Assistant Director of Advancement [National Museum of the American Indian – NY, Smithsonian Institution]

Come join a team of dedicated staff at an exceptional time in Smithsonian history, as the Institution advances a new comprehensive strategic plan, expands the programming, educational, and scholarly activity of its museums and research centers, and builds its very first Institution-wide fundraising campaign.  In planning for the campaign, the Smithsonian is building a model fundraising organization, one that will meet the growing needs of this unique organization and offer excellent professional opportunities.   There is no better time to join this amazing Institution.

The National Museum of the American Indian – New York (NMAI-NY), located in Lower Manhattan, seeks an experienced and dynamic candidate to serve as the Assistant Director of Advancement.  This is an exceptional opportunity for an energetic professional with strong frontline fundraising skills to play a key role in building private support for educational and outreach activities, research, and endowment needs at the institute.  The Assistant Director of Advancement will oversee and coordinate the work of the museum’s fundraising staff located at the NMAI-NY, and will plan, establish and lead fundraising initiatives for the NMAI. The position will serve as the senior fundraising authority at the NMAI-NY, will craft donor cultivation and solicitation plans, and will collaborate with other museum staff on ways to enhance donor relations. The position will also serve as a primary liaison with the New York Board of Directors – conducting all annual solicitations and outlining strategies for any special gift initiatives, participating in designing meeting agendas, and supporting both the cultivation and governance committees.

The successful candidate will possess strong leadership and communications skills, and a track record in building relationships across a spectrum of individual, foundation and corporate donors to achieve aggressive fundraising goals. The position reports to the NMAI’s Associate Director for Advancement as a key member of the NMAI management team and liaison to the central Smithsonian Office of Advancement.  A minimum of six years of experience in major gift fundraising to include principle or leadership giving is required.

Established in 1989, through an Act of Congress, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is an institution of living cultures dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of the life, languages, literature, history and arts of the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere. The National Museum of the American Indian is comprised of two premier centers for exhibitions and public programs- a museum in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall, and a second museum in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The museum also has a collections, research and conservation facility, the Cultural Resources Center, which is located in Suitland, Maryland. The three state-of-the-art facilities of the National Museum of the American Indian make it a leading museum about Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere and a popular cultural destination.

The Smithsonian Institution is a unique complex of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research centers.  The Smithsonian is a national and world treasure and is dedicated to its founding mission, “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”  Its exhibitions, programs, collections, and outreach touch the lives of millions of Americans every year, as well as many who visit us from abroad.

The Smithsonian Institution offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive package of benefits. This is not a Federal Position, but has similar requirements and benefits. Interested candidates should submit their resumes and a cover letter to oastaffing@si.edu by March 27, 2015.  The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.  Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

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