Job Description

We are looking for a Sales Manager to support the Events Team during Q3 and help drive business for Q4 of our sales strategy. This is a temporary contract for 3 months, whilst one of the team is on extended leave.

The Sales Manager will support the Head of Events in continuing to build Woolwich Works’ commercial event hire business, and lead on delivering a complex sales pipeline to ensure a steady revenue stream from venue hire.

The Trust doesn’t receive ongoing revenue funding or subsidy, and all our income is used to run the organisation for the benefit of our community. The Sales Manager is responsible for acquiring substantial commercial events business to sit alongside our cultural and community activities, ensuring that the Trust makes enough money to run and look after its buildings and deliver creative opportunities for its community both in them and beyond.

The ideal candidate will be comfortable with the terminology of venue hire contracts and with negotiating terms and conditions with a variety of clients. They will have the ability to write budget narrative, with the skill to analyse data and build models in Excel for reporting. Managing invoices, reconciliation, and budget tracking will be a day-to-day task, ensuring financial records and contract information are accurate and up to date across the databases, including Artifax Event.

The Sales Manager will also be responsible for continuing to manage the annual Sales Strategy with the Marketing Team, that includes maintaining directories, growing client base, campaigns and asset builds, to proactively drive revenue targets.

Is this job for you?

We’re looking for a commercial event sales professional. You’ll have a proven track record of selling both large-scale and mid-scale venue spaces. You’ll be passionate about the events industry, motivated about securing commercial business, and dogged in the pursuit of ambitious targets. Experience in an arts or entertainment environment would be an advantage, but not essential. You’ll need to be comfortable managing conflicting demands and priorities, and with contributing to setting something up from scratch. Mostly, you’ll be excited by the potential of our venues, confident and innovative in your ability to sell them, and passionate about the vital contribution your commercial success will make to the Trust’s overarching ambitions and objectives.

The intended start date would be W.C 15^th September 2025 – finishing W.C 15^th December 2025. We are happy to discuss slight adjustments to this start and end period for the right candidate.

Key Responsibilities

As Sales Manager, you’ll lead on driving commercial venue hire across our unique event spaces. You’ll manage client relationships, oversee bookings, support marketing activity, and ensure sales targets are met. Working closely with the wider Events Team, you’ll play a key role in maximising revenue, ensuring smooth event delivery, and maintaining high customer satisfaction.

1. Proactively sell event space across the venues of types and scales, achieving substantial annual sales targets as determined by the Director and Head of Events.
2. Manage inbound hire enquiries, responding promptly and professionally, referring any prospective leads to the relevant colleague where needed.
3. Manage agency relationships to support sales and ensure strong return on investment for the Trust.
4. Oversee the Sales & Bookings Administrator to ensure timely handling of enquiries, bookings and site visits, and accurate updates to the Artifax Event calendar.
5. Work with the Marketing Team on B2B campaigns and deliver the commercial sales strategy, including attending trade shows and other industry events in a sales capacity.
6. Maximise upselling and cross-selling of goods and services and ensure costs are tracked, billed and invoiced correctly.
7. Collaborate with approved suppliers to promote and deliver high quality events, supporting the Head of Events in supplier and contractor management.
8. Update the weighted sales pipeline weekly to support budget forecasting and reporting. Draft narrative reports for Heads of Department and the Senior Management Team .
9. Deputise for the Head of Events in sales decisions, client liaison and reporting when required.
10. Draft and issuer contracts in accordance with the Trust’s policies, procedures and terms and conditions, ensuring that all events are appropriately contracted, deposits are received, and key information is collected and shared internally in good time.
11. Identify key dates in the London events calendar and contribute to venue diary planning and management to maximise commercial opportunities. Ensure all enquiries are logged early and regularly reviewed.
12. Support the Events Team during delivery to ensure smooth operations and monitor customer feedback to maintain high satisfaction.

General responsibilities

• Undertake designated responsibilities, such as a First Aider, Fire Marshal or Duty Manager if required and appropriately trained.
• Ensure full compliance with all relevant legal, licensing, health and safety, safeguarding, and internal policy requirements.
• Support the development of future talent by welcoming and mentoring work experience placements, interns and apprentices, creating an inclusive and supportive environment.
• Promote and maintain a safe working environment, following the Trust’s Health and Safety Policy and all other relevant policies, procedures and encouraging others to do the same.
• Protect the organisation’s data and information assets, ensuring all work complies with the Trust’s data protection policies and the Data Protection Act 2018.
• Take personal responsibility for ongoing learning, undertaking training and professional development as required to meet the evolving needs of the organisation.
• Always act in the best interests of the Trust, complying fully with all relevant organisational policies and procedures.
• Carry out any other duties reasonably expected of the role.

Person Specification

We’ll decide whether to invite you for an interview by reviewing your application against the responsibilities above and the skills below.

Essential skills and experience

• Experience in event sales in a relevant comparator venue or organisation and currently employed in a similar sales role
• A proven track record of securing high value new commercial event business and securing income in excess of £500k per year
• A proven track record in commercial event client retention
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Passionate about people, communities, diversity and inclusion
• Experience of working in a commercial events role in a mixed-use arts or entertainment venue and sharing space
• Working knowledge and skill in Microsoft Excel

Desirable skills and experience

• Experience of working commercially in a not-for-profit environment
• Marketing and communications experience
• A working knowledge of Artifax Event
• An in-depth knowledge of the Royal Borough of Greenwich
• A substantial and active contact base associated with existing event business for which Woolwich Works would be suitable and appealing
• If we invite you for an interview, we’ll explore your suitability for the job based on the contents of your application, this job description and our Competency Framework.