and supported. Together with leading museums and institutions, we develop fundraising collaborations that strengthen public access to art and engage the new generation of patrons who will shape its future. Make-Ready, our North London print studio, is the largest fine art silkscreen printmaker in the world.

Our mission is to make discovering and collecting art more accessible, connecting artists, institutions and audiences in meaningful ways that expand art’s reach and impact.

OUR CULTURE

We’re a small team with really big ambitions, both for what we want to achieve and also the environment we’re building. We want to create a company that remains thoughtful as we scale and tries to be genuinely progressive in how we operate. We want people to really own what they do and be given the autonomy and freedom to make mistakes, learn, and create something meaningful.

We all work incredibly hard because we really care about what Avant Arte is here to do – we’re looking for exceptional people who are proactive, hungry to learn, and want to put their pride in our collective achievements.

We know that creating an inclusive environment that promotes and values diversity is critical if we want to build something with impact and meaning. We believe that having diversity in age, background, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective will make us an infinitely better company. We were shortlisted for Women in Tech’s Best Employer - Small Company and Best Benefits, and Otta’s top 100 startups to work at.

THE ROLE

We’ve brought framing in house. Our framing warehouse in Amsterdam is set up and our team of framers is in place, and we’re now looking for a Framing Manager to lead it. You’ll run day-to-day production and set the standard for every work that leaves the studio. You’ll also complete the team, with a couple more hires planned over the coming weeks, and grow the operation as demand from our collectors increases. You’ll spend around 50% of your time at the bench.

We really do encourage everyone to proactively step outside of their job description if they see something that could be improved, but the core of your role will involve the following.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

Production management

• Oversee all aspects of Avant Arte’s framing operation, from order intake to quality control

• Own and refine Avant Arte’s framing standards and the processes that ensure they’re met

• Frame fine art prints and works on paper

• Optimise throughput and drive efficiency to meet framing output KPIs

• Identify new framing techniques and foster continuous improvement

• Track framing project costs, labour hours and material usage to inform budgeting and pricing

Scaling the operation

• Plan capacity, workflow and equipment needs as volumes grow

• Spot bottlenecks early and improve layout, process and tooling to keep output high

Materials management

• Manage inventory of framing materials, tools and equipment

• Manage supplier relationships, and identify and source new materials and vendors

Quality control

• Maintain high standards of quality to meet collector expectations

• Develop and enforce quality control measures to minimise errors while meeting output targets

Team leadership

• Lead, train and develop our existing team of framers

• Hire a couple more framers over the coming weeks and onboard them into the team

• Own health and safety within the framing department

EXPERIENCE YOU’LL HAVE

The main skills we’re looking for are:

• Fine-art framing

• Operations and production management

• People management, including hiring and training

• Process improvement

You’ll also probably have

• Experience running a fine-art framing operation at scale

• Experience managing and developing other framers

• Nice to have: experience growing or scaling a production team

• Nice to have: experience framing prints and/or works on paper

Don’t meet every single requirement? Avant Arte is dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic team, so we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

WHAT THIS ROLE IS NOT

• A bench-only framing role – around half your time will be spent leading the team, running production and improving the operation

• A set-up project – the warehouse and core team are already in place, so the focus is on running, improving and growing what’s there

• A remote or hybrid role – the role is onsite in Amsterdam 5 days per week

THE DETAILS

• Location: Amsterdam, onsite 5 days per week

• Hours: Monday to Friday, full time

• Contract: Permanent

BENEFITS

• Generous equity allowance

• Enhanced pension contributions

• 25 days of holiday, plus two extra company-wide days on King’s Day (a national holiday in the Netherlands in April) and Christmas Eve

• L&D budget of €1,000 per year

• Regular company socials

INTERVIEW PROCESS

We’ll keep you updated at every stage, and you’ll hear from us within 7 days of applying.

1. A short call with our Hiring Manager (30 minutes)

2. A trial day at our framing studio in Amsterdam, where you’ll frame a piece and meet the team

3. A tour of our warehouse and a conversation about operations and production

4. A final conversation with our Director of Operations and the Hiring Manager about running and growing the operation

We welcome applications from everyone and are happy to make adjustments at any stage – just let us know.