Head of Seller Experience & Private Sales, Client Service Operations Job at Sotheby's (London)

Job Description

The Head of Seller Experience & Pvt Sales will be a champion for their team within the wider business whilst also playing a critical role in ensuring the highest level of client experience is achieved. This role will operate as part of the global Service Operations community where a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and standardization is practiced and promoted at all levels of management. He / She will oversee a team of Pre-Sale Managers and Coordinators in support of the Seller experience as well as a team of Private Sale Coordinators (with responsibility for the pre-sale and post-sale tasks as part of the Private Sale journey). The role will need to drive forward efficiencies and promote consistency by ensuring adherence to best practice (including taking part in the daily tasks of the team as required). The role requires a strong client service focus, as well as an ability to provide guidance to team members, internal and external stakeholders as well as global clients across both the Auction Seller journey and private sale.

Job Responsibility

Set and deliver priorities for Client Service Operations team in London taking into account global Operations and Service Operations strategy and enterprise level projects, leveraging counterparts in other London based pods as well as geographic locations to drive consistency and best practice
Help co-ordinate Seller Experience high level queries and with other sale locations promote efficiency and consistency across global sale rooms
Work in partnership with Pre-Sale Managers to manage overall seller experience resource to balance workload/business needs with staffing and promote consistency within group
Partner with Managers to recruit, coach and train the team
Run weekly regular meetings with team to identify required actions & departmental issues
Represent and communicate on behalf of the Pre-sale and Pvt Sale Teams with both the associated departments as well as other areas of the business (Risk Management, Operations, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Valuations) to ensure efficiency in shared procedures
Advise on Client Service Operations structure where necessary to ensure best practice is followed and escalation/cascade is clearly defined
Work with Service Operations partners at all levels, both regionally and globally to ensure processes are consistent throughout
Drive efficiencies by identifying and implementing changes to processes and promoting best practice to improve client service where possible
Implement applicable company directives and policies, ensuring information is communicated to all relevant areas
Manage client escalations, resolving and managing complaints as and when required
Actively promote the Seller Experience Department within the wider business
Take ownership of high profile or complex accounts where required and work with the relevant teams, Expert Departments, Legal etc
Provide timely approvals in line with Corporate Governance and business requirements
Partner with European teams to ensure consistent delivery of Seller Experience and find opportunities for continuous improvement
Manage/Monitor concessions for the Seller Experience Department
Work with 3 rd party support teams to ensure correct procedures and policies are in place and updated where required. Also ensuring SLA’s are set and are being met
Own and manage central data sources e.g. intranet, forms
Collate documents required for audit, respond to findings, and implement remedies
In partnership with Learning and Development and relevant support departments, manage new starter, on-going training and development program for the Seller Experience team
Coordinate testing change management and help with communications
Contribute to initiatives and projects in line with company strategy
Work closely with the Pre-sale Managers to oversee Marquee sale deadlines, ensuring deliverables are completed on time, especially for exhibition opening and sale day
Proactively support Aged Inventory initiatives, collaborating with the GM/SD and Pre-sale Coordinators to efficiently resolve affected items
Vendor Management – Collaborate with other parts of Service Operations where vendor relationships are shared e.g. Inbound Shipping
Partner with Specialists to oversee vendor relationships integral to the Pre-sale process, including Authentication, Restoration, Conservation and Framing
Manage overall resources of the and balance workload with staffing across the business, including single owner sales and project management of complex mixed consignments
Ensure there is adequate Coordinator cover to the departments at all times and of their respect of short deadlines and accommodation of last minute requests
Ensure departments are meeting their own deadlines to ensure coordinators can do the work efficiently
Solve any conflict – with the assistance of the Director of Service Operations if needed - recurring issues due to departments non-respect of SLAs or inefficiencies of the coordinator
Partner with Coordinators to develop their independence and self-sufficiency and champion their professional development. Identify and map talent and ensure career progression
Set goals and conduct annual performance reviews as required
Recruit Managers and Coordinators for roles as required and plan temporary resources as and if needed
Represent and communicate on behalf of the Seller Experience & Pvt Sales team with other areas of the business (other areas of Service Operations, Risk Management, Operations, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Valuations) to ensure efficiency in shared procedures
Run regular meetings with team to help prioritize, identify any departmental issues and identify required actions and cross team support
Support Managers and Coordinators with questions regarding non-standard agreements and terms and other complex issues as they arise
Advise on CG sign off as required
Act as a central point of contact for all queries
Keep up to date with Compliance regulations, update the coordinators and ensure they follow the correct guidelines
Drive efficiencies by identifying and implementing improvements to administrative process and promoting best practice to improve client service where possible
Implement applicable company directives and policies, ensuring information is communicated to all relevant areas
Contact point for sale administration process with other offices to promote efficiency and consistency across global sale rooms
Collate documents required for audit, respond to findings, and implement remedies
In partnership with Learning and Development and relevant support departments, manage new starter administrative training programmes
In partnership with Learning and Development and relevant support departments, create and manage on-going training and development programmes for Coordinators
Plan and coordinate Pre-sale specific training schedules, including annual refreshers on private sales, complex terms, guarantees, and irrevocable bids
Identify and prioritise global administrative requirements, write and submit specifications
Coordinate testing and change management and help with communications
Contribute to initiatives and projects in line with company strategy
Work constantly with other stakeholders in Service Operations to improve processes and improve client experience

Requirements

Degree holder with at least 8/10+ years’ experience in a related field
Management and leadership skills with a team subject to deadline pressures and high tempo activity
Excellent written and verbal communication skills and a demonstrable ability to work directly with clients
IT literate, familiar with financial databases and be able to learn and understand new systems quickly
Team player who brings enthusiasm and energy to the task at hand
A flexible approach - both in exploring new methods and approaches where appropriate and to the support of late running sales, covering short term absences within the department and off-site sales
Able to prioritize workload and solve problems independently
Resilience and ability to deal with challenges whilst taking a proactive and flexible approach to ensure exceptional standards of service are maintained at all times
Strong organisational skills and the ability to delegate effectively
Ability to work with and influence stakeholders at all levels

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Head of Seller Experience & Private Sales, Client Service Operations

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