Senior Director of Finance

Who We Are

Arts Alliance Illinois champions arts resources and policies that benefit our members and all Illinois residents. As the only statewide, multidisciplinary organization concentrated on the strength of arts and culture, the Alliance takes on challenges that no single organization or artist can face alone.

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Finance (referred to as Director - Finance) reports to the Executive Director to strengthen the financial resiliency of the organization and ensure systems and processes are responsive to organizational needs. They will oversee the Finance & Operations Manager and the Alliance’s external accounting firm. The Director - Finance will ultimately work to strengthen organizational compliance and ensure financial data is readily available to inform all levels of decision-making. The Director - Finance is available to serve in an organizational oversight capacity when the Executive Director is not present.

In addition to the submission of an application, this process will likely include recorded and live virtual interviews with AAI staff, contractors, and Board member(s) and a brief skills assessment (to be compensated).

This position is 90% remote, with a requirement to attend occasional meetings at the Chicago office, annual staff retreats, and other Arts Alliance events. However, due to the nature of our work, we require all employees to be full-time residents of Illinois during their term of employment with AAI.

Requirements

Finance (85%):

• Oversee all accounting and bookkeeping for the organization (in collaboration with external accounting firms). Ensure that transactions are mapped to appropriate accounts and classifications in QuickBooks Online to facilitate the grant reporting process. Oversee day-to-day financial transactions carried out by staff and contractors, including but not limited to invoicing for earned revenue, and bill payment.
• Create and communicate monthly financial reporting materials, analysis, and metrics for the Executive Director, Board and staff. 
• Drive the collaborative annual budgeting process. 
• Lead correspondence and processes with external auditors.
• Develops and manages cash flow projections and planning.
• Develop a financial strategy for responsible growth in collaboration with the Leadership team the Board of Directors, including leading the development of multi-year projections and financial scenarios and assessing initial forays into asset management and low-risk short-term investments.
• Work with staff to manage revenue and expenses to assess budget implications and adjust fiscal year forecasts as needed.
• Advise Executive Director and Board on short, medium, and long-term implications of revenue surpluses or shortfalls.
• Oversee systems integration and compliance for financial tracking and revenue with the Development team.
• Maintain overall fiscal policies and procedures, monitor all internal controls, identify areas of vulnerability, and execute risk mitigation measures.
• Leads and refines processes around Grants and Government Contracts management, compliance and reporting. 

Operations and Human Resources (15%):

• Ensure proper documentation of key policies and procedures is reviewed regularly and kept up to date.
• Oversee risk management and legal activities such as memorandums of understanding, contracts, leases, and other legal documents and agreements.
• Work with current systems and software to run and approve payroll, manage benefits and open enrollment.
• Identify and oversee third party human resources support as needed.
• Oversee Finance and Operations Manager in:
• Employee onboarding and off-boarding
• The execution of functions related to Board of Director meetings
• Vendor management
• Check processing
• Planning of the annual staff retreat, facilitating team activities and document results

Skills and Experience

In order to be considered for this position, candidates must demonstrate the following:

• Minimum 5 years of experience working in non-profit finance. CPA, CMA, or a degree in Accounting or a similar field is highly desirable.
• Technical fluency with Quickbooks Online.
• Familiarity with software systems and tools, particularly Rippling and Ramp, to improve overall operations and finance procedures is highly preferred.
• Experience with grants management and compliance procedures (government contract/grant/audit experience is ideal).
• Ability to oversee and collaborate effectively with staff and contractors, particularly those within AAI’s finance function/
• Ability to translate accounting concepts into accessible language.
• Ability to self-reflect and pivot based on feedback.
• Strong project management skills, high level of self-organization, deep care and attention to detail, and ability to manage competing deadlines.
• Strong understanding of the importance of cultural competence when working with diverse communities as Arts Alliance represents and works with individuals and organizations across the entire state of Illinois.

Our ideal candidate will have the following characteristics:

• A belief that arts and culture are vital to strong local communities and that it is necessary to invest in them.
• Thrives working remotely and independently, while simultaneously being a key member of a dynamic, collaborative team.
• Ability to demonstrate grace and respect for themselves and others at all times, especially when under pressure.
• Ability to self-direct and move projects forward by recognizing when to involve other staff and leadership.

Benefits

Compensation

This is a full-time, exempt, position with a salary of $85,000 - $100,000, depending on experience. Arts Alliance Illinois provides a suite of benefits to ensure an optimal work/life balance for our staff. This includes unlimited paid time off with a minimum of 15 days required plus federal holidays and an end-of-year break, 403(b) match after the first year, medical/dental/vision insurance, phone and internet stipend, and paid family leave.

Things to Know About Us

Advocacy work is fast-paced and remote work can be draining. That work is much harder if organizational culture is not a good fit. In order to ensure this is the right position for you, here are some things to know about us before you apply:

• We believe access to arts & culture makes communities stronger and healthier, and therefore advocating for the arts is a common interest shared by all residents of Illinois regardless of background or political affiliation.
• We believe public funding for the arts is a good thing.
• We believe the biggest contribution a person can make to stop the spread of COVID is getting vaccinated –whenever there’s no medical or religious exemption.
• We encourage professional development, rest, and transparency about your capacity.
• We are a small organization where sometimes we need to help our co-workers during heavy workloads.
• We work hard, but we also support taking time away during the day to nap, run an errand, or do whatever you need to make remote environments work for you.
• We discourage working nights/weekends but understand that staff have different rhythms when they are most productive. Occasionally we need to adapt to urgent, politically-imposed, deadlines but we do our best to balance it with time off.
• We cultivate a professional yet collegial work environment where sharing personal anecdotes, playlists, jokes, etc, is welcome.
• We encourage staff members to assume good intentions from colleagues during moments of conflict or confusion but also are intentional about creating space for harm to be acknowledged and repaired.
• We acknowledge individuals and organizations can perpetuate environments where discrimination goes unchecked. To ensure we have a shared language to address these challenges, staff members attend an Introduction to Systemic Racism training.
• We celebrate diversity and don’t seek to assimilate anyone into a broader “work culture.” We make space for people from different cultural, social, political, and religious backgrounds to share and influence the work we do by being their true selves.

Finally, we realize we will always have work to do to improve our office culture and are looking for team members who will enjoy engaging in that process. 

Arts Alliance Illinois values diversity and is committed to building an inclusive workplace that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We encourage Black, Indigenous or People of Color, immigrants, LGTBQ individuals, people with disabilities, people without college degrees, and anyone part of a group that has been historically discriminated against, to apply.

If you are seeking accommodations to apply for this job, please email martin@artsalliance.org with your request.

The priority application deadline is Friday, August 30, 2024.

This application is open until filled.