ABOUT THE COMPANY
59 is a multi award-winning studio based in London and New York, and is part of Journey - world leaders in Multidimensional Design. We conceive, design and deliver ambitious, large-scale story-driven artworks, stage shows and immersive experiences for live audiences, grounded by a deeply interdisciplinary process incorporating architecture, animation, video, light, sound, music and technical design.
We work in partnership with some of the world’s most prestigious and ambitious clients, and with best-in-class partners globally across industries to build and deliver our projects. Current commissions include artworks, placemaking installations, temporary and permanent buildings, stage shows, ceremonies and events.
Current projects include:
- Multi-year collaborative projects with Heatherwick Studio and Foster + Partners.
- The video design and visual effects for Stranger Things: The First Shadow in the West End and on Broadway with SFP and Netflix.
- The writing, direction, design and animation of immersive shows for our flagship immersive venue and joint venture Lightroom. Following recent collaborations with David Hockney, Bigger & Closer (Not Smaller and Further Away), with Tom Hanks, The Moonwalkers, and a new collaboration with Vogue and Anna Wintour, Inventing the Runway, will open in October 2024, with many more to follow.
- Amongst many others…
Focused collaboration, rigorous conceptual development and sensitivities to sustainability and cultural relevance are all hallmarks of our unique approach.
OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE JOB
We are looking for an experienced Business Development Coordinator to join the 59 London Studio. This new position will play a key role in discussing and deciding future projects and partnerships for our globally recognised design work. You will track and manage all new business activity within the company and collaborate with business development teams across other Journey studios including Squint/Opera, VMI and ICRAVE.
The role will oversee a CRM system and a portfolio of leads, clients, and potential projects spanning industries, continents and contexts. You will ensure that all potential new business activity is properly shepherded and that conversations around new projects and partnerships showcase the strength of 59’s unique design offer . The successful candidate will be the key communicator of the status of these leads to the Directors & Senior Management team at 59 and the wider Journey Business Development team.
An ability to expertly forge new connections and partnerships and to build trust fast, as well as maintaining excellent relationships with existing clients and collaborators, is essential to this role. The ideal candidate will not be afraid to pro-actively pick up the phone as a first action or response, and will be excited by working with clients in territories across the globe.
This role would suit someone with direct experience in a business development role, but could also suit someone with a background in sales, marketing, producing or administration where building a network of clients and expertly handling those relationships and communications has been central to your work.
We actively encourage people from a variety of backgrounds to apply for this role.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
- Coordinate all preparation for and minute the weekly Business Development (BD) meeting at 59 where we discuss all active leads, identify priorities and assign action items across the Directors and Senior Management team.
- Coordinate all preparation for and minute the bi-weekly Incoming Projects meeting where we bring all new opportunities to the meeting for discussion
- Coordinate all data in Salesforce (CRM) and report weekly on activity against set sales targets
- Manage the incoming enquiries mailbox filtering requests about the company’s work and taking initial meetings with clients to scope out the project timelines, scope and deliverables
- Manage the internal briefing process to ensure smooth handover of projects to a member of the Producing team and enable the best results in regard to the development of projects through regular updates and strong internal communications
- Tracking correspondence to ensure leads are followed through
- Creation of creative presentation decks for submission to various clients and stakeholders
- Reading and summarising RFPs to enable the Senior Team to make an informed decision about whether to pursue particular projects.
- Coordinate the RFP and procurement process to ensure deadlines are met and for larger submissions ensuring the wider creative team is briefed and working to the correct deadline. Collating material, writing methodologies, editing CVs etc. in conjunction with the appropriate Producer.
- Work closely with the Head of Studio updating on incoming projects and capacity requirements for the design department
- Work with the Project Directors and wider Journey BD team to maintain an ongoing list of aspirational relationships and partners and coordinate the pipeline process for developing new relationships
- Support the Producing team to track the progress of developing projects and assist in closing new projects as necessary
- Travel to assist Project Directors or Producers in Business Development opportunities as required
Other
- Routinely review and update the CRM and Pipeline process so it remains fit for purpose
- Work with colleagues across the Journey group to share practice
- Contribute to 59's work around Sustainability, Universal Design and Belonging & Inclusion
- Any further tasks as reasonably requested
Owing to the nature of our work, this job will require regular in-person attendance at our London studio. At times it will require evening and weekend work as well as occasional travel to different territories. 59 operates a Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy and a package of other wellbeing initiatives to bring balance to what is at times a very demanding workload.
Reports to: Head of Producing
Key relationships: Project Directors, Art Directors, Creative Directors, Producers, Head of Studio, Communications and across all areas of the business.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential:
- Demonstrable experience in business development and/or similar role where building and maintaining client relationships are central to your work
- Experience with CRM/tracking systems
- Experience creating presentation decks and/or design assets for clients
- Experience managing pipelines effectively with busy executive level leaders
- Experience building and maintaining strong relationships with external stakeholders
- Experience working in a fast paced environment and adapting to changing deadlines and circumstances
- Very strong administration and organisation skills
- Confidence to represent 59 at the highest level to key stakeholders
- Willingness to travel
Desirable:
- Experience as a manager
- Experience working in other global contexts, particularly in Middle East and Far East territories
- Experience with Salesforce
- Experience working in a design studio across one or more design specialisms including spatial design & architecture, video design & animation and technical design
HOW TO APPLY:
Please submit a comprehensive CV and a cover letter (maximum two A4 sides) or up to three minutes of audio describing your suitability for the position and how your skills and experience match the person specification, via the online form only.
If you would like to arrange a chat with the Head of Producing, to discuss the role in more detail in advance of applying, please contact us at [email protected] - we’re very happy to facilitate this.
Applicants should provide contact details for two references. We will seek your permission before making direct contact with any referees.
All applicants must be eligible to work within the UK.
INTERVIEWS
Application Deadline: Monday 10th March, 10am
Interviews:
Round 1 - Tuesday 18th March 10am-5pm
Round 2 - Friday 21st March 10am-1pm
The interview panel will include 59’s Head of Producing and the Director of People, they will be joined by colleagues from the Producing and Creative Director teams, across the two rounds of interview.
Our interviews are built as two way conversations to better understand each other’s work and aspirations, and may include a task to better understand the candidate's process. We operate equal opportunity interviews and typically share the opening interview questions in advance with candidates. Interviews are held in-person at our London Studio in order for candidates to meet some of the team, however they can be arranged online if there are geographical considerations.
Salary Pay Range
£30,000—£50,000 GBP
About Journey:
But we're so much more than a combination of acquisitions; we're a revolutionary framework of layered design capabilities akin to the layers of a technology stack for software companies. Like the best technology stacks, our framework continuously evolves to embrace new capabilities and creative possibilities with the future of the human experience at the forefront. This game-changing framework, the Journey Experience Stack, allows us to design for every touchpoint and create uncommonly cohesive brand universes, drawing on our collective expertise in interior design, lighting design, media design, interactive design, and content creation to deliver industry-first solutions for entertainment, healthcare, retail, hospitality, real estate, and cultural institutions.
No other full-service studio practices multidimensional design or vertically integrates its experience capabilities with this level of sophistication. Whether we’re reimagining the hospital-patient relationship, creating the world’s most immersive entertainment venue, revolutionizing live theater, or crafting virtual twins that accelerate ideas’ passage from vision to reality, Journey’s work is pioneering the shift of how people perceive, engage, and interact with the world.
