Project Manager

ABOUT AVANT ARTE

Avant Arte is a curated marketplace that makes discovering and collecting art radically more accessible for a new generation. Our team of passionate experts collaborate with leading contemporary artists from across the globe to create bespoke limited-edition artworks to browse and collect. We began as a cult blog of contemporary artists and since 2015 we've grown our community to over 3.3 million strong across more than 100 countries. We're proud to collaborate with leading contemporary artists to create limited edition works - from sculpture editions and works on paper to NFTs and hand-finished silkscreen prints.

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. 

WHAT WE NEED

We’re looking for an experienced, highly driven and organised Project Manager with a proactive and problem solving mindset to join our London team. Working closely with our Programme Management, Account Management, Warehouse, and Make-Ready (print studio) teams, you will be responsible for managing a portfolio of multiple projects with three key goals: ensuring projects are produced to our exacting quality standards, on-time, and on-budget.

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

Timeline management

• Manage a portfolio of projects at pace from inception to completion

• Coordinate with the entire cross-functional project team to meet all milestones on time

• Provide regular timeline updates and forecasts to relevant stakeholders

Risk management

• Proactively identify, manage, and escalate project risks

• Assess the impact of risks on product quality, project timelines, and project budgets

• Communicate risks, issues, and recommended actions to relevant stakeholders

Producer management

• Manage external and internal producers to achieve quality and cost goals

• Collaborate with producers to solve problems creatively

• Ensure producers have clear information and direction to meet project expectations (e.g., clear SLAs and quality benchmarks)

• Facilitate communication between producers and relevant stakeholders 

Budget management

• Demonstrate full accountability for project budgets to achieve profitability targets

• Gather necessary budget inputs from all stakeholders (e.g., production costs from the producer, logistics costs from the fulfilment team)

• Track project costs over time, provide regular budget updates, and identify opportunities for cost reduction

• Provide cost estimations to stakeholders across functions

The main skills we’re looking for are:

• Exceptional project management and organisation skills: you are a highly competent multitasker who thrives when simultaneously coordinating multiple projects and conversations, all moving at different speeds, to stay one step ahead. You work best in a fast-paced environment.

• Dependable and proactive: you thrive under pressure, keep a cool head in a crisis and are always looking for creative solutions to get the job done. You are driven, keep your eyes on the prize and always go the extra mile, earning you a reputation for being highly dependable.

• Strong communication and relationship building: you use your excellent communication and interpersonal skills to work sensitively with a diverse range of stakeholders. You work well independently but are also a strong team player who is willing to collaborate with others and work cross functionally.

• Growth mindset and continual improvement: you are always looking for a better or more efficient way of doing things. You are a fast learner and data savvy, always keeping an eye on the metrics that matter to track your progress as well as identify areas for improvement.

We think you’ll probably have:

• Experience in project management (or similar) role overseeing multiple work streams or projects at the same time

• Experience managing internal and external stakeholder relationships, including negotiating terms of engagement

• Familiarity with project management tooling/software e.g. Monday.com/Asana/Wrike etc.

• Experience implementing project management methodologies (PMI, Agile, Kanban, PRINCE2, Lean)

• Experience in a fast-paced environment (e.g., a startup) 

• Experience with, or an interest in, a production-style pipeline

• Ability to create project budgets and track costs throughout a project

• An interest in the contemporary visual arts

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.

BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• Generous equity allowance

• Private Healthcare (UK)

• Enhanced pension contributions and parental leave policies 

• 25 days of holiday plus four extra company wide days on Kings Day (national holiday in the Netherlands which falls in April) and for our winter office closure from 25th December to 1st January

• L&D budget of €1000 per year per employee

• Regular company socials