Head of Employee & Labor Relations

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 Head of Employee & Labor Relations is responsible for the full scope of labor and employee relations activities across The Met. Reporting to the Chief HR Officer and working in partnership with Counsel’s Office and the Diversity and Inclusion Office, you are responsible for strengthening and maintaining a proactive and consistent strategy & approach to labor relations, employee relations, and compliance with labor law. Through leadership and expertise, you will ensure a positive work environment, fair treatment of all employees, and compliance with all labor laws. You will manage the Employee and Labor Relations team and will work in partnership with all other HR teams and functions. You will support negotiation and administration of the Museum’s collective bargaining agreements for three (3) unions and provide guidance and counsel on all labor matters.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

Strategy and Leadership

• Foster a positive workplace environment. Work closely with the CHRO and Senior Leaders to ensure the organization is building and maintains positive and constructive relationships with the Metropolitan Museums labor unions.

• Act as a strategic partner with the CHRO to develop, implement, and maintain collective bargaining agreements for each of the Museum’s three (3) unions.

• Manage the Employee and Labor Relations team.

• Oversee workplace policies, employee relations, and collective bargaining agreements with the Museum’s three (3) labor unions.

• Directly, and through the ELR team, provide guidance and counsel on labor and employee matters to managers of all levels across the Museum on labor and employee relations topics.

Labor Relations and Union Management

• Serve as a member of The Met’s bargaining committee in collective bargaining negotiations for all three (3) unions.

• Manage and maintain positive and constructive relationships with The Met’s three (3) labor unions. Serve as the main point of contact for union representatives.

• Interpret, administer, and disseminate the substance of collective bargaining agreements to all levels of management and ensure consistent interpretation, application and compliance with collective bargaining commitments.

• Provides CHRO and Senior Leadership (as appropriate) with updates regarding status of employee warnings, grievances, investigations and disciplinary matters.

• Oversee the day-to-day implementation of The Met’s collective bargaining agreements.

• Oversee the ELR team administering of the grievance process, from investigation to resolution.

• Participate in disciplinary meetings as appropriate, ensuring all relevant parties at The Met are appropriately briefed. 

• Serve as a member of the Labor-Management Committee(s).

Employee Relations

• Build collaborative and productive working relationships across the Museum.

• Provide strategic employee relations support, thought partnership, and coaching to senior managers across the Museum.

• Oversee the employee concerns process, ensure consistency and prompt response in all employee and labor relations matters.

• Oversee Museum investigations.