Description
Through an ambitious program of collection, conservation, exhibitions, programming, and research, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art serves as a global and national resource for understanding the arts and cultures of Asia and their interaction with America, past and present. By presenting the arts and cultures of Asia in their extraordinary diversity, we aim to exemplify foundational ideals of curiosity, creativity, and respect. In a world growing ever more interdependent, we believe that cross-cultural understanding is crucial to personal and collective well-being.
NMAA opened in 1923 as America’s first national art museum and the first Asian art museum in the United States. The museum now stewards one of the world’s most important collections of Asian art, with works dating from antiquity to the present, from China, Japan, Korea, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the pre-Islamic Near East, and the Islamic world (inclusive of Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa). The museum also stewards an important collection of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American art.
Today, NMAA is emerging as a leading national and global resource for understanding the arts, cultures, and societies of Asia, especially at their intersection with America. Guided by the belief that the future of art museums lies in collaboration, increased access, and transparency, NMAA is fostering new ways to engage with its audiences while maintaining its commitment to excellence.
NMAA celebrated its centennial in 2023 and is determined to make the museum’s second century as accomplished as its first. The museum is building on its core strengths—the quality and depth of our collections, scholarship, and conservation—while embracing experimentation and new approaches to its work. The museum is transforming digitally, physically, and programmatically to draw in new audiences to celebrate, learn, and connect with Asian and American art and cultures, past and present.
Located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, the museum is free and open 364 days a year. The Smithsonian, which is the world’s largest museum complex, welcomes twenty to thirty million visitors yearly. For more information about the National Museum of Asian Art, please visit asia.si.edu
The Opportunity
The Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) serves as the senior leader responsible for all aspects of fundraising and external advancement for the museum. The CAO will collaborate closely with the Director, Senior Leadership Team, and Advisory Board to build and sustain partnerships with individuals, foundations, and corporations that advance the museum’s mission and impact.
The CAO leads an integrated advancement program encompassing principal, major, and annual giving; institutional giving from foundations and corporations; membership; advancement operations; and stewardship. The position oversees a high-performing team and reports directly to the Director, serving as a key strategic partner in shaping and executing the museum’s vision for growth and engagement.
A new CAO joins NMAA at a pivotal moment. The museum has just launched its 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, embarked on a major fundraising Second Century Campaign in tandem with the Smithsonian-wide campaign for Our Shared Future, and reintroduced itself to the public as a vital platform for cultural leadership, research, and exchange. This is an extraordinary opportunity for a dynamic advancement leader to play a defining role in realizing the promise of this transformation.
Requirements
Major duties include:
Strategic Leadership and Planning
Partner with the Director and Senior Leadership Team to craft and implement a multi-year development operating plan aligned with the museum’s strategic priorities.
Establish key metrics and goals for fundraising performance; regularly assess progress and adapt tactics to meet evolving institutional needs.
Collaborate with program leaders to identify, refine, and translate revenue-raising priorities into compelling opportunities for support.
Oversee the development and management of the Office of Advancement’s annual operating budget.
Campaign and Fundraising Strategy
Lead all major fundraising initiatives to support the museum’s broad and evolving programmatic needs.
Manage all aspects of the museum’s Second Century Campaign with a particular focus on major and principal gift donors.
Serve as a visible and inspiring fundraiser and ambassador for the National Museum of Asian Art, strengthening the museum’s culture of philanthropy and broadening its base of support.
Lead efforts to increase participation in the museum’s recently launched national membership program with a focus on revenue generation and major gift pipeline development.
Major Gifts and Donor Relations
Maintain a strong focus on frontline fundraising and prospect identification, actively building a robust pipeline of new major and principal gift prospects.
Personally manage a portfolio of current and prospective donors at the highest levels of giving capacity, including both individual and institutional funders.
Establish and nurture direct, enduring relationships with donors and prospects, ensuring a high standard of stewardship and engagement.
Collaborate across Smithsonian units to enhance donor relations, develop fundraising materials, and plan cultivation events of all sizes.
Team Leadership and Collaboration
Oversee and develop a high-performing advancement team, fostering an environment of commitment, accountability, and professionalism.
Set annual goals for staff, monitor progress, and provide mentorship and professional growth opportunities.
Work in close partnership with the Smithsonian’s central Office of Advancement, ensuring coordination of strategy and access to shared resources and expertise. The Chief Advancement Officer will have the support of this comprehensive office and access to all resources therein to ensure coordination of fundraising processes.
Communications and Materials Development
Oversee the creation of effective, compelling, and visually engaging fundraising materials, proposals, and donor communications.
Ensure all advancement communications reflect the museum’s mission, vision, and brand voice, and inspire philanthropic engagement.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
- A minimum of 10 years of experience in progressively responsible development leadership positions, which includes work in all functional areas (individual giving, institutional giving, annual giving, planned giving, stewardship, Board relations) and participation in a major capital campaign (planning, implementation, management, and successful conclusion), preferably within a major cultural institution, nonprofit organization, educational institution, or other environment of similar complexity.
- Demonstrated ability to provide management oversight, leadership, and direction with at least five years of supervisory experience, including experience creating and managing a budget.
- A proven and inspirational frontline major gifts fundraiser with a long track record of success in securing six and seven-figure gifts and greater. Demonstrated strength in prospect discovery and in building effective strategies to compel new major donor targets to invest in the museum’s programs and mission.
- Direct experience in international fundraising and the cultural sensitivity it requires; a global orientation and knowledge of strategies and trends in global philanthropy. Must have experience working with individual and institutional donors on a global scale.
- Experience identifying, nurturing, and working with Board members and other museum supporters, and an appreciation for their role in building an effective fundraising network.
Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.
Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Interested candidates should submit their resumes and a cover letter using this LINK by February 8, 2026. Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week. Relocation expenses are not paid.
What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact nmaa-hr@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures (https://www.si.edu/OEO/IndividualswithDisabilities).
The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To review The Smithsonian's EEO program information, please click the following: https://www.si.edu/oeo
