Job Description

Commercial Director, BMT

Birmingham Museums Trust is a multi-million business which generates around 60% of its own income from commercial and fundraising activities.  However, continued reduction in public sector grant funding means that the Trust, in common with many museums throughout the UK, continues to face financial challenges.  Its commercial activities are therefore a vital component of its financial sustainability strategy.

Birmingham Museums Trading Company has a budgeted turnover this year of £2.2m.  This is

made up of approximately £600k retail sales, £600k conference and banqueting and £1m food

and beverage.  90% of the commercial income is generated in the two main sites – Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) and ThinkTank, Birmingham’s science museum.  The other 10% is generated across six important heritage sites across the city. 50% of the net profit (after overheads) is generated from conference and banqueting, 30% from retail and 20% from food and beverage.  All of the profit generated by the Trading Company is covenanted back to the parent Charitable Trust at the end of the year to support its overall financial sustainability.

Birmingham Museums Trust is responsible to a Board of Trustees, and its commercial activities are the responsibility of a separate legal entity, Birmingham Museums Trading Ltd, run by its own Board.  The Trading Board currently meets every two months and receives performance, strategy and other reports from the executive, specifically the Director (who is a full member of the Trading Board), the Commercial Director and the Finance Director.  In turn the Trading Board reports performance to the main Board of Trustees which also currently meets every two months.

The Trading Board, on the advice of the Senior Management Team, has clear strategic priorities for growing revenues and improving profit through:

• Developing conference and banqueting (events) activities at all sites
• Developing all commercial at ThinkTank
• Supporting the Director in developing a culture of greater commercial
• awareness across all BMT’s activities
• Growing audiences and income generation across the heritage sites

 The post of Commercial Director is critical to the implementation and delivery of the

agreed strategic priorities and to the ongoing development and success of the Trust as a whole.