Administrative Project Coordinator, Collections, Exhibitions, and Design

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. We cannot imagine life without art; it inspires and connects us every day. Now more than ever, these connections matter and are aligned with our values.

Inclusive: We strive to be a museum of many voices in dialogue.  

Passionate: We believe working with art is more than a job or trusteeship - it's a way of life.  

Brave: We are committed to approaching our work with courage and a sense of adventure, always ready to explore new perspectives.

Empathic: We aim to act like a person, not an institution. 

SFMOMA is a place for the infinitely curious to explore, support, and experience the art of our time. We believe that modern and contemporary art can influence the way we think, view the world, and embrace the many voices and perspectives around us. We aspire to foster an environment that elicits joy, nurtures a sense of belonging and purpose—where difference is seen as a strength, and every one is appreciated for their whole self.

Schedule: Full Time, 35 hours/week, approximately 3 days working onsite

The Administrative Project Coordinator, Collections, Exhibitions, and Design (CED) is responsible for providing administrative support to the Chief CED Officer, the Director of Exhibitions & Program Management (EPM), Design Director, and Exhibitions Project Managers as part of the division’s administrative unit. CED is responsible for designing, planning, and executing the museum’s exhibitions and collections programs, and design initiatives across the institution. The CED administrative unit is responsible for centralizing, standardizing, and streamlining administrative services for all teams within the Division. 

·  This position is situated within the CED Administrative Unit and reports directly to the Division Administrator, CED. 

·  This position works collaboratively with Department Heads, Project Managers and Coordinators, and managers of specialized teams within the division to ensure that staff have adequate support to work efficiently and effectively in order to contribute to driving sustainable growth.  

·  This individual is a critical liaison between the CED Exhibitions and Design teams and other departments and senior staff within the museum, including Curatorial, Marketing, Finance, and more. 

·  This position also works closely with external entities, including other institutions, galleries, vendors, and artists, as a representative of the division and museum. 

·  This individual must proactively anticipate, drive, and manage administrative actions in support of the CED division, Exhibitions & Program Management department, and Design Studio’s overall objectives and goals. 

·  The position requires strong critical thinking skills and the ability to manage multiple projects while being accountable to competing deadlines. 

• Team Participation 
• Assists the division in facilitating art stewardship and human and environmental sustainability to engage, inspire, and reward audiences so that visitors feel compelled to return and recommend the museum to their family and friends. 
• Contributes to an inclusive, rewarding, and inspiring workplace, where innovation, discovery, and constant learning cultivate a deep sense of belonging and shared responsibility within the CED division.  
• Shares in fostering a culture of safety, inclusivity, and equity. 
• Works in a healthy and flexible style that understands and adjusts to colleagues with healthy conflict resolution. 
• Helps to identify cross departmental projects that support strategic pursuits and sustainable workloads. 
• Participates in nurturing collaboration and partnership across teams with fluid communication and respect for diverse expertise essential to an art museum.  
• Supports effective and efficient communication and workflows, prioritizes activities, and ensures that teams have the resources they need to do their jobs.  
• Models empathy and understanding, and can actively change practices and behavior to meet the needs projects and teams.  

• Administration 
• Serve as primary administrator for CED project management platforms Asana and AirTable, including:  
• Entering/confirming information in Exhibition and Design Asana/AirTable projects as assigned by EPM Project Managers. 
• Build custom projects in both platforms for Departments across CED in collaboration with project and program managers. 
• Import/export data and pull reports as assigned. 
• Serve as primary contact for Asana and Airtable questions from CED staff (and other Museum staff as required from cross-division collaboration). 

• Serve as primary scheduler for Chief CED Officer calendar under the management of Division Administrator.  
• Produce exhibition reports as assigned. 
• Assist in creating centralized and sustainable systems for general division needs such as placing orders, paying invoices, and completing contracts.  
• Fulfill all purchase requests for Collections Management department and for exhibition/installation-related materials.  
• Act as a highly responsive, reliable point of contact for team members and other stakeholders. 

• Provide ongoing support for exhibitions activities, such as: 
• Coordinating exhibition development presentations. 
• Assist in developing and reviewing exhibition-related contracts.  
• Circulating external exhibition proposals for review. 
• Create internal tour packets through collaboration with cross-divisional partners and distribute as assigned. 
• Collaborating with Curatorial to coordinate the bi-annual All Staff Exhibitions Program Presentation. 
• Keeping staff up to date on exhibitions activities by regularly posting updated exhibition calendars, crosschecking exhibition dates for marketing and membership, and managing the departmental contacts list. 

• Support the Design Studio in collecting, processing, and tracking staff name tag and business card requests. 

• Manage and handle routine administrative tasks in an effective and efficient manner: 
• Process invoices and expense reports for multiple departments and work with Exhibitions and Design leaders to coordinate the annual and mid-year budget preparation, as well as longer-term projections.  
• Assist in the preparation of collecting annual exhibition budgets. 
• Support the coordination of internal and external meetings, including scheduling, setting up access for external visitors, preparing meeting agendas, minutes, and PowerPoint presentations, and sending follow up communications. 
• Order materials and supplies for the Exhibitions and Design departments. 
• Coordinate travel arrangements and process travel expenses for the Director of Exhibitions. 
• Support the Director of Exhibition’s calendar by creating meetings in a timely manner.   

• Assist in coordinating division and department events that celebrate and honor the work of team members.  
• Assist with additional projects as assigned by the Chief CED Officer, Division Administrator, and Exhibitions and Design leaders. 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with course work in museum studies, art history, or studio art required. 
• Minimum two (2) years of extensive experience as an administrative assistant or similar position required. 
• Working knowledge of museum practices and missions desired, preferably in exhibitions or design. 
• Ability to quickly master new tools and platforms as technologies evolve. 
• Strong proficiency in MS Office suite, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook preferred.  
• Experience using Asana or a similar project management system and Artifax or similar event management system highly desired. 
• Invoicing and budget management skills preferred. Experience using Adaptive or other budget tracking systems recommended. 
• Ability to communicate effectively and build trusting relationships with internal and external colleagues, artists, and vendors. Excellent written communications, reflecting the appropriate tone for each situation. 
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and logistical abilities to advance the work of the department and meet critical deadlines in a high-volume environment while maintaining a sense of focus and calm under pressure. 
• High level of creative and flexible problem-solving skills. 
• Ability to acknowledge areas of difficulty and ask for support to collect recommendations and collaborate on possible solutions.  
• Desire to work in a collaborative, team-oriented environment. 

Job posting open date: 12/6/24

Job posting open date: 12/23/24, 9am

All jobs posted will remain open for at least five business days.   

We encourage both internal and external candidates to apply within the initial open posting period as the application close date may or may not be extended beyond that initial period. Applications will not be accepted after a posting has been closed. 

Location: San Francisco, 151 3rd Street. 

Benefits: PTO, Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, Pet Insurance, Life and AD&D Coverage, Disability Insurance, Mental Health and Wellness Benefits, Discount Programs, Pre-Tax Commuter Benefits, 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan, SFMOMA Membership, and more

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

SFMOMA is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. No person shall be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, genetic information, ancestry/national origin, marital status, disability, medical condition, HIV status, sexual orientation, veteran/military status, and any other category protected by federal of state law.

You may request reasonable accommodation if you are unable to or are limited in your ability to access job postings or provide additional information asked in the job posting.

You can request reasonable accommodation by contacting the People Team at talent@sfmoma.org.