Director, Sponsorship and Corporate Relations

Department: Development

Available: July 2021

Position Summary

The Director of Sponsorship and Corporate Partnerships will lead a major institutional refocus on the corporate sector, generating a list of new high-level prospects, creating engagement strategies and actively working on cultivation and solicitation. This position will work with development leadership, the marketing team, Peter Gelb and board members on active recruitment of potential sponsors, and will work towards doubling revenue from this budget line over a two-year period. They also guide the active Corporate Patrons program, from solicitation to fulfillment. The position supervises one team member.

Primary Responsibilities

  • Identify, cultivate and solicit new sources of corporate support, through a proactive identification, education and engagement strategy. Deploy resources across The Met in service to said sponsorship opportunities, including Marketing, Media, Finance, Education and Artistic.
  • Create sponsorship strategy by sector (technology, finance, pharmaceutical, retail, travel, hospitality, etc.) and develop timeline, value proposition, and revenue forecast.
  • Reevaluate sponsorship benefits and rescale benefits for larger sponsorship gifts
  • Solicit in-kind sponsorships to meet Met needs.
  • Prepare detailed and compelling 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 sponsors and partners.
  • Manage administration of sponsorship efforts, including tracking income and expense budgets; and creating and maintaining annual solicitation, acquisition, stewardship and reporting calendars.
  • Oversee the maintenance of all corporate records, as well as those funders associated with select special projects, and Lincoln Center Corporate Fund.
  • Ensure proper fulfillment of sponsorship deliverables and activation, complex agreements with major sponsors, and contractual obligations, including managing the Met’s official Credit Book corporate lines and ensuring proper crediting in all print and digital materials.
  • Acquire and steward Corporate Patrons with excellence and accuracy; establish program for growth up the giving ladder. Evaluate Corporate Patron benefits and determine servicing budgets.
  • Serve as liaison to the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund.
  • 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.
  • Provide additional support to the Director of Special Campaigns and Leadership Gifts, Executive Director of Development Strategy and Growth and assist Assistant General Manager for Development with special solicitations as directed.

Qualifications & Skill Requirements:

  • Minimum of 7+ years of development experience, with an emphasis on institutional and corporate fundraising and proven track record of securing large gifts
  • Superior writing skills, with the ability to create persuasive and descriptive written materials.
  • Love of hosting and entertaining prospects
  • Knowledge of marketing and experience partnering with a seasoned marketing team on deliverables
  • 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

Physical Demands:

  • The Metropolitan Opera is a performance venue that requires employees working in the building to be fully vaccinated. Due to the nature of this role, you must be fully vaccinated at the time your employment is scheduled to start. 
  • 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

To Apply:

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

Internal candidates should please contact the Human Resources department directly to apply.

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.