Chief Financial Officer

Reports to: Louise Taft Semple President & CEO
Team: Finance
Status: Full-Time Salary Exempt
Shift: Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Flexible with CEO approval)
Compensation: Starting at $105,000-$125,000 annually, competitive, and commensurate with experience.
Benefits: Health Care Insurance, 401K, Dental Care, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Aflac, Discretionary Time Off (DTO) effective day one, free downtown parking, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), museum membership, and other special discounts.

The Taft Museum of Art, located in downtown Cincinnati, is seeking a full-time Chief Financial Officer, reporting to the Louise Taft Semple President & CEO. This position requires a positive, highly organized team player who communicates proactively, is attentive to detail, manages multiple priorities, and has excellent communication and collaborative skills. Enjoy this rare opportunity to join the staff of one of the finest small art museums in the United States.

To apply: Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three references through our online portal at https://www.taftmuseum.org/jobs/. Our team will review your information, and we will get back to you with the next steps. If you have questions, please email Human Resources at HRAdm@taftmuseum.org. No phone calls, please.

POSITION SUMMARY: Reporting directly to the Taft Museum of Art’s Louise Taft Semple President & CEO, the Chief Financial Officer plays a critical role in advancing the mission through strategic financial leadership. This position oversees all financial operations, ensuring accurate and timely reporting while managing risk and optimizing resources.

As a key communicator, the CFO effectively translates financial data into meaningful insights visually and verbally for stakeholders including the Board of Directors, donors, staff, and leadership. The CFO is responsible for maintaining the museum’s financial health, managing cash flow and assets, and shaping the capital structure to support long-term sustainability. In partnership with the President, the CFO contributes to strategic planning, scenario modeling, and forecasting to guide future growth.

As a member of the Leadership Team and liaison to the Board’s Executive, Finance and Retirement Committees, the CFO provides essential oversight and policy input. Final candidates will be invited to present an in-person financial report as part of the selection process. This role supervises the Manager of Accounting, Accountant, and Payroll & Benefits Associate – a dual reporting structure with HR.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
– Oversees the accounting operations, including monthly and year-end closing, general ledger, cash, investments, pledge receivables, accounts payable, payroll, benefits and retirement plan functions for a non-profit organization with annual operating expenses totaling approximately $5 million
– Creates and presents financial and tax strategy recommendations to CEO including supporting documents
– Supports the financial planning and analysis efforts
– Oversees cash flow, cash management, working capital, and company audits
– Prepares financial statements and reports for funding agencies, including Artswave and the Ohio Arts Council (OAC)
– Represents the Taft in conjunction with the Director of HR to Artswave and the Health Alliance committee to ensure our voice is heard
– Ensures legal compliance on all financial functions
– Manages relationships with banks and vendors
– Coordinates the preparation of regulatory reporting
– Documents and develops internal controls for accounting and business processes
– Coordinates and directs the preparation of the budgets, financial forecasts and report variances as needed
– Oversees the company’s fiscal activity, including reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and auditing
– Monitors compliance with laws and regulations
– Assists with high-level decision making on policies and strategies, while continuously striving to develop and improve systems
– Identifies financial risk and opportunities
– Analyzes financial reports with heightened awareness of achieving cost-saving measures
– Stays current of financial trends, taxation changes, and any fiduciary information that could be pertinent to the museum
– Manages and administers the 401K for the Taft
– Prioritizes procedural efficiencies by identifying systems that can be automated and integrated
– Works with the Director of HR to ensure compliance with HR personnel paperwork and processes
– Provides assistance to the Director of HR in benchmarking data for the American Association of Museum Directors (AAMD) and for the annual internal Salary and Benefits survey
– Reviews the process for Health Care Enrollment and other key benefits in collaboration with the Director of HR and the HR/Payroll & Benefits Specialist.
– Completes all Professional Development Reviews (PDR’s) in a timely manner to aid in developing their team.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
– BA in Finance required, CPA or MBA preferred but not required
– Strong finance-based analytical skills
– Background in a non-profit organization required
– Budget management experience
– 7 – 10 years of finance experience
– Experience leading a finance team of 2-5 employees or contractors

REQUIRED SKILLS AND CAPABILITIES
– Build and develop effective relationships across multiple levels of the organization, including guests, vendors, volunteers, team members, facilities committee, and board members.
– Build and maintain an environment that supports teamwork, co-operation, and performance excellence within a team.
– Lead, develop and instruct team members to optimize necessary financial knowledge, skills and abilities.
– Excellent planning & organizational skills to prioritize work and meet tight deadlines.
– Proven ability to manage multiple and complex operational matters daily.
– Ensure financial processes are always followed.
– Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, flexible and decisive and possesses expert knowledge of building systems.
– Expert in principle-based decision making and knows when to enroll experts and key management before acting.
– The capacity and capability to work in a fast-paced, multitasking environment, deal with changing priorities, and work well under pressure.
– Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills, ability to communicate effectively and project a professional image when giving presentations to all stakeholders.
– Display organizational knowledge and attention to detail in all aspects of the job.
– Ability to plan, organize, and meet deadlines by prioritizing required work.
– Experience or familiarity with the following accounting and database management platforms: QuickBooks, Tripleseat, Altru, Square, Microsoft Office including PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, Excel, and Teams.
– This position is primarily based in an office setting.
– A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.

MUSEUM CORE VALUES
All employees of the museum must strive to:
– Embrace the museum’s core values of respect, integrity, excellence, creativity, and collaboration and demonstrate this understanding through words, behaviors, and interactions with our guests, staff members, volunteers, and the public.
– Learn and teach every day. Share knowledge freely with colleagues and pursue opportunities to gain new skills to enhance our success as a team.
– Appreciate, understand, and value each staff member’s expertise, background, experience, strengths, and unique perspective. Share time, energy, and knowledge with others to ensure everyone has the highest potential to succeed.
– Achieve excellence in all tasks and goals.
– Demonstrate professionalism on and off the job and always represent the Taft Museum of Art positively and professionally. Speak truthfully and fulfill promises and obligations in all museum dealings.
– Be comfortable and communicate with people of diverse backgrounds.
– Adhere to all current museum policies, procedures, protocols, and processes.
– Create a pleasant work environment by being a positive influence and respectful to every person.

The Taft Museum of Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1976, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other applicable employment laws. The TMA does not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of an individual’s race, color, gender, religion, creed, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, placement, compensation, promotion, discipline, and termination.