Head of Commercial

To lead the Museum's commercial strategy, bringing together visitor experience, admissions, retail, venue hire, marketing and digital channels to create an integrated customer journey, grow audiences and increase sustainable earned income. The role provides strategic leadership for the Museum's commercial portfolio, ensuring income-generating activity supports the long-term sustainability, accessibility and financial resilience of the National Justice Museum and its heritage assets, while working collaboratively with specialist functional leads across the organisation.

Key responsibilities

Commercial Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement a long term commercial strategy aligned with the organisation’s purpose, vision and aims.


• Identify opportunities to strengthen and diversify income streams (physical, digital, brand partnerships, enterprise models).


• Lead annual commercial budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning.


• Develop the Museum's commercial business plan and identify investment priorities to maximise long-term financial sustainability.


• Monitor sector trends and competitor landscape within UK museums and heritage visitor attractions.


• Contribute as a member of the Strategic Leadership Team, supporting organisational strategy, business planning, risk management and cross-organisational decision making.

Retail & Trading  

• Oversee the development of the Museum's retail operation, ensuring the team, systems and product offer maximise commercial performance.


• Drive product development, merchandising strategy, supplier management, and sustainable income generation.


• Ensure retail reflects curatorial narratives and brand identity, matching stock with exhibitions and changing themes to support visitor engagement.

Admissions, Ticketing & Membership  

• Lead the commercial ticketing strategy, including pricing, growth, annual passes and promotional offers.


• Oversee membership propositions, audience development, retention, and CRM performance.


• Lead on Gift Aid, ensuring targets are met and opportunities to harness gift aid are maximised to support organisational sustainability.

Events, Hospitality & Venue Hire  

• Collaborate closely with the Hospitality and Events Sales Manager to strategically develop and strengthen the Museum’s venue hire and commercial events offer.


• Work with the Hospitality and Events Sales Manager to maximise occupancy, profitability and customer satisfaction while ensuring events complement the Museum's charitable objectives.

Digital & Licensing  

• Grow e-commerce, digital ticketing, and paid digital content to better enable public engagement, and access to the museum’s collections and learning resources

Operational Management  

• Lead and develop cross-functional commercial and visitor experience teams.


• Support the General Manager in overseeing the effective operation, maintenance, repair and development of the Museum’s buildings and physical infrastructure.


• Ensure commercial activity complies with financial, procurement, and ethical standards. Set KPIs, monitor performance, deliver reports to Executive/Board.


• Provide leadership, coaching and performance management for direct reports, fostering a collaborative, commercially focused culture.

Visitor Experience  

• Work with Visitor Services, Marketing, and Curatorial to ensure commercial activity enhances the visitor experience.


• Review and implement efficient working practices within the Visitor Experience team.


• Use data and insights to improve visitor satisfaction, dwell time, spend per head, and repeat engagement to support reinvestment in the Museum's charitable objectives and heritage assets.

Commercial marketing and audience growth  

• Provide strategic commercial direction for the Museum's marketing and communications activity, working closely with the Head of Marketing to ensure campaigns and audience development support commercial objectives, visitor growth and income generation


• Monitor marketing performance against agreed KPIs, using insight and data to evaluate effectiveness and inform commercial decision-making.


• Work in partnership with the Head of Marketing to ensure the Museum's brand, marketing and communications support its position as a leading national heritage, education and cultural visitor destination, while maximising audience reach and commercial opportunities.

Experience

Essential

• Proven senior leadership experience in commercial roles within museums, heritage, charitable attractions, or retail/hospitality.


• Experience developing commercial strategies that balance financial performance with organisational mission.


• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to interpret commercial data and translate insight into action.


• Strong financial acumen: budgeting, forecasting, P&L ownership.


• Experience managing multi-disciplinary teams and external partners.


• Track record of revenue growth and commercial innovation.


• Excellent negotiation skills and understanding of procurement and supplier management.


• Data-driven decision-making and familiarity with CRM, EPOS, and ticketing systems.

Desirable

• Experience in e-commerce and digital content monetisation.


• Knowledge of charity governance, public funding, and the UK cultural sector.


• Experience working with curatorial, exhibitions, and education teams.

Competencies

• Purpose-led innovation: Develops commercially viable opportunities that support the Museum’s charitable purpose and contribute to the preservation of its heritage assets.


• Strategic thinking: Creates and communicates a clear long-term commercial vision, translating organisational aims into practical plans and measurable outcomes.


• Entrepreneurial approach: Identifies opportunities, tests new ideas and drives initiatives that increase income, reach and organisational resilience.


• Stakeholder influence: Builds effective relationships with colleagues, trustees, partners and suppliers, securing support and collaboration across a range of priorities.


• Leadership and people development: Leads with clarity and confidence, supporting teams to perform well, develop their skills and work collaboratively.


• Visitor-centred judgement: Balances commercial objectives with the Museum’s mission, ensuring income-generating activity enhances the visitor experience.


• Operational excellence: Ensures activity is delivered efficiently, compliantly and to a consistently high standard, using evidence and insight to improve performance.