About the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.

Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as the audiences we engage. Our staff members are art lovers who are passionate about working toward a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring art museum in the world.

At The Met, every staff member – from security officers to researchers to scientists and beyond – lives by our core values of respect, inclusivity, collaboration, excellence, and integrity. 

Respect: Engage one another with collegiality, empathy, and kindness, always.

Inclusivity: Ensure that all are and feel welcome and valued.

Collaboration: Reach across boundaries to exchange ideas and work together toward our shared mission.

Excellence: Lead the cultural world in quality and expertise—and inspire curiosity and creativity.

Integrity: Hold ourselves to the highest moral standards, admit when we fall short, and then evolve. 

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES: 

The Associate Cost Manager has full ownership of budget implementation across buildings and capital projects Museum wide, ensuring consistency in cost tracking, forecasting methodology, and reconciliation standards across the museum. The Associate Cost Manager is directly responsible for updating senior department leadership on budget status, cost risk, and forecast variances across all active projects serving as the primary point of accountability for the change order process across the portfolio, with responsibility for communicating cost and scope changes to project stakeholders as they occur.

This role also provides dedicated cost engineering, contract administration, and AIA billing review support across the Museum's active capital construction portfolio, owning the change order management process end to end and leading invoice review.

The Associate Cost Manager works closely with Finance, Project Management, and outside architects/GCs to keep budgets, forecasts, and billing reconciliations audit ready across the full building and capital project portfolio.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES: 

• In coordination with project managers and departmental leadership, develop and maintain project budgets, ensuring consistency across the portfolio; reorganize budgets resulting from scope changes; update for additional work activities
• Own end to end change order management: review, cost/schedule impact analysis, negotiation support, and tracking to closeout across all active projects.
• Lead AIA G702/G703 pay application review in coordination with team members and prepare release recommendations
• Negotiate scope changes led by vendors and conduct benchmark analysis to validate pricing and ensure cost competitiveness.
• Conduct budget vs. actual analysis, reconciling Workday actuals against contract fee schedules and controlling files.
• Lead cost analyses and financial modeling to inform strategic decisions on project headcount, staffing, and compensation.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation control including contract amendments, approvals, and financial reports.
• Help shape and foster transparency in sourcing process including policies and procedures that align with Procurement Process
• Process requisitions, purchase orders, and invoice reconciliation to ensure timely and accurate payments.
• Maintain close working relationships with vendors, contractors, and procurement to drive effective project execution.

• Other duties as assigned 

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: 

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of cost consulting experience on institutional or heavy construction projects (museum, healthcare, higher-ed, or similar capital environments a plus).
• Strong knowledge of AIA billing procedures (G702/G703), contract language, and change order provisions.
• Thorough working knowledge of construction finance, fund accounting, and financial reporting analysis. 

• Excellent analytical, organizational, and written/verbal communication skills.
• Expertise in Microsoft Office Suite and the Workday suite. 

COMPENSATION:

• Pay Rate: $105,000 - $115,000

The advertised pay scale reflects the good faith minimum and maximum salary range for this role. The advertised pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage for any specific employee. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may be dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, special licensing or qualifications, and other factors.

Location Requirements

At time of employment, employees are expected to be located within commuting distance of the Museum. “Commuting distance” means that they are located in one of following states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania (the “Tri-state and PA” areas), and be able to commute to and from the Museum in a single day.

Benefits Offerings

The Museum provides competitive compensation, and generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees. Note: Benefits Offering may differ based on Employee Status.

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• 403(b) basic retirement plan and optional matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match
• Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and 13 Museum holidays
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts & Health Savings Account (pre-tax income for eligible health care expenses)
• Commuter benefits (pre-tax income for parking or mass transit expenses)
• Free financial-planning services
• Financial assistance for relevant coursework, seminars, and training programs
• 25% discount for staff in Museum shops
• A subsidized staff cafeteria
• Access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions

We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the desired attributes for a role. If much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.

The Met is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, The Met will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed in this process, please contact [email protected].  

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.