London, UK
Inventory/facilities technician
at David Gill Gallery
David Gill Gallery is seeking an inventory/facilities technician to join its team in London.
Inventory and facilities technician
Position type: full-time
Salary: on application
Closing date: end of February 2020
Working hours: 9 am–6 pm, Monday-Friday (and additional hours where required)
Reporting to: sales and production teams
David Gill Gallery is seeking an inventory and facilities technician to join their team in London. The successful candidate will be a highly organised, detail-orientated multi-tasker with excellent communication, interpersonal and time-management skills. The ability to work confidently, accurately and flexibly under pressure is essential and they will enjoy the high volume and complexity of the role. They will be a team player but will equally be able to manage their own time and prioritise tasks with attention to time-sensitivity.
Job description
Managing stock and storage:
- as inventory and facilities technician, it will be your responsibility to ensure that the store-rooms and warehouses are immaculate and that all pieces are labelled and stored safely
- conducting quarterly stock checks and reviews (and more checks when required) across the gallery and all storage locations will be an essential part of your role, you will work with the database engineer to develop a movement log so that movements can be easily tracked and you will ensure that the digital inventory is fully up to date for the sales and production teams
- keeping accurate digital archives of all shipping documents including but not limited to collection notes, delivery notes and condition reports will be a large focus of your role, you will also coordinate and purchase packing supplies from outside vendors while tracking expenses and maintaining an inventory of these supplies along with an inventory of tools
Condition checks and quality control:
- with exceptional attention to detail, you will be responsible for meticulously
condition checking gallery pieces, while in constant communication with the production and sales teams, you will assess pieces (which as well as stock pieces will also be those sold to clients, going out on loan, arriving on consignment etc) and write up detailed reports, ensuring that no information is missing, you will then file the reports on the server and the database in excellent clerical order - you will be responsible for taking measurements and weights of pieces and packaging and you will ensure that all of this information is on file and easily accessible on the database
- on occasion, you will be required to conduct minor restorations, maintenance and polishing on pieces, training from the production team will be provided and you must liaise with them to ensure that the steps you take are correct
Art handling, gallery display and facilities maintenance:
- you will arrange and oversee collections and deliveries at the Gallery and other locations, for larger gallery installs and projects – you will be overseeing a large team of external contractors and shippers and will have a strong and proven ability to motivate a team working under pressure – it will be your responsibility to ensure that installation instructions are followed by the teams and that the artworks are safe at all times, when pieces move or after installs – it will be your responsibility to ensure that the lighting is correct, on occasion (especially after installs), it will be necessary to stay after hours to ensure the lighting is perfect
- a large part of your role will be to install and assist in the handling of artworks for the gallery, clients and the CEO’s, you will have proven experience of providing technical solutions to installation problems and the ability to think laterally to achieve your goals – you will be confident in packing works safely and securely for storage and delivery to clients where necessary- during deliveries, you will assist with the loading and offloading from trucks
- the Gallery must be immaculate at all times and you will be responsible for ensuring that this is the case – you will conduct daily walkthroughs of the gallery space when you are in SW1 and ensure that all walls are perfectly painted, lightbulbs are all working and that the space is clean and tidy – using your strong maintenance skills, you will be able to repair walls and other areas of the gallery and offices as and when required
- as main keyholder for the SW1 and SE11 sites, you will understand that you may need to attend security call-outs out of office hours if, for example, alarms are tripped or there is damage caused by inclement weather – you will book and liaise with painters and decorators, electricians, air conditioning engineers, fire safety personnel and all other necessary contractors as and when needed – regular services such as PAT testing, emergency light testing and fire extinguisher checks will need to be coordinated and supervised by you
Experience and qualifications
The successful candidate must have:
- experience in handling, packing and installing works of art and design or equivalent fragile works
- exceptional attention to detail and experience in condition checking or quality control
- a strong track record of being able to clearly follow instructions and prioritise
- excellent communication skills and the ability to motivate a team – a large part of the role will involve the supervision of external contractors (for logistics and facilities) and communication with the rest of the gallery team throughout the day
- flexibility in terms of working hours (the nature of gallery and logistics roles demand working evenings, early mornings and weekends when required by the business)
- excellent DIY and maintenance skills, including being experienced and confident in the use of ladders and tools (including power tools such as drills)
- the ability to lift at least 25 KG as the role involves regular manual handling
- adaptability and the ability to be self-motivating – the job role covers multiple locations and will involve travel on a daily basis
- an impeccable manner and smart but practical way of dressing – it is important to realise you will be representing the Gallery when in contact with clients
- proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (for PC)
- excellent memory and the ability to take useful notes at busy times
- full comprehension of the spoken and written English language
- a valid UK Passport with at least six months validity
In addition to the above, the following skills and experience are desired but not essential at commencement of employment, if you do not have the skills denoted by an asterisk (*), please disclose this at interview stage so that training can be arranged:
- proficiency in FileMaker Pro databases*
- PAT certificate for PAT testing lamps and electrical artworks*
- clean UK driving license
- experience in quality control or condition checking would be helpful given that this will be a large focus of the role
- condition checking involves taking many client-friendly documentary photographs so an interest in photography would be useful
Additional information
Please note that this role will mainly be based in SW1 (on average two-three days per week), UB5 (on average two-three days per week), and SE11 (when required) so candidates must be able to easily commute to all of these locations. Interviews will take place in SW1. A background check will be required for this position.