Location
Not specified

Hours
Full Time - 6 month project with possibility to extend

Salary
£50,000 - £60,000 for 6 month project

About the Role
Independent Art Fair is seeking a disciplined, hands-on Senior Project Manager to support operational planning, cross-functional coordination, and fair execution. Reporting to the Chief Operations Officer, this role works closely with management and internal departments to manage timelines, workflows, operational communications, and project delivery across Independent and Independent 20th Century. The Senior Project Manager serves as a central coordination point between teams and external partners, ensuring projects remain organized, on schedule, and operationally aligned from planning through onsite execution.

This leadership position requires a passion for systems and processes, with a key focus on coaching and mentoring young teams to shape mindsets and foster growth.

Key Responsibilities
- Lead project planning and operational coordination across multiple concurrent initiatives and fair timelines
- Build and manage detailed project schedules, trackers, operational workflows, and departmental deliverables
- Maintain visibility across interdependent workstreams and proactively identify operational risks, bottlenecks, and scheduling conflicts
- Drive accountability across teams and ensure timely follow-through on action items and deliverables
- Support operational decision-making and escalation management during high-pressure project phases
- Provide strategic leadership through effective coaching and mentorship
- Serve as a central point of coordination between leadership and internal departments including production, exhibitor relations, marketing, VIP, programming, and operations
- Lead recurring cross-department meetings and maintain clear communication across stakeholders
- Ensure operational consistency and alignment across internal systems, timelines, and communications
- Support implementation and refinement of internal workflows, processes, and project management systems
- Coordinate with production consultants, contractors, vendors, and service providers throughout planning and onsite execution
- Support fair installation, live event operations, troubleshooting, and breakdown logistics
- Oversee operational readiness across departments during active fair periods
- Assist in managing onsite issue resolution and real-time operational problem-solving
- Maintain organized operational documentation, reports, schedules, and project archives
- Support leadership with reporting, planning, and postmortem processes
- Assist with onboarding and knowledge transfer during transition periods
- Assist with financial true-ups and vendor payments
- Drive protocols for using systems across the organization (e.g., Hubspot, Monday.com, Slack, Dropbox)
- Develop and maintain rules around system usage and maintenance
- Work with stakeholders and consultants on transitions from legacy systems to updated systems

Experience
- 10+ years in project management, event operations, exhibition management, live events, or related operational leadership roles
- Strong experience managing complex cross-functional projects with multiple stakeholders and overlapping deadlines
- Experience managing vendors, production timelines, and operational logistics
- Proficiency with project management platforms such as Monday.com, Asana, Airtable
- Proficiency with office systems such as Google Workspace, Microsoft Office
- Proficiency with CRM systems such as Hubspot, Salesforce, or similar platforms
- Experience within art fairs, exhibitions, galleries, cultural organizations, hospitality, or live events is valued

About you
- Excellent organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills
- Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments
- Strong judgment, prioritization, and escalation management capabilities
- Passionate about systems and processes with a willingness to teach and mentor young teams
- Leadership mindset with ability to coach and shape team culture

Qualifications
No specific formal qualifications required beyond relevant experience and demonstrated skills.