Program Assistant, Visual Arts, Arts and Culture

Reporting to a Program Associate, the Program Assistant will provide programmatic and logistical support to the Program Associate, their supervising Program Officer, and the broader Arts and Culture team. The successful candidate will be thoughtful, highly motivated, energetic, collaborative, and congenial, with well-developed communication and organizational skills. The work is detail-oriented and requires strong organizational and communication skills, flexibility, cool-headedness, effective time-management, precision, patience, efficiency, and discretion.

Position Description:

Responsibilities may include, but will not be limited to the following:

Grants Management:

• Serving as a liaison for prospective and existing grantees alongside the Program Associate and the Program Officer, by participating in meetings and site visits
• Participating in building a grant portfolio of new and renewal funding proposals under the direction of the Program Associate and their supervising Program Officer
• Monitoring the progress of proposals from first receipt to approval, including their timely tracking and management in Fluxx, the Foundation's grants management system, and communicating with grantees as directed about the progress of their proposals in line with Foundation deadlines
• Carefully reviewing grant reports and requests for modifications, extensions, and transfers, correspond with grantees about successes as well as challenges, alert program colleagues regarding key activities or difficulties, and follow up as appropriate
• Working with other Foundation departments to ensure timely delivery and processing of grant-related information for proposals, reports, and modifications, and facilitate rapid response to internal questions as they arise
• Traveling to site visits, conferences, and other engagements, as needed

Administrative Duties:

• Keeping grant files in the Foundation's file management system up to date as well as resolving inconsistencies and preparing reports
• Undertaking general office and grant-related work, such as electronic filing, maintaining program records, preparing correspondence, responding to requests for information, scheduling, etc.
• Assisting with information gathering regarding the development of new grant initiatives and the review of existing programs as requested by program leadership
• Participating in team-level process-improvement projects, as assigned
• Representing the Arts and Culture program in cross-functional meetings and collaborating with other departments to advance program goals
• Offering administrative support for convenings, gatherings, and events, as needed

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate would hold a bachelor's degree, preferably in the arts or humanities, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Applicants should possess:

• 1-3 years of relevant professional experience
• Knowledge of organizational practices and trends in museums and visual arts organizations of all sizes
• A keen understanding of and interest in the arts, culture, and humanities
• Flexibility, curiosity, integrity, as well as a willingness to learn from mistakes
• An empathetic manner grounded in compassion, grace, and humility
• Ability to manage multiple projects, while being a committed team player
• An orientation toward self-starting, proactive anticipation of team needs, and creative problem solving
• Superior written communication skills; excellent analytical, critical thinking, and organizational skills with precise attention to detail
• A high degree of competency in the MS Office suite, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, Adobe Suite, and the ability to learn new applications quickly

And, ideally, the following professional knowledge:

• Experience working in philanthropy
• Experience working in a not-for-profit environment and/or grants administration
• Ability to read and understand organizational budgets, and/or financials

Mellon offers a generous total reward package that includes base salary and a comprehensive benefits program, as well as an excellent working environment. Mellon is committed to providing compensation that is competitive and equitable within the philanthropic sector. The estimated annual salary range for this role is $80,000 - $85,000. The amount of pay offered will be determined by several factors, including but not limited to qualifications, unique skills, credentials, or experience that is expected to impact the candidate's contribution to the role. We will also consider market data as well as the Foundation's internal pay equity framework.

Please note that Mellon maintains a hybrid work schedule, with three days per week in person at the Foundation's Manhattan offices.

Candidates should apply by submitting a cover letter describing fit for the position and a resume by July 13th, 2026. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

The Foundation will consider each complete application carefully but only contact those individuals it believes are most qualified for the position.