Director, Foundation and Government Relations

 

Position Summary

The Director oversees all aspects of fundraising and meeting financial goals for Foundation and Government general operating income and for occasional special projects, including managing a grants calendar, writing proposals, end-of-cycle reporting, and stewardship. This position will have one direct report.  

Primary Responsibilities:

• Direct the activities of all foundation and government giving, including identifying, cultivating and soliciting new sources of support, while managing annual grants.
• Prepare grant proposals and reports; follow up on requests and report requirements related to grants, and manage other correspondence with funders and prospects on a timely basis.
• Manage communication with designated relationships through meetings, site-visits, conference calls, personal cultivation and event invitations; steward existing donors.
• Manage administration of department, including tracking income and expense budgets; and creating and maintaining annual solicitation, acquisition and reporting calendars.
• Oversee the maintenance of all foundation and government records.
• Ensure proper fulfillment of funder benefits and contractual obligations, including managing the Met’s official Credit Book and ensuring proper crediting in all print and digital materials.
• Entertain and cultivate current and prospective funders during the season; attend select functions and special events.
• Liaise with all departments across the Met, including Development, Media, Legal, Marketing, Education, Operations, Artistic, and House Management.

Qualifications & Skill Requirements:

• Minimum of 7+ years of development experience, with an emphasis on institutional fundraising and proven track record of securing large gifts
• Broad knowledge of foundation giving; solid understanding of government contracts, cycles and reports
• Superior writing skills, with the ability to create persuasive and descriptive written materials
• Ability to manage a campaign within the constructs of an overall development operation, coordinating all campaign efforts with other institutional priorities and goals
• Excellent oral, written and computer skills; knowledge of Excel and Tessitura preferred
• Experience fundraising for the performing arts/cultural sector; knowledge of opera preferred
• Undergraduate degree; graduate degree in related field preferred
• Diplomacy, tact and ability to skillfully handle donor situations
• Superior organizational/time management skills
• Ability to work quickly and adapt readily to changes in priorities
• Requires some late evenings/weekends for cultivation activities

Physical Demands:

• Regularly required to sit, talk, and hear
• Frequently required to use repetitive hand motion and to stand, walk, reach, bend
• Occasionally required to lift up to 20 pounds. 

To Apply:

Please follow this link to submit your application materials: https://form.jotform.com/200134406236139

The Metropolitan Opera believes that diversity is critical to our success and growth as a leading performing arts institution and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the communities we serve.

The Metropolitan Opera is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and existing employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, citizenship status, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.