Associate Cataloguer, Books and Manuscripts

Location: New York, United States

Salary: $50,000–$55,000 per year, plus discretionary bonus and benefits.

Company

Sotheby’s is an international auction house specializing in art, luxury objects, collectibles, and related financial services.

What you will do

• Support the Books and Manuscripts Department with live and online sales, print catalogues, digital catalogues, and large-scale appraisals.
• Assist with evaluating works, preparing auction estimates, securing consignments, and following up on potential sale property.
• Research provenance, publication history, and exhibition history for auction catalogues and private sale presentations.
• Write and proofread catalogue notes, essays, proposals, and other sales materials.
• Coordinate catalogue production, including data entry and editing, photography, receiving, shoot lists, layouts, and sale ordering.
• Support exhibitions, client inquiries, bidding, outreach, transactions, and pre- and post-sale property management.

Requirements

• At least two years of experience in an auction house or dealer setting.
• Excellent communication, client service, organizational, multitasking, and prioritization skills.
• High attention to detail and strong research, writing, and proofreading abilities.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Flexibility to work overtime and weekends when necessary.
• Relevant administrative experience is desirable.

Nice to have

• Knowledge of a classical language.
• Enthusiasm and willingness to broaden knowledge.

Culture & Benefits

• Competitive benefits package.
• Eligibility for a discretionary bonus in addition to base salary.
• Work alongside specialists, consultants, coordinators, and support departments across a global auction business.