Department Assistant, LA

THE ROLE

As Assistant in the Sotheby’s Los Angeles Flagship, you are dedicated to delivering a bespoke client experience, working with valuable property and offering general support to the Head of LA office.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Opening/closing the gallery daily, general upkeep of a clean, well-lighted, tidy and attractive space; staffing the space during the week, evenings, weekends and events
• Updating the running list- updating what is hanging, where it’s located, asking prices, condition reports, nets and pulling a listing for the weekly emails
• Managing the sold listing- noting what sold, new nets, sold prices and business getters involved
• Offering a premier experience for clients and visitors, welcoming guests, introducing relevant specialists, providing any necessary paperwork and processing transactions from start to finish
• Provide general support, such as answering telephones, handle filing and upkeep of the gallery, ordering supplies, handling mail, process vendor invoices, arranging IT support
• Liaise closely with operations and expert departments, including registrars, the shipping & logistics team, client accounting, marketing and special events
• Work with the Los Angeles team to handle shipping arrangements and quotes, inventory, office transfers and returning items to clients
• Support senior staff including the Head of Office and Vice Chairman, Private Sales with reconciling and tracking monthly expenses, organizing meetings, arranging travel and client meetings, and other client portfolio activities
• Manage calendars and coordinate activities of visiting staff to the Gallery
• Responsible for pre and post-sale paperwork for clients; creating client accounts, receipting property, entering accurate client terms, dealing with phone enquiries and mail, arranging buyer agreements
• Assist at on and off-site events, including weekends and evenings
• Assist with appraisals and valuations, expert visits and sweeps
• Perform preliminary research for estimate requests, maintain estimate request log, liaise with specialists,  respond to clients, discuss terms and auction process
• Meet with clients, as requested, in the gallery and at offsite walk-throughs to photograph property and begin estimate process
• Assist with processing sales and shipments from the Marketplace/Buy Now platform
• Collaborate with Los Angeles team to display items in the gallery, as well as process inventory 
• Provide occasional support to other West Coast offices, creating client accounts,ordering supplies and invoice processing

IDEAL EXPERIENCE & COMPETENCIES

• Previous experience in a high-volume client service, art, luxury, or hospitality driven industry preferred
• Ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously and efficiently meet constant deadlines
• Ability to troubleshoot and solve problematic situations on a regular basis
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including excellent phone manner and proven client service skills
• Strong IT processing skills e.g. MS Word, Excel, Outlook, SAP and database knowledge (knowledge of Sotheby’s systems is preferable), with point of sale systems a plus
• Discreet, dependable and mature with warm and client-focused temperament
• Available and flexible to work evenings and weekends
• Enthusiasm about art and willingness to broaden knowledge
• Team player with a positive working rapport with colleagues
• General knowledge of art history and art market preferred
• Foreign language(s) a plus