Director [Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC]

THE MET TODAY: The Organization and Its Leadership 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (“The Met”), among the world’s greatest cultural institutions, has an encyclopedic collection of more than two million objects spanning 5,000 years, an operating budget of $315 million, an endowment of $3.1 billion, and 2,200 staff working at three sites: The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Cloisters, and The Met Breuer. In FY 2017, in addition to welcoming more than seven million visitors to its three sites and more than 31 million visits to metmuseum.org/ , The Met celebrated its most successful fundraising year in decades, raising more than $220 million in gifts and pledges. Recent critically acclaimed exhibitions include: Irving Penn: Centennial ; Age of Empires: Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties ; Kerry James Marshall: Mastry ; Valentin de Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio ; Jerusalem 1000-1400: Every People Under Heaven ; Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology ; Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World ; Vig e Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France ; and Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection .

The Director of The Met is responsible for the artistic vision and leadership of the Museum made visible through the work of the 32 departments currently reporting to the Director: 17 Curatorial departments, five Conservation departments, Scientific Research, the 900,000-volume Thomas J. Watson Library, the Antonio Ratti Textile Center, Exhibitions, Education, Digital, Publications and Editorial, Imaging, the Registrar, and Design. The Director oversees The Met’s program of 45 to 55 exhibitions and 30 print and digital publications a year, its research fellowship program, and its education and public programs that reach approximately 750,000 students, teachers, and other visitors each year in support of the Museum’s commitment to audience engagement. The Director also leads The Met’s acquisition program, managing endowed acquisition funds that generate approximately $26 million annually, in addition to the objects patrons give and bequeath.

The Director reports to and works in partnership with the President and Chief Executive Officer. Responsible for the Museum’s administrative functions, the President oversees Institutional Advancement, Membership, Technology and Information Services, Human Resources, Merchandising, Communications, Marketing, Government Relations, Legal Affairs, and Finance, as well as Facilities Management, Security, and Construction. The President and Director together develop strategic plans with the Board of Trustees, raise funds, represent The Met externally, and ensure the well-being of the institution on a day-to-day basis.

The Director and the President answer to a Board of 40 elected Trustees and are subject to the general supervision of the Chairman of the Board. In addition, there are five city Ex Officio Trustees, 30 Trustees Emeriti , and 25 Honorary Trustees. The Met Trustees are deeply invested and have been extraordinarily generous. Both the Director and the President serve as Ex Officio members of the Board and of all its committees, engaging almost daily with their Board colleagues.

THE POSITION: Responsibilities and Priorities 

The Director of The Met will be a skilled and distinguished leader in the field with the demonstrated ability to develop and implement a vision that looks forward, advances The Met’s mission, and inspires supporters, staff, and the public. In addition to the professional responsibilities incumbent upon any art museum director, The Met has the following key priorities for its Director:

• Be a strong and collaborative partner with the President; build relationships up and down the organization and establish credibility as the Museum’s artistic leader;

• Develop a vision that advances The Met’s commitment to excellence, leadership, and innovation in the field; model and encourage internally, locally, nationally, and internationally collaborations that underscore the unique power of The Met;

• Embody a passion for art and for The Met; serve as a visible spokesperson for the Museum with stakeholders, the media, and the public; be an active principal in The Met’s ambitious and highly effective fundraising programs;

• Hire, oversee, motivate, and mentor a highly skilled professional staff, building bench strength for the future;

• Focus on effective decision-making in areas including exhibitions, education programs, digital media, capital priorities, and organizational structure;

• In collaboration with the President, Trustees, and staff, help shape and support The Met’s commitment to Modern and Contemporary Art, including plans for The Met Breuer and the Southwest Wing.

The Person: Characteristics and Qualifications 

The Director will be a tested executive who will:

• Be a leader, with the knowledge, gravitas, integrity, and ability to motivate and inspire a highly skilled professional staff and shape the field on the world stage;

• Have an excellent “eye” and a deep commitment to scholarship and education; be able to appreciate and convey with passion a vision encompassingthe full breadth and depth of The Met’s collections;

• Possess a highly developed “EQ” to ensure successful relationship building, fundraising, advocacy, communication, and team building in short, leadership;

• Be an engaged listener with the ability to build consensus both within the Museum and beyond;

• Be a compelling spokesperson adept at inspiring widely divergent audiences;

• Understand fiscal and operational constraints in order to be a persuasive partner with the President and advocate in the context of competing priorities;

• Be bold; innovative; self-confident; resilient; decisive; and deeply thoughtful while focusing on the greater good for The Met.

The Met seeks a diverse candidate pool. Please send applications or nominations to 

Sarah James and Becky Klein at MetMuseum2017@PhillipsOppenheim.com .