Senior Manager of Government Affairs

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. 

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES: 

As the Senior Manager of Government Affairs, you are responsible for partnering with the Chief Diversity & Government Affairs Officer to oversee all government affairs strategy, funding, and relationships. You will manage a team of direct reports to oversee funding requests, briefings, and advocacy materials that are provided to both the Chief and external stakeholders. You will maintain strong relationships with external city, state, and federal partners and stakeholders to maintain and establish a healthy relationship between the three levels of government and the museum. You will oversee all policy and risks related to existing and new areas of sensitivity in the government affairs space in close partnership with the Chief.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES: 

• Manage government strategy across all levels. Develop and carry out an annual advocacy plan that sets the Museum’s priority asks and their timing, and ensures City, State, and Federal messages are consistent and work together. 

• Manage direct reports for the Government Affairs team. Hire, coach, and evaluate Government Affairs staff; set weekly priorities; and balance workloads. 

• Cultivate partnerships with lawmakers, staffers, agencies, cultural coalitions, and community boards and uplift the Museum’s value to their constituents. 

• Monitor the policy landscape. Track legislation and policy developments, identify emerging opportunities and sensitivities, and compose briefings for the Chief, management team, and Board. 

• Partner closely with the Senior Manager of DEIA and the Senior Manager of Community Engagement to understand how policy changes affect the Museum’s community commitments and funding. 

• Review briefings, funding proposals, advocacy materials, and board reports for accuracy, clarity, and alignment with Museum priorities before they reach the Chief or leave the Museum. 

• Work with internal communications to ensure senior leadership is briefed and ready for external meetings and events. 

• Uphold lobbying compliance. Sign off on City and State lobbying reports and trainings, and keep colleagues informed of pending legislation that affects the museum. 

• Collaborate with the Chief to decide which City, State, and Federal funding sources and capital projects to pursue. Guide the Finance & Capital Manager in tracking applications and reimbursements against that plan. 

• Represent the Museum alongside the Chief in meetings with elected officials and agency leadership.

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS 

• BA required; public policy, political science, public relations or related field preferred 

• 10+ years in government affairs, public policy or public-sector relations 

• 5+ years in a managing role within the government affairs space 

• Demonstrated ability to set priorities, meet deadlines, work under pressure in a team-based environment, and proactively anticipate and address department needs. 

• Relationships with current policymakers across City, State and federal offices and agencies 

• Understanding of public capital funding (DCLA, DDC, DASNY, ESD) and of lobbying compliance 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to distill complex information into high-quality analytical written products 

• Sound judgment on political and reputational risk 

COMPENSATION

• Pay Rate: $140,000 - $150,000 / Annually

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.