Head of Communications, Americas

Christie's

Jul 2

Applications are closed

Job
Full-time
Expert Level
Marketing
$200K - $250K
New York

Requirements

A minimum of 15 years of proven success in corporate communications or equivalent roles of increasing responsibility, preferably within the auction/art market or a closely related industry.
Excellent communication, presentation, and writing skills, strong project management skills, and a collaborative, team-oriented approach required.
Strong network of journalist contacts across multiple media sectors required.
Must enjoy working in a fast-paced, creative environment with multiple projects at once.
Demonstrable experience in dealing with urgent communications scenarios required; this role requires a high level of professionalism along with quick-thinking and processing skills.
Familiarity with analytics/measurement best practices and ability to learn Christie’s proprietary systems required.
INDUSTRY EXPERTISE: Christie’s is powered by a culture steeped in creativity, passion and innovation, and its employees share a love of art. Having this passion is integral to the success and credibility of this person. This person will be seen as an expert in navigating the crossroads of the art world and communications. They should have deep understanding of the communications environment in this space, especially as relates to industry trends in the art market and auction world. Experience leading communications strategies around key sales and/or lots is ideal.
LEADERSHIP: As Christie’s continues to evolve, it is paramount that the Head of Communications, Americas possesses the stature, gravitas, and confidence to quickly establish credibility as a trusted partner with other senior leaders. As part of the leadership team, this person will need to have intellectual curiosity and exceptional business acumen.
TEAM MANAGEMENT: This person must possess the instincts of a strong leader, with experience mentoring, developing, and motivating staff members. Part of this role will be setting challenging and productive goals for the Americas PR team, while also keeping the team accountable for them. S/he will partner with leadership to ensure staff members are being challenged, and are engaged with work that motivates and inspires them. The team leader must be smart, dedicated, and creative, with excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
COLLABORATION: This person will work in collaboration with PR colleagues in Europe and Asia to support global campaigns and sale-related activities. In addition, they will work closely with the creative, content, and marketing teams regionally. The ability to build and maintain strong relationships internally is imperative in the success of this person. This includes being a team player capable of working with peers and leaders across Christie’s, with the goal of collaboratively developing integrated programs.

Responsibilities

MEDIA RELATIONS: The Head of Communications, Americas, is responsible for Christie’s presence in the media for this essential market, ensuring a steady and consistent flow of external communications about the company’s business activities to key target audiences and stakeholders within the Americas and beyond. This individual oversees communications strategy and flow of announcements for the region, balancing the communication needs of numerous internal stakeholder groups and varied timelines from immediate to long-term. This includes the strategic planning and execution of publicity campaigns to promote Christie’s sale activities. S/he must be able to communicate complex information in a way that is digestible to stakeholders and find ways to increases Christie’s positive brand awareness. Our ideal candidate will identify and develop new and/or non-traditional approaches to promote the Christie’s brand and sales activates through earned media.
EXECUTIVE VISIBILITY: There is an opportunity and an appetite to increase several executive’s visibility and positions as thought leaders within the industry and beyond. This person would lead executive communications, develop and execute strategies to identify opportunities for these executives, highlight unique talent, and increase awareness with new audiences. We expect this person to anticipate and develop communications plans that will build competitive advantages for the executives.
ISSUES MANAGEMENT: This person will lead the communications strategy around key industry topics including restitution, cultural property, sustainability, compliance and regulatory issues. Our ideal candidate will anticipate and mitigate adverse or potentially negative issues that may impact Christie’s reputation. S/he will coordinate with regional leaders and the Legal department on issues management and crisis communications plans and where needed provide counsel to senior leaders in the event of a crisis.
FINANCIAL COMMUNICATIONS: The communications leader will work closely with the Global Head of Communications and other regional communications leads to develop and implement financial and performance communications, including biannual press reports, Client communications (regular) and other strategic priority projects.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CAMPAIGNS: We are looking for a confident and credible leader who can attend new business pitches to secure high-profile pieces or collections. This person will work with internal groups and with clients to plan and execute bespoke media and communications campaigns which strategically align with and support Christie’s global marketing initiatives.

FAQs

What is the main responsibility of the Head of Communications, Americas at Christie's?

The main responsibility of the Head of Communications, Americas at Christie's is to oversee and strengthen communications activities across the Americas for the world's leading art business.

Christie's

Careers at the world's leading Art Business

Retail & Consumer Goods

Industry

1001-5000

Employees

1766

Founded Year

Mission & Purpose

Founded in 1766, Christie’s is a world-leading art and luxury business. Renowned and trusted for its expert live and online auctions, as well as its bespoke private sales, Christie’s offers a full portfolio of global services to its clients, including art appraisal, art financing, international real estate and education. Christie’s has a physical presence in 46 countries, throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific, with flagship international sales hubs in New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Geneva. It also is the only international auction house authorized to hold sales in mainland China (Shanghai). Christie’s auctions span more than 80 art and luxury categories, at price points ranging from $200 to over $100 million. In recent years, Christie’s has achieved the world record price for an artwork at auction (Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvador Mundi, 2017), for a single collection sale (the Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller, 2018), and for a work by a living artist (Jeff Koons’ Rabbit, 2019). Christie’s Private Sales offers a seamless service for buying and selling art, jewellery and watches outside of the auction calendar, working exclusively with Christie’s specialists at a client’s individual pace. Recent innovations at Christie’s include the groundbreaking sale of the first NFT for a digital work of art ever offered at a major auction house (Beeple’s Everydays, March 2021), with the unprecedented acceptance of cryptocurrency as a means of payment. As an industry leader in digital innovation, Christie’s also continues to pioneer new technologies that are redefining the business of art, including the creation of viewing and bidding experiences that integrate augmented reality, global livestreaming, buy-now channels, and hybrid sales formats. Christie’s is dedicated to advancing responsible culture throughout its business and communities worldwide, including achieving sustainability through net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

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