Development Assistant

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. 

You will be the expert in the day-to-day operations of the development team, which raises funds through grants for all seventeen curatorial departments, conservation, and Audience Engagement. You will be a dynamic storyteller, writing and editing correspondence and other communications about all Museum happenings, with a special focus on exhibitions and education. You will manage a robust, deadline-driven calendar and related databases, becoming the all-seeing, all-knowing engine that propels this high-volume and collaborative team within Institutional Advancement.

Please submit a cover letter with your application to be considered.

• Write and edit gift acknowledgements and correspondence for the development team, senior staff, and Museum leadership.

• Assemble and expedite grant proposals, reports, budgets, and related communications, all with the highest level of attention to detail, collaborating with colleagues across the Museum

• Manage team’s data needs and systems; includes tracking all gifts, donor and prospect data,  and other information utilizing The Met’s databases to the fullest extent.

• Review, edit, and facilitate donor credit lines across multiple programmatic areas in coordination with staff throughout the Museum.

• Conduct research and prepare research material and giving histories for donor meetings.

• Coordinate and organize private VIP tours and small events.

• Facilitate donor stewardship, including managing membership renewals, participation in events, scheduling and organizing meetings, and follow up.

• Help guide and train interns.

• Other duties as assigned.

• B.A. or equivalent experience, with evidence of interest in arts, culture, and editorial work.

• Writing and editing skills 

• Computer skills and experience with MS Office

• Candidate must have an interest in the arts and a commitment to the Museum's mission.

• Pay Rate: $32.00 - $34.00 / Hourly

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.

Visa Sponsorship

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

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

We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the desired attributes 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 [email protected].  

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.