Exhibitions Manager
Position: Exhibitions Manager
Organisation: Somerset House Trust
Department: Exhibitions
Location: London, UK
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Working arrangement: Hybrid, normally three office days per week
Salary: £38,000–£42,000 annually
Reports to: Senior Exhibitions Manager
Application deadline: 13 September 2026
Right to work: Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK
About the role
Somerset House Trust seeks an Exhibitions Manager to lead the development and delivery of exhibitions, commissions, and installations within its multidisciplinary programme.
The role involves managing loan and touring exhibitions alongside complex installations and commissions with contemporary artists. The successful candidate will work with artists, curators, designers, contractors, and internal departments to produce accessible, culturally relevant exhibitions for broad audiences.
Responsibilities
The Exhibitions Manager will:
- Manage exhibitions and commissions from initial development through installation, delivery, and deinstallation
- Develop and monitor project schedules and complex exhibition budgets
- Coordinate internal teams, artists, curators, designers, lenders, and contractors
- Negotiate loan agreements, contracts, insurance, transport, and display arrangements
- Appoint shipping agents and manage national and international transportation
- Oversee tender processes and the appointment of contractors
- Work with 2D and 3D designers on exhibition layouts and detailed designs
- Coordinate exhibition builds, installations, and deinstallations
- Manage artwork safety and security during storage, transport, and display
- Arrange conservation support and condition checking
- Oversee image rights, reproductions, and copyright requirements
- Commission, edit, and proofread interpretive and promotional texts
- Support related talks, events, publications, retail offers, and marketing campaigns
- Lead exhibition evaluation and reporting
- Provide information supporting funding applications
- Line-manage Exhibition Assistants and occasionally supervise placements or development programmes
Access, diversity, and evaluation
The Exhibitions Manager will ensure that assigned projects:
- Promote equality, diversity, inclusion, and greater representation
- Comply with Somerset House’s access policies
- Contribute to the evaluation and continued development of the exhibitions programme
Candidate profile
Applicants should have:
- Significant experience leading exhibitions, touring projects, and associated programmes
- Strong project-management, organisational, and budget-management skills
- Experience delivering complex installations incorporating audiovisual elements
- Experience commissioning and working with contemporary artists
- Experience drafting contracts and negotiating agreements with artists, lenders, and designers
- Knowledge of artwork shipping, insurance, and UK Government Indemnity requirements
- Practical experience handling objects and coordinating installations
- Experience managing contractors, tenders, and appointments
- Knowledge of image research, copyright, and print production
- Knowledge of CDM 2015 regulations
- Experience working with 2D and 3D designers through RIBA project stages
- Experience producing accessible exhibitions
- Excellent written, verbal, numerical, and interpersonal skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and spreadsheets
- Previous line-management experience
- Knowledge of contemporary visual art, design, fashion, photography, or related creative fields
- The ability to undertake occasional travel and out-of-hours work
Benefits
Benefits include:
- 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays
- Additional birthday and celebration leave
- Paid leave during sickness and emergencies involving dependants
- Enhanced maternity pay
- An 8% employer pension contribution after three months
- Employee Assistance Programme and mental health support
- Life insurance
- Season-ticket loan and Cycle to Work scheme
- Discounts, complimentary event tickets, and access to participating heritage sites