Associate Manager of Friends Groups, American Wing

The Metropolitan Museum of Art•New York, NY

1d•$75,000 - $85,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as the audiences we engage. Our staff members are art lovers who are passionate about working toward a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring art museum in the world. At The Met, every staff member – from security officers to researchers to scientists and beyond – lives by our core values of respect, inclusivity, collaboration, excellence, and integrity. Respect: Engage one another with collegiality, empathy, and kindness, always. Inclusivity: Ensure that all are and feel welcome and valued. Collaboration: Reach across boundaries to exchange ideas and work together toward our shared mission. Excellence: Lead the cultural world in quality and expertise—and inspire curiosity and creativity. Integrity: Hold ourselves to the highest moral standards, admit when we fall short, and then evolve. With a collection of some 20,000 works by African American, Asian American, Euro-American, Latin American, and Native American makers—ranging primarily from the mid-17th to early-20th century, with select contemporary expressions—the American Wing, founded in 1924, represents one of the largest and most comprehensive holdings of North American artistic expression in the world. These dynamic collections, housed in some 75 galleries, include paintings, sculpture, drawings, furniture, textiles, regalia, ceramics, basketry, glass, silver, metalwork, and jewelry, as well as historic interiors and architectural fragments—produced by highly trained and self-taught artists, both identified and unrecorded—comprising an expansively defined American art department housed within a global museum. An active department with a curatorial staff of twelve, as well as administration and collection colleagues, the American Wing regularly programs diverse exhibitions and installations that bring fresh approaches to our wide-ranging material. You will manage the administrative functions associated with the American Wing’s two support groups—Friends of the American Wing (a group of about 80 paying households) and the William Cullen Bryant Fellows (a group of about 60 paying households)—the American Wing Visiting Committee (advisory board); and departmental special events including, but not limited to, educational programs, exhibition openings, and external communications. You will work in close collaboration with the Wing’s Curator-in-Charge/Department Head, Senior Manager of Administration & Operations, and Associate Administrator, and serve as the primary liaison with the Museum Development Office. You will be responsible for communicating information between the Curatorial and Development staff as well as keeping thorough records of donor interactions and support. With other staff in the Wing, you will work as a team, providing administrative support and executing the daily tasks necessary for smooth operations of the Department, including general office assistance, when needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required
2-3 years of administrative and/or special-events experience in a museum or similar non-profit environment
Strong interpersonal skills and absolute discretion required in working with high-level American Wing donors and supporters
Superior organizational skills and ability to work as a team and coordinate events across various departments
Highly detail-oriented, ability to multitask and prioritize
Demonstrable ability to create and maintain precise records
Excellent time-management skills and ability to plan months in advance
Ability to maintain composure in a busy environment
Demonstrable initiative and ability to work independently as well as part of a team
Excellent interpersonal as well as written and verbal communication skills
Attention to detail with follow through
Computer literacy, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and InDesign

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in an art related field, preferred
Experience in development/fundraising, managing donor/patron groups, and running special events, preferred

Responsibilities

Organize, manage, and execute support groups’ schedule of events, including approximately four programs each season and annual gala dinner
Plan and execute two annual trips—Friends of the American Wing Day Trip and William Cullen Bryant Fellows overnight trip
Collect and track membership fees, draft renewal and acknowledgement letters; assist in on-boarding new support-group members
Serve as primary point of contact for all Friends and Bryant Fellows; field questions regarding special events and membership
Under supervision of Department Head and Senior Manager, and with Associate Administrator, coordinate Visiting Committee meetings, special programs, donor luncheons, and other similar events with relevant departments across Museum
Serve as liaison between curatorial team and Development colleagues, collecting and relaying information regarding donors in timely fashion
Work with American Wing staff to plan and coordinate content and production for all membership communication, including renewal letters, as well as event invitations and other communications, as needed, in InDesign
Create and maintain donor spreadsheet and face book
With Associate Administrator, maintain departmental donor files
With Associate Administrator, answer/direct incoming telephone calls; receive guests and visitors to American Wing offices
Facilitate private group tours with curators
Other duties as assigned

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
403(b) basic retirement plan and optional matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match
Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and 13 Museum holidays
Long-term disability coverage
Flexible Spending Accounts & Health Savings Account (pre-tax income for eligible health care expenses)
Commuter benefits (pre-tax income for parking or mass transit expenses)
Free financial-planning services
Financial assistance for relevant coursework, seminars, and training programs
25% discount for staff in Museum shops
A subsidized staff cafeteria
Access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions