Auctions Operations Assistant

**Job Purpose**:
The Auction Operations Assistant must be highly organised and fastidious to detail. Being able to work on several tasks simultaneously, while also being able to meet constant deadlines is necessary. You should ensure the back office functions of the Auction department are administered efficiently and effectively, suggesting improvements and helping improve new systems where required.

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Co-ordinate with the Head of Auctions Operations to ensure all Auction procedures are as streamlined and efficient as possible.
- Help introduce more efficient and digital auction systems
- Ensure all bidders and vendors are dealt with professionally and all information is efficiently processed
- Assist in ensuring that all Auctions are carried out in a professional manner
- Review and suggest improvements to existing structure and systems regularly
- Ensure bidders and vendors are made to feel we are offering a premium and professional service
- Help with all tasks where required to ensure the department hits budgets and targets
- Provide an accurate and efficient administrative service to all staff within the office
- Work with other departments to identify potential leads

**Pre-Sale**:

- Ensuring technology is functioning correctly, sales are created and loaded correctly
- Produce reports for the Managing Director and specialists to facilitate the lotting of sales
- Work with the Managing Director to produce targeted mailing lists and target client groups for each sale
- Produce reports for departments for sales
- Label boxes and lots and manage storage effectively
- Stock check to ensure everything lotted is present before each sale is held
- Upload sales to 3rd party networks, SAN/Philasearch etc
- Ensuring client documents are sent in line with the flow of materials
- Pre-Sale advice/Valuation reports

**Clients**:

- Provide information and receipts for third party vendors
- Ensure that all material taken in is recorded according to laid-down procedures and stored securely.
- Ensure that monthly stocktakes and chase-ups are carried out for material held unprocessed.
- Help introduce new systems to better organise client material
- Maintaining consignment reports and client accounts, staying vigilant with compliance, receipting property, keeping accurate records, following up with post auction sales, insurance claims, and purchase orders.
- Ensure that all customer inquiries are dealt with and replied to effectively and promptly
- Ensure good customer relations, noting attention to top grade customers. Identify customers’ collecting interests and ensure that they are sent appropriate details and information.
- Keep the mailing list secure at all times and assist in its up keep.
- Handle and take payments from clients ensuring all information is held securely per company policies

**Auction Sales**:

- Assist in the physical organisation of auction lots
- Ensure that information on the Auction website is accurate and up to date, working with the marketing department to promote auctions
- Review other auctions in order to keep up to date with current trends/situations
- Work with other departments to identify leads
- Responsible for managing client bids, including the input of bids/telephone bids and client requests
- Run credit reports to ensure clients are bidding within their levels
- Managing the Auction clerks on Auction day
- Post sale reconciliation
- Invoicing of all winning bidders on sale day

**Auctions Processing/Post Sale**:

- Ensure all bids are recorded on the auction platform as received and close sales according to deadlines, ensuring that procedures are adhered to in accordance with the terms and conditions.
- Create sales on Saleroom and link to Auction Marketer
- Cooperate with the Accounts department to ensure timely production and despatch of invoices, ensuring that all VAT rules, Company policies and accounts procedures are adhered to, in particular with regard to issuing vendor receipts and credit card fraud.
- Ensure that arrangements for payment and despatch of lots in a timely manner are maintained.
- Assist with the working of the auctions system and suggest improvements where appropriate. Cooperate with the IT department to make changes.
- Breaking the sale, ensuring no errors
- Send post sale advice to vendors including advice on unsold items and reoffer options
- Manage and receive payments - working inline with the Auctions Ledger Clerk
- Ensure lots are released inline with client credit status
- Dealing with aftersales/working with the Managing Director and vendor to aid large clear out deals
- Working with the Managing Director and Auctions Ledger Clerk to ensure invoices are paid in time
- Work with the Auctions Ledger Clerk and Managing Director to process vendor settlement statements inline with payout days
- Unsold material to be processed and entered into holding area to allow sales to be closed off
- **General**_
- Investigating new