Finance Director
Classification: Regular Full-Time (Exempt)
Reports to: Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
OUR DREAM
We are seeking a skilled and dedicated Finance Director to join Anderson Ranch Arts Center. The Finance Director will play a crucial role in managing the financial health of the organization, ensuring compliance with financial regulations, and providing strategic financial guidance to support our mission. This individual will manage the full lifecycle of activities for budgeting, financial reporting, and accounting, and audit preparation. They will have a passion for implementing processes that increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in nonprofit financial management, excellent systems skills, and a commitment to Anderson Ranch’s values and strategic goals. If you are passionate about making a positive impact and possess a strong financial acumen in the nonprofit sector, we encourage you to apply for this Finance Director role.
About:
Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a year-round visual-arts not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization with a 55-year history of providing transformative experiences that celebrate artists, art-making and creative dialog, at the intersection of craft and the global contemporary art world. Anderson Ranch brings together both aspiring and internationally renowned artists who come from across the country and around the world to test new ideas, explore new disciplines and techniques, hone their art-making skills, engage in meaningful dialog, and connect with thought leaders in the artistic community.
Anderson Ranch’s campus is an artistic community nestled among the pristine peaks of the Rocky Mountains. The Ranch campus consists of 14 buildings providing 55,000 square feet of facilities including eight studio buildings, a gallery, a lecture hall, café, store, administrative offices, a student dormitory, as well as residential apartments and cabins. State-of-the-art equipment allows cross-disciplinary experimentation within the mediums of ceramics, woodworking, photography, digital fabrication, painting, sculpture, and printmaking. The campus is an oasis of renovated 19th-century cabins and barns that sit alongside contemporary designed buildings, all within the renowned cultural and recreation communities of Aspen/Snowmass, CO, and the Roaring Fork Valley.
Anderson Ranch cultivates a culture of experimentation and collaboration, offering world-class art-making facilities and equipment across diverse mediums, experienced visiting faculty and access to the highest quality staff.
Mission:
Anderson Ranch’s mission is to enrich lives with art, inspiration and community.
We achieve this by offering:
- Workshops: Providing intensive 1-3-week workshops for artists of all levels and all ages that both improve technical art-making skills and provide transformative experiences for art makers.
- Advanced Mentoring Programs: Offering three-year mentoring programs that advance artistic practice and careers in the arts.
- Artist Residencies: Providing 5 and 10-week long juried Artists-in-Residence programs, which give emerging and mid-career professional artists the time, space and resources to develop new work using our world-class facilities.
- Visiting Artist Experiences: Providing flexible and unique curated experiences to support established national and international artists seeking a retreat to experiment in new mediums or with new techniques and ideas, supported by our staff.
- Anderson Ranch Editions: Artists are invited to work with our professional staff in our studios to make prints or multiples in traditional and cutting-edge processes.
- Community Engagement: Hosting lectures, discussions, seminars and special events which build a community that appreciates, understands and supports artmaking within the global contemporary art world and the human experience for both Anderson Ranch guests and the local community.
Work Culture:
- Changing Lives and Changing the World Through Art: We care about people and helping them improve their lives. We enable people to learn and grow, personally and professionally, in a challenging and supportive environment. We meet people where they are and help them reach their goals.
- Culture of Diversity & Inclusion: We learn from diversity, and it makes us stronger. At the center of our mission is helping people find their whole selves in their artistic practice. We strive to live the same values in our professional lives. That includes actively embracing diversity of age, race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental ability, as well as background and experience. We approach our work thoughtfully, learn from each other and share a commitment to inclusivity.
- Rigor & Excellence: We provide the best possible experience for our community of guests, including faculty, interns, students, residents, visiting artists, volunteers, supporters and staff. We demand the best from ourselves and each other.
- Culture of Critique: We believe in a “Culture of Critique” where we offer and receive honest feedback and support each other in learning and improving.
- Culture of Results, Connectivity and Flexibility: We believe overachieving is better than overworking. We prioritize Anderson Ranch and get the job done 110% by being available when needed, by being open, working collaboratively, welcoming feedback and getting work done efficiently, effectively and on time. Once this is achieved, we enjoy the flexibility of where and when we work; we can pursue our passions, be it artmaking, hobbies or special interests.
Core Responsibilities
- Strategic Financial Leadership: Formulate and execute the organization’s financial strategy, aligning it with the overarching mission and objectives. Collaborate closely with the Executive Team to develop and implement sustainable, long-term financial plans that foster growth and resilience. Identify opportunities to simplify and automate processes within the department and implement them creating long term value for the organization.
- Inspirational Team Leadership: Lead the finance department, offering mentorship, guidance, and supervision to the Accounting Administrator. Cultivate a dynamic and effective work environment within the finance department. Develop optimal team and contractor structure to address all responsibilities efficiently during low and high seasons. Work proactively and collaboratively across teams to support financial education and efficient operations in order to meet shared organizational goals.
- Budget Development and Financial Reporting: Spearhead the annual budgeting process, working in tandem with department heads to establish pragmatic financial targets. Produce and present accurate financial statements on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis, encompassing income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Vigilantly monitor financial performance against set budgets, delivering regular, timely and insightful reports to the Executive Team and department heads. Work across diverse teams to provide guidance and training on effective expense reconciliation and budgetary management. Assemble materials and reports for the Board of Trustees.
- General Ledger Management: Supervise and execute all coding and data entry essential for generating accurate accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll functions. Take charge of accounting corrections and adjustments, encompassing journal entries, wire transfers, coding modifications, audit adjustments, and all requisite changes vital for upholding the precision of accounting data. Administer employee credit card protocols and processes with meticulous attention.
