Senior Marketing and Press Officer

THE WALLACE COLLECTION

The Wallace Collection is an internationally outstanding collection which contains unsurpassed masterpieces of paintings, sculpture, furniture, arms and armour and porcelain. Built over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, it is one of the finest and most celebrated collections in the world. So that it could be kept together and enjoyed by generations of visitors, the collection was given to the British Nation in 1897 and opened to the public in June 1900. It was an astonishing bequest and one of the greatest gifts of art works ever to be transferred into public ownership. The museum is internationally famous for its collection of French eighteenth-century art, Arms and Armour and for its Old Master paintings.

The museum is managed by the Director Dr Xavier Bray, who reports to a board of Trustees appointed by the Prime Minister, and is financed by a combination of grant-in-aid from central government and self-generated income.

We aim to engage with and diversify our audience and, before the pandemic, we attracted over 450,000 visitors a year to the museum.

SALARY

The salary for this post is between £32,000 to £38,000 per annum dependent on skills and experience.

OUR PRIORITIES

The Collection is committed to providing access to as wide a public as possible and to helping visitors engage with this diversity. Our goal is to create a place of understanding, cultural pluralism, curiosity and learning. To do this, we plan to create a world-class visitor experience for all ages which stimulates engagement with our collection through a new programme of exhibitions, major gallery refurbishments and an enhanced and expanded digital presence.

Our strategic priorities are to:

• To maintain, research and preserve the Collection for future generations;
• To broaden and deepen visitor engagement, connecting with audiences onsite and digitally;
• To build and support a strong exhibition programme;
• To lay a strong financial foundation for the future; and
• To embark upon a Masterplan programme to transform the museum.

ROLE SUMMARY

To develop and grow the Collection’s physical and digital audiences through targeted marketing, influencer and PR campaigns, with specific focus on exhibitions, revenue programming and emerging strategic objectives. Collaborate with internal colleagues and external partners to successfully platform content, secure new marketing opportunities, forge stronger relationships with press, and cultivate online communities.

This role reports to the Head of Digital and Audiences.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

Marketing and Influencer Campaigns:

• With the Head of Digital and Audiences and contracted media agencies, conceive and deliver effective marketing campaigns including media planning across print, digital, OOH and onsite.
• Conceive, write and schedule engaging paid and promoted social content to support the Collection’s exhibitions, revenue programming and emerging strategic objectives.
• Conceive and deliver paid partnership and organic influencer campaigns.
• Seek opportunities to work with external partners on reciprocal social media/PR initiatives.
• Work with audience insights colleagues and visitor data to ensure campaigns are tailored and effective in attracting target audiences and underpinning the Audience Development Strategy.
• Manage media requests including facilitating photoshoots, filming and image requests.
• Secure listings and other media coverage for the Collection’s exhibitions and programmes.

Press:

• Working closely with the Collection’s press agency, cultivate relationships with key press and media contacts including editors, journalists, freelancer writers and photographers.
• Plan and manage press views and early press for the Collection’s exhibitions and displays.
• Manage the Collection’s Press inbox, responding to enquiries for information and images.

Owned Channels and Assets:

• Conceive, write and deliver engaging organic content for the Collection’s social channels, commissioning new and varied content when feasible.
• Write, design and schedule the Collection’s regular subscriber e-news; coordinate and oversee the wider e-news portfolio for the Collection, ensuring consistency of brand and voice.
• Be proactive in identifying new content opportunities, working with the wider Digital and Audience team to shape and create new written and filmed content for social and web.
• Manage the Collection’s online communities on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, facilitating conversations and identifying and resolving queries/DMs.
• Manage stakeholder relationships across the Collection, ensuring consistency with brand and visual identity.

General:

• Design marketing material where feasible.
• Collate and prepare relevant KPIs and other statistical data, and maintain and improve administrative systems to ensure effective recordkeeping and easy retrieval of information.
• Record budgetary spend and maintain accurate invoice and payment records; uphold the department’s Service Agreement framework.
• Ensure proactive compliance with the Collection’s policies.
• Undertake other appropriate duties as reasonably directed by the Collection.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential:

• Extensive experience of conceiving and delivering effective marketing campaigns for an audience/client-focused organisation, preferably within the culture/heritage/voluntary sector.
• Demonstrable experience of working with press and media agencies and/or working directly with press contacts and delivering media planning.
• Demonstrable experience of social platform management and online community cultivation.
• Experience of writing engaging promotional copy and/or press releases.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to communicate clearly and effectively.
• Highly-developed interpersonal skills with the ability to work with a wide range of individuals.
• Strong time management skills with an ability to plan effectively and manage competing priorities successfully.
• Ability to problem-solve and work on own initiative without close supervision.
• Good knowledge of Mailchimp and Later/social scheduling tools, as well as mainstream design software e.g. InDesign and administrative packages including CRMs, Microsoft Office365 and Zoom.

Desirable:

• Experience of contributing to Audience Development strategies and in content creation.

HOW TO APPLY

Please complete the Application Form, and the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form, following the links provided on our website. Please note the equal opportunities form is used for monitoring purposes only and does not form part of the selection process.

Both forms should be emailed by midnight 02/10/2024. Please note late applications or applications via a CV will not be considered.

Interviews for the role will take place on week commencing, 07/10/2024. Candidates who have been shortlisted for interview will be contacted after the closing date. Due to the large number of applications we receive, it will not be possible to contact or give feedback to candidates who have not been shortlisted for interview.

Start date: As soon as possible

Appointment to the role is subject to a satisfactory Basic Disclosure check. The Wallace Collection is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.