The Role

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will play a critical role in the strategic leadership and management of financial operations at MASS MoCA. The CFO will be responsible for overseeing all fiscal and fiduciary responsibilities for MASS MoCA, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees (Board). Reporting to the Executive Director, the CFO will work closely with the Director, Deputy Director & Chief Operating Officer, Senior Leadership Team, and the Board. This role will be accountable for providing strategic support and guidance for the growth and development the organization.

The CFO will be responsible for leading the Finance and Technology functions at MASS MoCA. This role will manage two direct reports, the Director of Finance and the Director of Technology, and oversee a total team of six professionals. The CFO will work closely and partner extensively with both Directors. Other duties include but are not limited to:

Strategic/Long Term Financial Planning and Analysis
Fundraising Strategies and Partnership, including Capital Campaign readiness and execution
Annual Capital Projects Budgeting
Investment Management (including real estate)
Risk Management
Review of and Recommendations about Accounting Systems

This highly collaborative position will ensure MASS MoCA has sophisticated systems and structures, policies and procedures, and initiatives that are responsive to the financial and operational needs of the institution. The CFO will be responsible for developing, achieving buy-in for, and implementing tools and systems to provide critical financial and operational information to inform decisions and make actionable recommendations on both strategy and operations. Further, this role will manage relationships with financial consultants, external auditors, and other stakeholders.

This role will serve as a critical business partner to MASS MoCA leadership. As an organization-wide resource, it is imperative the CFO brings outstanding communication and relationship building skills.

MASS MoCA is located in North Adams, MA.

The compensation available for the role considers a variety of factors including, but is not limited to, work location, individual skill set, previous/applicable experience, and other organizational needs. The estimated salary range for this role is $165,000 – $185,000. This salary range represents MASS MoCA’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the possible base salary range and is one part of the total rewards the MASS MoCA provides to employees.

Candidate Profile

MASS MoCA is seeking a strategic and innovative leader to join the organization as the inaugural Chief Financial Officer during a transformative period in its history. The successful candidate will have prior experience serving as a leader within a nonprofit organization. Ideally, this individual will bring earlier career experience with a start-up or high-growth company.

This leader will have experience serving as a financial leader of an organization with complex business model and/or multiple revenue streams. The successful candidate will utilize their knowledge and skills for multi-year budgeting and forecasting, system implementation and establishment of core systems, and for financial planning and analysis. The successful candidate will also bring deep experience in financial reporting. Prior capital campaign experience is ideal.

The successful candidate will bring a track record of supporting and engaging a board of trustees. The successful candidate will manifest the highest level of professionalism, stewardship, and integrity in executing the full breadth of the CFO role.

This individual will be an outstanding communicator and bring strong interpersonal skills. The successful candidate will be able to manage and interact effectively with staff at all levels of the organization. The CFO will bring a track record of building and maintaining positive relationships internally and externally, and working as a productive and collaborative member of a leadership team.

Leadership qualities critical to success include:

Superb communication skills; strong listener; highly empathetic, authentic, and a natural relationship builder
Comfortable and effective navigating ambiguity
A highly collaborative leader, who can effectively work with, and through, others
A leader who is seen as confident and evokes confidence in others
Able to hit the ground running; self-starter, entrepreneurial
Effective in utilizing/leveraging existing great work that current team members are leading

The successful candidate will have deep experience with strategic planning and implementation, and ensure that effective financial and operational controls are in place to support current needs and future growth. Further, this individual will bring a true excitement for serving as a leader in the execution of MASS MoCA’s Strategic Plan.

In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:

Setting Strategy

The ability to create and articulate an inspiring vision for the organization, not only for the areas they are directly responsible for, but the enterprise as a whole.
The inclination to seek and analyze data from a variety of sources to support decisions and to align others with the organization's overall strategy.
The ability to effectively balance the desire/need for broad change with an understanding of how much change the organization is capable of handling, to create realistic goals and implementation plans that are achievable and successful.

Executing for Results

The ability to set clear and challenging goals while committing the organization to improved performance; tenacious and accountable in driving results.
The ability to adapt nimbly and lead others through complex situations.
A leader who is viewed by others as having a high degree of integrity and forethought in their approach to making decisions; the ability to act in a transparent and consistent manner while always taking into account what is best for the organization.

Leading Teams

A leader who is self-reflective and aware of their own limitations; leads by example and drives the organization's performance with an attitude of continuous improvement by being open to feedback and self-improvement.
The ability to motivate the team, delegate effectively, celebrate diversity within the team, and manage performance; widely viewed as a strong developer of others.

Relationships and Influence

Naturally connects and builds strong relationships with others, demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively.
Encourages others to share the spotlight and visibly celebrates and supports the success of the team.

Our Client

The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) is one of the world’s liveliest centers for making and enjoying today’s most evocative art. Set in the serene nature, filled Berkshires in Western Massachusetts - just three hours from Boston and NYC, MASS MoCA is unique in the art world. MASS MoCA is a non-collecting art museum with a dual mission of both elevating contemporary visual and performing artistic practice globally, and contributing to the economic and environmental sustainability of the region.

As it concludes its 25th anniversary year, MASS MoCA celebrates its history defined by tenaciousness, vision, risk-taking, artistic excellence, and a commitment to the revitalization and economic growth of the region.

With more than 300,000 square feet of exhibition space set on a 24-acre repurposed factory, MASS MoCA comprises 1/3 of downtown North Adams, Massachusetts. In its vast galleries and stunning collection of indoor and outdoor performing art venues, MASS MoCA embraces all forms of visual and performing art: music, sculpture, dance, film, painting, photography, theater, and boundary-crossing works of art that defy easy classification. MASS MoCA thrives on helping artists create and fabricate new work in response to the world around them. More than 170,000 visitors a year come to the Berkshires from around the country and the globe.

Kristy Edmunds – a world-renowned arts director, curator, and creative producer – was appointed Director in October 2021 to move the organization forward and to build a durable, sustainable future. Reflecting on this critical moment, Kristy, working with its dedicated Board of Trustees, authored an ambitious seven-year Strategic Plan (2024-2030) in which MASS MoCA seeks to realize a new vision for cultural institutions at a time when museums and all arts organizations must reevaluate their role and relevance in society. Specific initiatives in the Strategic Plan include the significant greening of the campus; creating new housing for artists; developing a curatorial exchange program to bring in perspectives of under-represented curators to the museum; deepening MASS MoCA’s partnership with the City of North Adams on interconnected civic development projects; and increase resources to ensure MASS MoCA’s reliability as a cultural and economic anchor in the region and leader in the field at large (read the full plan here).

MASS MoCA

New Jobs

Chief Financial Officer