Associate Administrator – Dept. Textile Conservation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Job Title: Associate Administrator

Job Status: Full-time

About the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art collects, studies, conserves, and presents significant works of art across all times and cultures in order to connect people to creativity, knowledge, and ideas.

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. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

About the Department

The Department of Textile Conservation is responsible for preservation, conservation, technical study, and research of the Museum’s collection of approximately 36,000 textiles in twelve curatorial departments. The encyclopedic collection represents a broad range of textiles, including tapestries, carpets, embroideries, costumes, and three-dimensional accessories of all periods and cultures.

The Department sets guidelines for care, handling, display, and storage of the textiles and has played a vital role in the Met’s initiative to create a dedicated facility for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with a purpose-built freezer and pre-and post-treatment areas. Responsible stewardship of the Museum’s collection is one of its mission statement’s primary cores. It includes preventive conservation protocols and activities ranging from proper handling through art storage to Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

The Associate Administrator is the sole office manager for the Department of Textile Conservation that works actively with many Museum’s departments including twelve curatorial departments and the Antonio Ratti Textile Center. This person must exercise mature judgment and professionalism in a fast-paced environment that requires multi-tasking, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently and meet deadlines. She/he provides executive support for Conservator in Charge and administrative help for departmental staff; overseeing various duties including the departmental budget; facilitating meetings and cross-department work.

Daily responsibilities consist of keeping records in Workday, updating the calendar with major departmental activities (exhibitions, rotations, and loans), telephone and reception duties, and maintaining the departmental library. In addition, they will assist conservators with travel arrangements, scheduling meetings and coordination of department Newsletter. She/he will function as the principal liaison for members of the department’s Visiting Committee and a coordinator of events. She/he will serve as liaison to other departments such as Human Resources, Finance, Development, Legal Counsel and Buildings.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

  • Organize and monitor daily department’s expense budget; prepare and administer annual departmental budget in coordination with Conservator in Charge and Finance
  • Serve as Procurement Ambassador, managing the Department’s purchase card, maintaining, and purchasing supplies and equipment
  • Organize weekly departmental meeting, creating agenda and drafting notes
  • Office management: answer phones; sort and distribute mail; manage departmental email account; greet and escort visitors; file correspondence and other documentation; Prepare materials and ID cards for new staff, fellows, interns, and volunteers
  • Provide general administrative structure and support for departmental staff
  • Draft correspondence and provide email triage as needed for Conservator in Charge
  • Manage calendar for both the department and Conservator in Charge
  • Workday management –primary timekeeper, requisitions, and invoices, travel related forms and reimbursement submission
  • Teaming with conservators to generate annual Jira reports
  • Coordinate work on department Newsletter (proofreading, layout, submission)
  • Manage the coordination of special events for the Department, Visiting Committee meetings
  • Serve as the principal liaison with donors, supporters, Development, and Special Events
  • Provide Security Managers with visitor requests, package passes and conservator weekend schedules
  • Work closely with Laboratory Coordinator processing all types of requisitions related to the Museum’s departments (such as Jira/ PIR/ Conservation and DSR requests) and outside suppliers
  • Coordinate with Legal Counsel to finalize contracts, agreements, and extensions with any outside contractors
  • Act as the primary coordinator for Volunteers
  • Assist with TC social media: Instagram and Pinterest
  • Create digital mailers using MailChimp
  • Catalogue and organize of Textile Conservation Library
  • Other related duties

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

Fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine (or approved for an exemption as a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, sincerely held religious belief, or pregnancy, or because you are a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sex offenses).

Experience and Skills:

  • Minimum of five years of professional administrative experience required, preferably in a museum or textile-oriented institution (industry)
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability communicate effectively with staff, Visiting Committee members and public
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, including professional telephone manner
  • Must work well individually and as part of a team
  • Ability to carry out multiple, demanding and often last-minute tasks efficiently and professionally Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to manage time and multitask
  • Ability to create and maintain precise records
  • Excellent editing and proofreading skills, required
  • Demonstrated ability as a competent, detail-oriented, proactive administrator
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required
  • Fluency with Adobe Professional and Photoshop preferred

Knowledge and Education:

  • Knowledge of finance, budgetary processes, and administrative processes required
  • Knowledge of project management systems, such as Workday and JIRA, strongly preferred
  • Bachelor’s degree required
  • Knowledge of or interest in the history of textiles preferred
  • Proficiency with TMS or other museum database systems preferred

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.

To Apply:

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