Associate Director, External Affair

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director and Chief Curator of the Wallach Art Gallery , the Associate Director of External Affairs plays a vital role on the Wallach's leadership team, working with the Associate Director of Finance and Program Administration and an Associate Director of Education and Public Programming. This position oversees marketing and communications for the gallery, fosters engagement with audiences on and off campus, and critically contributes to the gallery's development goals.

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery advances Columbia University's historical, critical, and creative engagement with the visual arts. Serving as both a laboratory and a forum, The Wallach Art Gallery offers opportunities for curatorial practice and discourse while bridging the diverse approaches to the arts at the University with a welcome broader public. Established in 1986, The Wallach Art Gallery is the University's premier visual arts space. We are a platform for critically acclaimed exhibitions, a dynamic range of programming, and publications that contribute to scholarship. The Wallach Art Gallery also animates other university spaces as opportunity arises

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the Wallach Art Gallery's communications and marketing strategy with integrated campaigns, including organizing and distributing regular and timely press materials, traditional and digital advertising, the website [YG1] , and social media channels.
• Oversee the implementation of exhibition branding across communications collateral, including title walls, logos, and related printed and digital materials.
• Solicit global, national, and local media coverage for the gallery, collaborating with University Communications and Public Affairs, Lenfest Center staff, consultants, and others as appropriate.
• Will support the Wallach Art Gallery's engagement efforts across and off campus, working strategically to build sustained engagement among critical audiences : targeted students, professors, staff, and alums, as well as various community constituencies, particularly artists, arts colleagues, and the media.
• Frequently serve as a host, spokesperson, and advocate for the Wallach Art Gallery and will attend meetings and social events, give interviews, and engage in dialogue to build relationships with appropriate campus and community partners (estimated at 3 to 5 engagements per month).
• Participate in internal programming planning meetings, advise on possible connections, collaborative possibilities, and campus and community interest, and maintain records of gallery activity and engagement, related statistical data, and media coverage.
• Support and advance development priorities set by the Director and Chief Curator.
• Identify prospects in consultation with University Development and Alumni Relations and other departments as appropriate.

Prepare foundation and government grant applications and funding solicitations, which include :

• Identifying application requirements
• Drafting necessary narrative content
• Coordinating and collating contributions from professional staff and guest curators
• Liaising with the Office of Sponsored Projects
• Overseeing the grant submission and funding request.
• The incumbent will establish and nurture relationships supportive of the gallery's vision including with members of the newly formed Wallach advisory council, other individuals, corporations and foundations through coordinating and implementing events for these constituencies.
• Partner up with diverse groups, both internally and externally to strategize, design, implement, launch and assess myriad projects.
• Other projects as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required. Must possess a minimum of 6 years of related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• MA degree with proven leadership capability, preferably in a museum, gallery, or related non-profit arts organization, will be considered.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive while working on multiple projects simultaneously. Superior writing, editorial, organizational, interpersonal and time management skills required.
• Demonstrated proficiency in related software and tech platforms including Google Drive, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator), and social media platforms is required. In-depth knowledge of emerging communication trends is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to create successful partnerships that lead to positive collaborations. Familiarity with upper Manhattan (Harlem, El Barrio, and Washington Heights) and its artistic stakeholders, along with address network of relevant contacts, is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to create successful partnerships that lead to positive collaborations. Second language, especially Spanish, also desirable.

Other Requirements

• Excellent Writer and meticulous editor.
• Highly organized, diligent, and detail-oriented. Experienced with leading integrated communications and media campaigns.
• Collaborative, social, and a good listener.
• Ability to multitask, collaborate with multiple colleagues, oversee various types of workers, including students, and work flexible hours as required by meetings and events.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.