Deputy Director

The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis seeks an experienced and well-qualified Deputy Director who will serve as the administrative leader, overseeing and coordinating operations, financial administration, business and strategy planning, facilities, visitor experience, hospitality and retail operations for an organization with a $3.2 million annual operating budget and $15 million endowment. The Deputy Director reports to the Executive Director, is a key member of the senior management team and is direct supervisor for the Accounting Consultant, Visitor Experience and Events Manager, and the Facilities Manager. The Deputy Director acts as the primary finance, operations, and human resources leader and works closely with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to achieve the Museum’s strategic goals.

Responsibilities

Strategic

  • Partner with the Executive Director on strategic and operational issues; make recommendations based on financial analysis and projections, cost identification, and allocation of revenue/expense analysis.
  • Participate in the ongoing strategic planning process; collaborate with senior management to advance the Museum’s strategic goals.
  • Manage long-term budgetary planning and cost management. 
  • Partner with the Development Director to align financial management with short and long-term goals.
  • Serve as liaison to Board finance committee and participate in Board meetings; ensure alignment with and understanding of best practices for nonprofit fiscal policy.

Financial Management

  • Lead organization-wide budgeting process and oversee the implementation of budgets.  
  • Oversee accounting, ensuring that financial records are in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
  • Oversee and manage CAM’s part-time accounting consultant on day-to-day financial tasks.
  • Provide analytics to support business and strategic decisions.
  • Communicate finances through reports, dashboards and metrics to Board of Directors and Finance Committee.
  • Oversee all earned revenue operations and coordinate across departments to maximize income opportunities.

Human Resources

  • Oversee all human resource activities including new hires, terminations, and employee benefit plans, including annual renewals (medical, dental, vision, FSA). 
  • Ensure compliance with all reporting regulations, including 403b regulatory reporting requirements.
  • Provide counsel on all new hires.
  • Ensure all personnel policies are adhered to. 
  • Provide critical feedback on performance issues and provide mediation when required.
  • Review compensation levels and benefits package against local, regional, and national Arts Organizations and recommend changes to maintain competitiveness.
  • Coordinate the annual organization-wide performance review process for all employees.

Visitor Experience

  • Oversee the Visitor Experience program, ensuring a high-quality visitor experience through staff training, educational tours, and a customer-service approach.
  • Oversee management of front-of-house operations, including staffing, shop, café, bar, and the Museum’s facility rental program, with the goal of providing an excellent visitor experience in a safe, clean, and welcoming environment. 
  • Supervise policy and protocols to ensure that the Visitor Experience team communicates knowledgeably and enthusiastically about exhibitions, programs, and Museum activities. 
  • Strategize the visitor experience, from planning-the-visit and in-gallery learning to data capture, evaluation, and ongoing relationship management. 
  • Develop and implement attendance metrics, tracking, reporting, and analysis. 
  • Oversee earned revenue operations, including the shop, café, and rental events. Balance mission and facility needs of the Museum with maximized income opportunities.

Facilities Management

  • Supervise the Facilities Manager by supporting the in-house maintenance/custodial function, service contracts, independent contractors, and annual preventative maintenance.
  • Act as project manager, in collaboration with the Facilities Manager, on major capital projects.
  • Develop and update a long-term maintenance and capital replacement plan.  Review with Finance Committee and Board and integrate with the annual operating budget process.
  • Competitively bid all service contracts on a routine basis.
  • Oversee contracted IT services, including all equipment maintenance and replacement.  Oversee the vendor relationship with IT partner.

Qualifications

  • A minimum of seven years senior financial leadership experience. 
  • Bachelor’s degree in relevant field; CPA/CMA and/or MBA preferred.
  • Financial and accounting expertise, including knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
  • Proficiency in QuickBooks, Excel, CRM, and various database platforms as well as POS (Shopify, Stripe, and Square) and commerce/sales solutions and integration.
  • Business management skills, including experience with administration and human resources.
  • Experience working within a fast-paced, small or mid-sized nonprofit organization.
  • (For-profit candidates accepted but preferably those with nonprofit board experience.)
  • Strong planning, strategy, financial, budgeting, analytical, and communication skills. 
  • Creative, collaborative, and entrepreneurial leader skilled at building and supervising cross functional teams. 
  • Ability to understand the sensitive nature of art as it relates to cultures and political climates. 
  • Strong emotional intelligence and interpersonal communication skills. This includes the ability to connect with people from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. 
  • Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. 
  • Ability to work independently and effectively; self-directed; responsible and accountable for decisions.
  • Willingness to be a hands-on leader, working alongside staff to ensure the Museum’s success. 
  • Drive and ambition to pursue excellence while maintaining composure under pressure.

Compensation

This is a full-time position. Compensation, including benefits, is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The salary range for this position is $100,000–120,000.

CAM’s benefits package includes:

  • Employer-paid medical insurance
  • Dental and vision insurance
  • Voluntary life insurance
  • Flexible spending account

CAM offers generous time off, including nationally observed holidays, vacation, sick, paid time off, volunteer time off, and various leave policies. CAM also hosts a flexible remote work policy, as appropriate for the position.

Application Instructions

Please click “Apply Here” to be forwarded to the application portal. To apply, you must create a free account for Submittable. You will be asked to upload a cover letter and resume. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but priority consideration will be given to those received by Friday, January 10, 2025. 

Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion

The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis is committed to embracing diversity, practicing equity, and ensuring accessibility and inclusion. We will continually strive to achieve a welcoming environment in all our spaces, where staff, artists, board, and community feel reflected and valued for their unique perspectives and backgrounds. DEAI values will guide and impact all the decisions the museum makes, both internal and external, so that we are choosing a path toward ongoing transformation. We embolden ourselves to carry out these values by:

  • acknowledging our place in and actively working against our national problem of systemic racism and white supremacy;
  • ensuring that underrepresented voices are included and heard;
  • seeking out and building partnerships that represent our DEAI values;
  • continuing to be a free gathering space and an open forum for ideas.

We enthusiastically take on the work of change. To remain true to these core values, we will hold ourselves accountable through a perpetual process of reflection and responsive action.

About the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis 

The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis works to enrich lives and inspire curiosity, creativity, and learning through experiences with contemporary art. Focused on a dynamic array of changing exhibitions, the Museum reflects and contributes to the global cultural landscape while engaging thousands of visitors through a wide array of public programs. CAM nurtures the creative minds of our city’s youth through free, in-depth art education, making a long-lasting impact on the community. We are a site for discovery, a welcoming space, free and open to all.

CAM is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, family responsibilities, national origin, or veteran status. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture.

We recognize that it is highly unlikely that an applicant meets 100% of the qualifications for a given role. If most of this job description describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Apply Here