Special Events Manager

Special Events Manager

The New Museum seeks a collaborative, strategic, and highly organized Special Events Manager (SEM) to manage the Museum's special events program. This role plays a critical part in generating earned revenue through venue rentals while supporting the planning and execution of fundraising, patron, and membership programs, exhibition openings, and a range of internal institutional events. The position is responsible for developing rental business opportunities, maintaining strong client and vendor relationships, and ensuring exceptional event execution that reflects the Museum's mission and standards.

The Special Events Manager serves as the primary point of contact for clients, vendors, and internal stakeholders throughout the lifecycle of each event, from initial inquiry and site visit through planning, production, execution, and post-event follow-up. The position requires a dynamic professional who combines event production expertise, sales acumen, business development skills, and strong project management capabilities. Reporting to the Vice President of Advancement, the Special Events Manager works closely with departments across the Museum, including Development, Exhibitions, Education & Public Engagement, Visitor Experience, Security, Facilities, External Affairs, and the Director's Office. This position serves as a key operations manager within the Museum's event portfolio and supervises the Special Events Coordinator.

The Special Events Manager is a key member of the Development Department responsible for advancing the Museum's earned and contributed revenue goals through exceptional event planning, venue sales, and relationship management. The New Museum opened an expanded campus designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architectural firm OMA in March 2026. The new 60,000 sq. ft. addition features exceptional new event spaces. This is an outstanding moment to join the New Museum.

Responsibilities

Event Management & Production

• Manage all rental events from inquiry through execution, including site visits, client meetings, proposals, contracting, planning, production, vendor coordination, and post-event follow-up.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for prospective clients, clients, and stakeholders throughout the planning process.
• Oversee all aspects of event setup, breakdown, load-in/load-out activity, and onsite operations.
• Ensure events are executed in accordance with Museum standards, event guidelines, and operational requirements.
• Support, manage, and execute production of internal Museum events.

Rental Sales, Marketing & Business Development

• Develop and implement annual and long-term rental sales strategies to achieve departmental revenue goals for rental events of $1.6M- $2M annually.
• Build, maintain, and grow a portfolio of rental clients and strategic event partners.
• Conduct site visits and presentations for prospective clients.
• Identify and cultivate new rental business opportunities and market segments.
• Collaborate on marketing initiatives that increase awareness of the Museum's event spaces.

Institutional & Development Events

• Plan and support fundraising events, exhibition openings, donor receptions, patron dinners, member events, and Museum-wide celebrations.
• Coordinate guest management, invitations, RSVPs, seating plans, communications, and hospitality arrangements.

Administrative & Financial Management

• Prepare and manage event proposals, contracts, invoices, permits, insurance certificates, and related documentation.
• Track event revenue, expenses, deposits, reporting, and forecasting.
• Maintain accurate event records and planning materials.

Calendar Management & Cross-Department Coordination

• Manage the Museum's events calendar and oversee scheduling of internal and external events.
• Coordinate security, facilities, audiovisual services, maintenance, equipment rentals, and other operational requirements.

Vendor & Partner Relations

• Develop and maintain strong vendor and partner relationships.
• Evaluate vendor performance and identify new partnerships that enhance event quality and efficiency.

Special Event Operations

• Supervise the Special Events Coordinator.
• Support departmental reporting, evaluation, and process improvement initiatives.
• Conduct field research and regularly share updates on event trends, environmental impacts, new business platforms to support ongoing strategy and planning for the Museum's events program and venue rental business.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.

• Minimum of three to five years of experience in event sales, venue rentals, event production, fundraising events, or event-related fields.

• Strong project management, organizational, communication, and client relationship skills.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Tripleseat required.

• Experience with Raiser's Edge, ACME, Zkipster, Asana, or comparable platforms preferred.

• Knowledge of museum environments preferred; knowledge of contemporary art a plus.

• Ability to work evenings and weekends as required.

Benefits

We offer a full comprehensive benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Employer funded Health Reimbursement Program through the Difference Card, Commuter Benefits Program through the Difference Card, Voluntary Short Term Disability Plan and Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance, Retirement Plan, and other voluntary benefits.

We offer full-time employees 15 days of paid time off days, 8 sick days, and 13 holidays as applicable through the fiscal year.

About The Museum

The New Museum's mission is simply "New Art, New Ideas." Founded in 1977 by curator Marcia Tucker with a bold vision of presenting contemporary culture in a critical and scholarly context, the New Museum has been a leader among contemporary art museums for over 40 years and is among the most respected internationally for its risk-taking curatorial program. The New Museum is a center for exhibitions, information, and documentation about living artists from around the world, focusing on emerging and under-recognized voices, and providing a platform for the artists who are defining our cultural moment. In 2007, the New Museum made history with the inauguration of its first permanent building at 235 Bowery designed by the Tokyo-based firm SANAA. Since that time, over 4 million have visited or attended programs and events, and the Museum has 155 exhibitions featuring over 600 artists from 60+ countries in our galleries, as well as over 1,200 public programs ranging from live performances, conferences, residencies, screening, after-school programs, and family days.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The New Museum of Contemporary Art believes that all persons are entitled to Equal Employment Opportunity and we do not discriminate against our staff members or applicants for employment because of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender identity and expression, sex, age, disability, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, genetic information, or veteran or citizenship status provided they are qualified and meet the requirements for the job. The New Museum provides reasonable accommodation to candidates with disabilities. As per New York State Guidelines, all candidates hired must be vaccinated with the COVID vaccine.