Managing Archivist at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Job Title: Managing Archivist

Job Status: Full-time

Location: New York, NY

Salary: $120,000/yr – $130,000/yr

About The Metropolitan Museum Of Art

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.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILTIES & DUTIES:

Under the direction of the Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel, set vision and strategy to safeguard institutional memory and share it with a global audience. You will oversee all aspects of the operation of the Archives including staff management, acquisition and processing of Museum records, digital transformation initiatives, records management, reference assistance and research support, and oral history production. You will provide key day-to-day research support for internal Museum decision-makers.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

  • Hire, train and manage Archives staff (including any project archivists) and oversee interns and volunteers
  • Develop and lead projects and collaborate with colleagues to preserve and make accessible analog and digital Museum records. Set individual and team priorities and goals for processing analog and digital Museum records and monitor achievement
  • Process and file records of the Counsel’s Office, the Board of Trustees and other holdings and create and update finding aids and inventories
  • Coordinate and conduct historical research to support Counsel’s Office, executive staff, curators, and department heads and develop and maintain service relationships with Museum departments
  • Respond to reference inquiries from non-staff researchers, identify records appropriate for consultation, and facilitate research access
  • Review and update Museum records retention schedules and advise curatorial and administrative departments on records management practices and archival projects
  • Produce oral history interviews of former staff, trustees, prominent donors, and others who made significant contributions to The Met
  • Oversee internal and remote storage and plan for future space needs
  • Present Museum Archives collections and services to internal and external audiences
  • Identify grant opportunities and collaborate with Development team to raise funds
  • Prepare monthly reports on processing, reference, and other activities and review with Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel
  • Advise Museum leadership and departments on best practices for archival management, records management, and develop and lead related initiatives
  • Other related duties

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

  • MS in Information/Library Science, or MA in History with Archival Management certificate. Background in art history preferred.
  • 5 years of professional experience in an archives or special collections library with significant staff management responsibilities
  • Digital Archives Specialist certificate from the Society of American Archivists preferred
  • Demonstrated knowledge of Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS), Encoded Archival Description (EAD) and other professional standards
  • Knowledge of current archival and records management issues and trends, particularly in relation to born-digital records, digitization, and descriptive standards.
  • Demonstrated experience with collection development and archival appraisal
  • Demonstrated experience working with born digital materials and electronic records
  • Demonstrated experience creating accession records and archival finding aids utilizing ArchivesSpace, and implementing Encoded Archival Description (EAD)
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Records management experience preferred

COMPENSATION RANGE :

  • Pay Range : $120,000 – $130,000 / Annual
  • The advertised pay scale reflects the good faith minimum and maximum salary range for this role. The advertised pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage for any specific employee. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may be dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, special licensing or qualifications, and other factors.

Location Requirements

At time of employment, employees are expected to be located within commuting distance of the Museum. “Commuting distance” means that they are located in one of following states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania (the “Tri-state and PA” areas), and be able to commute to and from the Museum in a single day.

Benefits Offerings

The Museum provides competitive compensation, and generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees. Note: Benefits Offering may differ based on Employee Status.

  • 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

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Research shows that women and people from underrepresented groups often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the qualifications for a role. If much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.

The Met is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, The Met will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed in this process, please contact benefits@metmuseum.org.

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.