How You Will Contribute

The Chief Financial Officer serves as a key member of the senior management team of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The CFO will be responsible for the planning and oversight of all the financial activities of the museum, which has an annual operating budget of approximately $60 million. This executive will serve as an operational CFO who is highly engaged as a collaborative partner in effectively managing the development and execution of strategic financial plans, program-specific plans, and annual operating and capital budgets.

The CFO will be accountable for ensuring the integrity of all financial statements in collaboration with the COO, CEO and the Board of Trustees and will enable accountability and effective decision-making by delivering clear, accurate, and timely performance information to management and staff. In addition, the CFO will work closely with the Executive Office and Board on all strategic and tactical matters as they relate to financial planning and reporting, budget management, forecasting, investment of endowment assets, and the securing of new funding.

The CFO has responsibility for overseeing and guiding the day-to-day operations of the finance department, which includes accounting, budgeting and planning, banking and treasury, tax planning and compliance, and investment operations. The CFO leads a team of ten with direct reports, including the museum’s Controller, as well as professionals in accounting, budgeting, and financial planning and analysis.

Specifically, you will:

• Direct, supervise, and improve the museum’s financial and budget processes in order to fund operations, monitor capital projects, maximize investments, and increase efficiency.
• Advise the CEO, COO, and Board of Trustees with respect to overall financial policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements impacting all aspects of the museum’s financial position.
• Institute and maintain a rigorous financial planning and analysis process to evaluate performance of the museum and its staff in meeting objectives and to determine areas of potential revenue enhancement, cost reduction, program improvement, and policy change.
• Lead and enhance the museum’s budgeting process and develop organization-wide standards and processes. Partner with department leadership teams in developing performance targets, reporting variances, and creating remediation plans.
• Work collaboratively with department leadership to oversee appropriate funds flow so that financial resources are appropriately deployed to drive strategic initiatives.
• Hold responsibility for cash management and investment activities and operations.
• Provide financial leadership and support in the execution of the museum’s strategic plan.
• Maintain an effective organization by conducting recruitment, selection, evaluation, and ongoing development of key finance and business system managers and personnel.
• Manage, with input from the Executive Office and Board of Trustees, all debt issues and derivatives. Take a lead role in negotiating, executing, and managing all tax-exempt bond financings and credit facilities, including ongoing compliance with legal and reporting requirements.
• Present monthly financial reports to the Executive Office, the Board, and the Board’s Committees.
• Participate as a non-voting member of the Finance Committee and the Investment Committee and act as a Staff Liaison for the Audit Committee. Develop all materials needed for the meetings of such Committees for advance circulation.
• Work with the Development department to create annual and long-term fundraising goals and grant requests that support the capital, operating, and program expenditure budgets.
• Hold responsibility for coordinating the annual audit of the museum’s financial statements and its affiliate by an independent certified public accounting firm.
• Hold responsibility for the timely completion of the IRS Form 990 for the museum and its affiliate together with the museum’s external auditors.
• Act as a fiduciary on the Retirement Plan Oversight Committee.
• Review and manage the museum’s property/casualty insurance program.
• Participate in major contract negotiations as appropriate.
• Create, install, and maintain an effective system of internal controls.
• Prepare, present, and interface with bond rating agencies.
• Hold responsibility for capital funding, including relationships with financial institutions.
• Together with the Audit Committee, create, maintain, and monitor the effectiveness of the Enterprise Risk Management program.
• Interface with and support consultants and advisors to the Investment Committee.
• Other duties as assigned by the CEO.

Your background and experience include:

• Master’s degree in business administration, CPA, and/or equivalent relevant experience.
• Substantial experience in senior level financial management with demonstrated success in a non-profit organization preferred.
• Significant experience working with governing boards and committees. Strong executive presence and demonstrated ability to develop positive executive relationships.
• Knowledge of current financial and accounting practices and compliance standards, including expected changes in such practices and standards.
• Skilled in contract negotiation, project management, presentation, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent planning, analytical, financial management, and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated effective leadership, management, team building, and supervisory abilities.
• Highly collaborative finance executive with experience in a complex work environment who can establish relationships with a variety of constituencies – education, curatorial, administration, and the Board of Trustees.
• Senior level experience in a complex environment with stakeholders who may not always have a common agenda.
• The ability to accommodate the wide range of the museum’s activities.
• Strong program budgeting skills, particularly as they relate to building new programs and generating revenue, are highly valuable.
• A client service and proactive approach to the role.
• Experience working in a team-based/interdependent environment.
• The ability to institutionalize and streamline financial, accounting, and budgeting processes and build a strong knowledge transfer capacity within the finance organization.
• Strong leadership capacity with successful experience in building an organization and strengthening that organization’s capacity to grow and adapt. The ability to manage and develop financial talent is critical to the candidate’s success.
• Extremely strong communication skills including ease at translating financial data in a manner that can be utilized effectively by key stakeholders who do not possess a business orientation.
• Must be able to step outside of finance and speak to mission and values.
• Operates with transparency and with the highest degree of ethics.
• Excellent analytical, verbal and written communication, and presentation skills required.
• Proficient in financial and accounting management systems as well as MS Office suite.

Position Details

• This position reports to the Director and Chief Executive Officer
• Physical requirements:
  • Able to remain stationary for extended periods of time, to utilize computers and other office equipment required of this job, to perform physically administrative duties in a typical interior office environment, gallery, or exhibit space, and to access most public and staff areas of the museum campus
• COVID-19 vaccination required.
• Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

Institutional Requirements

• Upholds the professional standards of the field, always acts in a manner that is consistent with the best interests of the museum, and protects and enhances its reputation and standing within the community of museums.
• Adheres to the museum’s code of ethics and Employee Handbook and avoids any real or perceived conflicts of interest.
• Shows respect for co-workers and visitors and an understanding of and appreciation for the diversity of the museum’s staff, volunteers, and audiences.
• Maintains confidentiality.
• Adheres to all museum protocols, procedures, rules, and policies.

We Are Committed to an Inclusive Workplace

At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we actively seek to employ a diverse group of people who embody our organizational values. We welcome and encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply, especially those from marginalized and underrepresented groups in the museum field, who are inspired by our shared purpose and enjoy working collaboratively with others.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected status.

Application Timeline

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage candidates to apply early as the position will close once we have a robust applicant pool or a candidate has been selected.

What We Offer

The salary for this position is commensurate with experience.

We also provide a comprehensive benefits package for this position, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Fully paid short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, and life insurance
• Health savings or flexible spending account program
• Retirement savings program with museum match
• Paid vacation, personal days, sick days, and holidays

As an employee, you will also have access to numerous museum perks, including, but not limited to:

• Free general admission to the museum for you and your immediate family
• Discounted guest tickets for admission
• Discounts on gift memberships
• Special staff tours and presentations from our curatorial and conservation teams
• Discounts at the museum restaurant, museum cafés, and museum retail and online stores