Publications and Licensing Coordinator

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. We cannot imagine life without art; it inspires and connects us every day. Now more than ever, these connections matter and are aligned with our values.

Inclusive: We strive to be a museum of many voices in dialogue.  

Passionate: We believe working with art is more than a job or trusteeship - it's a way of life.  

Brave: We are committed to approaching our work with courage and a sense of adventure, always ready to explore new perspectives.

Empathic: We aim to act like a person, not an institution. 

SFMOMA is a place for the infinitely curious to explore, support, and experience the art of our time. We believe that modern and contemporary art can influence the way we think, view the world, and embrace the many voices and perspectives around us. We aspire to foster an environment that elicits joy, nurtures a sense of belonging and purpose—where difference is seen as a strength, and every one is appreciated for their whole self.

Schedule: Full Time, 35 hours/week, approximately three days working onsite

The Publications and Licensing Coordinator is responsible for providing organizational and project management support for Publications department projects. Reporting to the Director of Publications, the Publications and Licensing Coordinator will source and license images and coordinate key aspects of the production and distribution of SFMOMA book projects and digital publications.

In the first year of work in this position, key milestones will be:

o   By 30 days: establish understanding of key Publications projects, roles, and procedures and contribute to projects as assigned; begin developing departmental, cross-departmental, and cross-divisional relationships necessary for collaborative work. 

o   By the first quarter: contribute to an increased number, scale, and variety of projects while continuing to develop collaborative working approach. 

o   By one year: work independently and problem-solve proactively on multiple simultaneous projects; contribute to refining departmental and cross-departmental workflows; and deepen key professional collaborations. 

• Hold primary responsibility within the department for sourcing and licensing images for inclusion in museum publications, arranging photo shoots both on- and off-site, trafficking image files, securing reproduction permissions from rights holders and clearing houses as well as courtesy permissions, compiling related paperwork, processing invoices, and maintaining all documentation.  
• Work collaboratively with relevant curatorial staff to coordinate and/or consolidate reproduction requests with loan forms for artworks, as needed. 
• Provide organizational and administrative support such as setting and documenting meetings, preparing agreements, obtaining LCN and registering copyright, processing invoices and expense reports, and maintaining accurate financial records, as well as other tasks as assigned. 
• Working within established editorial and production schedules, help coordinate the work of freelancers and external vendors hired to work on a given project, including authors, editors, graphic designers, translators, photographers, and printers.  
• Receive and distribute catalogues, books, and brochures produced by the Publications department. 
• Solicit catalogue orders from other Museum departments, artists, and/or collectors and assist department managers in determining final print quantities.  
• Assist with customs passage, local delivery, and quality control of publications, as required. 
• Notify specific departments of impending delivery and track allocations among them once publications have arrived. 
• Transmit copies of publications to artists, authors, image rights holders, and external vendors. Maintain spreadsheet of publications inventory and archive of backlist titles.  Maintain master archive of image files and PDFs for each publication. Extract and reformat text from files as needed and serve as primary point of contact for requests for final hi-res image files or PDFs from other museum departments. 

• Possession of a bachelor’s degree, or equivalent work experience, with demonstrated interest in modern and contemporary art desirable.  
• Minimum of five (5) years of professional publication management and image licensing experience required. Demonstrated history of bringing complex editorial projects to successful completion. 
• Strong organizational, communication, and project management skills.  
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (especially Photoshop and InDesign) and HTML a plus.  
• Ability to set priorities, deal effectively and tactfully with artists and museum staff, maintain accuracy while meeting deadlines, and juggle a variety of projects simultaneously.  
• Proven competence as a project manager with ability to set priorities, maintain budgets, and meet stringent deadlines.  

Job posting open date: 11/8/24

All jobs posted will remain open for at least five business days.    

We encourage both internal and external candidates to apply within the initial open posting period as the application close date may or may not be extended beyond that initial period. Applications will not be accepted after a posting has been closed. 

Location: San Francisco, 151 3rd Street. 

Benefits: PTO, Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, Pet Insurance, Life and AD&D Coverage, Disability Insurance, Mental Health and Wellness Benefits, Discount Programs, Pre-Tax Commuter Benefits, 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan, SFMOMA Membership, and more

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

SFMOMA is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. No person shall be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, genetic information, ancestry/national origin, marital status, disability, medical condition, HIV status, sexual orientation, veteran/military status, and any other category protected by federal of state law.

You may request reasonable accommodation if you are unable to or are limited in your ability to access job postings or provide additional information asked in the job posting.

You can request reasonable accommodation by contacting the People Team at talent@sfmoma.org.