- Bank and Cash Flow Oversight: Conduct monthly bank reconciliations and ensure review by all appropriate parties. Efficiently manage the cash flow, ensuring the availability of ample funds to meet operational necessities and financial commitments and optimizing returns on cash as appropriate.
- Regulatory Compliance & Audit: Assure compliance with all financial regulations, accounting best practices, nonprofit reporting obligations, tax laws, and grant regulations. Oversee the preparation of documentation of an annual external audit each winter and support the audit team during their visit to campus. Prepare detailed reports and records for audit as needed. Coordinate seamless financial audits and serve as the intermediary with auditors, facilitating smooth audit procedures.
- State and Federal Reporting: Supervise all state and federal reporting obligations. Prepare and submit quarterly reports to government agencies, including the annual Federal Information Return (990), IRS reports, sales tax reports, and withholding tax statements. File annual reports with the property tax division, meticulously overseeing fair property tax billing for real-estate taxable assets. Secure all licenses for the organization’s operations.
- Strategic Investment Stewardship: Collaborate with the outside investment manager and the Finance and Investment Committee, overseeing the organization’s investment strategies for the endowment portfolio (approx. $10M) with the aim of optimizing returns while adhering to risk tolerance parameters.
- Grant and Fund Reporting: Monitor and report on the financial aspects of grants and funding received, ensuring compliance with donor stipulations. Collaborate with the fundraising team to create financial proposals for grants and funding applications. Coordinate with the development team on the tracking and reporting of restricted contributions including endowment funds from individuals and foundations.
- Proactive Risk Management: Identify financial risks and formulate strategies to mitigate them, nurturing sustained financial stability for the organization. Maintain an up-to-date repository of Financial Policies & Procedures, consistently ensuring compliance with best practices.
- Payroll Precision and Benefits Management: Collaborate closely with the HR to execute payroll (via Paychex), manage payroll records and gain a strong understanding of commercial and medical insurance processes, fees and billing protocols in order to ensure proper checks and balances are in place. Assume the role of primary administrator for the organization’s HSA (HSA Bank) and 403b (TIAA) accounts. Assume responsibility for federal and state payroll tax deposits and quarterly tax reporting. Manage the preparation, distribution, and reporting of 941, W-2, and 1099 forms.
Expected Skills & Qualifications:
- Advanced proficiency in financial software and tools (e.g., QuickBooks, FinancialEdge) and Excel/Google Sheets.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret financial data for decision-making.
- Exceptional leadership and communication abilities, with the capacity to work effectively across departments and high and low levels of the organization.
- A shared appreciation for and commitment to the mission and work of Anderson Ranch Arts Center
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or a related field; master’s degree and/or CPA qualification preferred.
- Proven experience (8+ years) in a senior financial management position, financial reporting and audits, creating budgets, streamlining accounting processes and compliance. Strong knowledge of nonprofit accounting principles, regulations, and reporting requirements preferred.
Staff Community Responsibilities:
- Community Outreach Leader: All staff members are expected to build and lead partnerships with community organizations as they relate to their area of responsibility, and to actively support the outreach efforts of other team members.
- Engaged & Supportive Team Member: All staff are expected to support colleagues and engage in the programs and events of the Ranch by attending lectures, artist talks, fundraising events, and community wide events and being available to jump in and help make them a success.
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- Support Major Fundraising & Community Events: All staff are expected to support the major annual events that engage the public and fundraisers. These are “all hands on deck” efforts and all staff are expected to participate in ways outside their normal professional functions to make them a success from set-up, to execution, to tear down.
- Professional & Personal Development: Continuing to learn and improve is a job requirement of all staff. Team members are expected to be growing, learning, and improving in their artistic and professional lives.
- Brand Ambassador: All team members are expected to comport themselves in a manner that is fitting with the organization; represent the Ranch both on and off-campus, as well as online and on social media, keeping in mind that positivity and professionalism are respected and appreciated.
Physical Requirements:
- Sedentary work that primarily involves sitting/standing.
- Light work that includes moving objects up to 15 pounds.
- The employee frequently is required to stand, walk and reach with hands and arms.
- Typical tasks as required to actively teach and supervise art studios/facilities in a historic building space with uneven surfaces, stairs, gravel walkways, etc.
Other Duties:
- The descriptions above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed in this role. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of the role.
- All personnel are required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.
- This role requires a flexible schedule including evening and weekend hours as needed, and particularly intense time demands in the summer months.
- This job description may be changed or updated at any time throughout employment.
Compensation & Benefits:
- Base Salary: $100,000 – $145,000
- Company-paid medical insurance, option to add additional family.
- Company paid HSA contribution.
- Long- and short-term disability insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid Time Off – Up to 22 days during the first year of service
- Paid Sick Leave
- Sabbatical Leave
- Professional/continuing education support
- Retirement plan 403(b) match
Employment requires successfully passing the pre-employment Background Check. The selected individual must be eligible to work in the United States without visa sponsorship.
All inquiries and conversations will remain strictly confidential.
NOTE: The above is an abbreviated representation of benefits defined in the Employee Handbook, which governs all employment terms. No other verbal or written exceptions to those terms are honored without a written directive by the President and Chief Executive Officer and signed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
How to Apply:
Please send a cover letter and resume to hr@andersonranch.org
We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis starting August 21, and highly encourage you to apply in advance.
Anderson Ranch is an equal-opportunity employer committed to diversifying its workforce.