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2023 Annual Conference
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Careers at CAA

Position Title: Controller/CFO

ORGANIZATION

The College Art Association (CAA), as the preeminent international leadership organization in the visual arts, promotes the arts and its understanding through advocacy, intellectual engagement, and a commitment to the diversity of practices and practitioners. Based in New York City, CAA is a learned society and a professional association that supports those who study, teach, write about, advocate for, and/or create art and design. CAA honors human diversity and acknowledges the extraordinary range of backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, work styles, education, rank, skills, and experiences that make the advancement of art and design integral to culture.  

Of paramount importance to CAA is the promotion of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access within the fields of art, art history, and design. As CAA strengthens and builds its programs, committees, staff, and board it aspires to foster an inclusive culture welcoming of visible and invisible differences, including but not limited to age; ethnicity; gender; gender identity; language differences; nationality; parental status; physical, mental, and developmental abilities; race; religion; sexual orientation; skin color; socioeconomic status; and human styles. CAA defines inclusion as a collaborative work-in-progress. It encourages all CAA constituents to embrace and adopt the ongoing practice of inclusion while advancing art, design, and their histories.  

CAA advances the highest standards of instruction, knowledge, and practice in the visual arts to stimulate intellectual curiosity and advance skills that enrich the individual and society. To realize this vision CAA:  

  • Represents, promotes, and advocates for the visual arts nationally and internationally;  
  • Creates new opportunities for dialogue among members;  
  • Explores new forms of communication using innovative and improved technology;  
  • Addresses career development and workforce issues to assist professional growth; and  
  • Strengthens organizational leadership, membership, and financial support.  

CAA’s Annual Conference is among the largest international gatherings of post-secondary visual arts and design professionals in the country, celebrating, advancing, and sharing research and creative work. In 2021, the first ever all-digital conference included over 365 sessions, a book and trade fair, and a range of content that spanned from traditional fields of study to contemporary issues. CAA also publishes four scholarly journals in art and art history— The Art Bulletin, Art Journal, Art Journal Open, and caa.reviews—as well as a weekly email newsletter. In addition, CAA provides grants to subsidize the publication of scholarly manuscripts in art, art history, and visual studies.  

Over the past two years CAA has worked to build a stronger community and lay the framework for long-term sustainability. A six-year strategic plan was launched in 2020 aligned with five fundamentals to create a long-term sustainable business model for the association. It includes a multifaceted development function and an emphasis on utilizing digital-first technologies to provide value to an expanded membership by championing access, inclusivity, and diversity.  

POSITION SUMMARY

The Controller/CFO will oversee and direct the financial and operations functions of the association. As part of the senior leadership team, under the supervision of the Executive Director, they will work to roll out, monitor, and assess multiple operational and financial workflows as part of CAA’s ongoing digital transformation.  

In this role, they will work collaboratively with others in the senior leadership team, staff, and members, including CAA Committees and Affiliates, including the Executive Committee and Audit Committee. They directly manage and supervise the Administrator of Finance & HR Support and evaluate staff deployment as related to operations support as appropriate. This position requires proven management and organizational skills, strong oral and written communication skills, an enthusiasm for working with people, the ability to manage many projects simultaneously.  

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial 

  • Oversee the timely processing of all day-to-day financial transactions, including cash receipts, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash flow, and investment accounts. 
  • Maintain banking relationship with operating and investment service providers. 
  • Manage Administrator of Finance & HR Support in monthly and yearly close. 
  • Oversee creation of annual operating budget and related schedules 
  • Oversee creation of monthly financial performance metrics and reports for staff and Board.  
  • Work as primary contact with external auditors in annual audit and tax filing, including oversight of audit schedules and financial statements.  
  • Maintain insurance relationship for liability insurance coverage. 
  • Create, maintain, and review grants and awards schedules, applications, and reports.  
  • Manage Administrator of Finance and HR Support in processing of bi-weekly payroll.  
  • Maintain 403B accounts and relationship with TIAA-CREF. 
  • Maintain health, dental, vision, life insurance relationships, including FSA/DCA annual renewals and open enrollments. 

Operations 

  • Work with staff to identify and address operational issues in relation to all programs and initiatives, including the publications, annual conference, membership, development, information technology, grants and awards.  
  • Oversee bi-weekly Operations Meeting with all staff for review of timely projects and issues.  
  • Create, oversee and maintain association-wide operations calendar to track projects and deadlines.  
  • Oversees annual conference registration and operations. 
  • Work to implement strategic solutions through technology or tactical support to maximize staff and software functionality.  
  • Maintain relationship with landlord, including building operations issues and support.  

Related Responsibilities  

  • Work collaboratively with other members of the Senior Leadership Team for strategic planning and advancing the goals of CAA.  
  • Participate in Board, Executive, and Audit Committee meetings.  
  • Perform additional tasks as assigned by the Executive Director.  

QUALIFICATIONS

A bachelor’s degree (advanced degree desirable) with a minimum of five to eight years of professional experience and at least three to five years of financial experience, including audit, at nonprofit, professional, academic, or learned society is required. Significant knowledge of the professional fields of visual arts, educational institutions (especially higher education), and related arts organizations is necessary. Experience synthesizing data and ability to draw analytical conclusions and make recommendations based on findings is required.  Track record of grant tracking and fulfillment is essential. Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and customer relationship management and association management systems, are strongly preferred. 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

CAA offers competitive and equitable compensation commensurate with experience; and a benefits package including health insurance, retirement plan, paid time off, holidays, and periodic travel. This position is based in New York City with the option for hybrid remote work.