Organization

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) is a vibrant performing arts center, cultural hub, and community resource. The mission of The Wallis is to create, present, and celebrate unique performing arts events and educational programs that reflect the rich cultural diversity of its community, making the performing arts accessible to all community members and cultivating the next generation of artists and audiences. The campus, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, is committed to robust and distinctive presentations and education programs curated with both creativity and social impact in mind.

Ensconced in the former Beverly Hills Post Office and included on the National Register of Historic Places, The Wallis welcomes guests into a beautifully renovated, state-of-the-art facility. The restoration of The Wallis began in 2010 and concluded in 2013; it now includes the 500-seat Bram Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater, an inviting open-air plaza for family, community, and other performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education (GRoW), where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound. Together, these elements embrace the city’s history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and residents, alike.

The Wallis’ eclectic programs, informed and inspired by the world-class artists and art forms presented on its stages, connect audiences with the very best in the performing arts, invest in young artists, and expand access to opportunities in the performing arts. The Wallis has produced and presented more than 400 dance, theater, opera, classical music, film, and family programs since its doors opened in October 2013. Its programming has been nominated for 48 Ovation Awards and seven L.A. Drama Critic’s Circle Awards. The campus itself, a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, has garnered six architectural awards. The Wallis is currently engaged in The Wallis Arrives, a comprehensive campaign to raise $55 million. The effort has reached more than half of its fundraising goal with two years remaining.

Integral to the organization’s mission is GRoW, an umbrella for the robust mix of education and outreach programs at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The Wallis is committed to sharing the arts with learners of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities, and bringing their stories to life. Using the power of the arts, GRoW programs address important social issues and respond to critical needs in the greater community through arts leadership, learning, collaboration, and partnership. GRoW features a dedicated education wing on the campus of The Wallis with three state-of-the-art classrooms and a beautiful outdoor Wells Family Education Courtyard. GRoW is made possible through a generous gift from Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, Regina Weingarten, and the Annenberg Foundation, and the acronym GRoW is based on their initials.

Included under the GRoW umbrella is The School Partners Program and Artist Residency Program. These residency programs bring teaching artists to work in partnership with classroom teachers during school hours to develop and deliver a creative project that can integrate into a subject area or stand alone. Additionally, the student matinee program welcomes thousands of Los Angeles area first-through twelfth-grade students to special student matinee performances with local, national, and international artists in music, dance, and theater. The Wallis welcomes students of all ages and offers courses for older adults designed to stimulate creativity, connect to others, and share personal stories.

The Wallis is governed by a 37-member board led by Board Chair Michael Nemeroff. Robert van Leer is the Executive Director and CEO and leads a staff of approximately 66 full- and part-time team members.  For the fiscal year ending August 31, 2023, The Wallis budgeted a total revenue of $8.95 million with $4.41 million in contributions and grants, and $4.54 million from program services and earned revenue. Total expenses represented $9.4 million.

Position Summary

Reporting to and working in close partnership with the Executive Director/CEO, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will lead all financial operations at the Wallis, establishing strong fiscal systems, maintaining internal controls, and ensuring compliance. They will be responsible for overseeing the accounting, budgeting, audits, and risk management functions. The CFO will collaborate with the Board and other senior leaders in participating in strategic discussions and advancing the mission of the Wallis, and will provide financial forecasting and analysis. Ensuring the highest standards of financial management in order to build sustainable growth, the CFO will guide the management of both earned and contributed revenue, expenses, and cash flow. Supervising a small yet dedicated team of finance professionals, they will mentor and motivate staff, fostering a culture of open and clear communication, mutual respect, and accountability.

Role and Responsibilities

Financial Management

• Lead and develop the creation, implementation, tracking, and management of the annual and capital budgets.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director/CEO, by contributing to the development of the Wallis’ strategic plan, overseeing financial initiatives, and maintaining a high level of accountability and transparency.
• Guide financial decisions through establishing and enforcing internal controls, ensuring operational policies and procedures, and recommending processes for increased efficiencies and effectiveness.
• Manage banking and external audit relationships, then investigating their findings and recommendations.
• Serve as the primary liaison with bankers, CPAs, tax attorneys, general counsel, and the board of directors’ finance, investment, and audit committees.
• Partner with the Executive Director/CEO and Development Department to ensure proper coding and tracking of comprehensive campaign gifts, and to develop gift coding policies for unique gift types, such as multi-year pledges, endowment gifts, and programmatically restricted support.
• Oversee the Wallis’ transaction processing systems, including credit card payments, and ensuring training of staff in compliance with required processes and information sharing regulations.
• Embrace other Financial Management responsibilities, as needed.

Fiscal Monitoring, Reporting, and Analysis

• Manage all finance and accounting functions, including financial reporting, preparing month- and year-end close documents, and long-term forecasts, ensuring financial systems are accurately maintained.
• Oversee fiscal operations, then producing, analyzing, and delivering accurate financial statements and performing cash flow analyses.
• Monitor and report on the organization’s financial performance, including departmental budgeting and spending.
• Ensure compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements, developing financial strategies and long-term financial plans, offering initiatives to support the financial health and stability of the organization.
• Provide oversight of all project-based and departmental financial reporting, including box office reporting.
• Maintain and implement risk management procedures, including the purchase, implementation, and management of appropriate insurance and coverage.
• Develop and provide program-specific reports and budgets for funder purposes, then training finance, education, and development staff how to interpret, read, prepare, and explain those reports. 
• Embrace, other Fiscal Monitoring, Reporting, and Analysis responsibilities, as needed.

Administration and Organizational Leadership

• Collaborate with senior team members to execute an organization-wide financial strategy, while participating in strategic planning discussions that help the Wallis achieve its mission, goals, and objectives.
• Mentor and support finance staff members, providing stability to the financial department. 
• Support all departments across the organization, cementing solid policies and procedures, and anticipating any financial issues before they arrive. 
• Collaborate with the development department by providing reports for grant budget development and timely reporting, demonstrating a deep understanding for the importance of fundraising. 
• Oversee finance orientations for new board members, and clearly and transparently report on financial matters in committee and board meetings.
• Foster a culture that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as collegiality and collaboration.
• Embrace other Administration and Organizational Leadership matters, as needed.

Traits and Characteristics

The CFO will be a strategic, collaborative, and forward-looking leader. A highly organized problem-solver, they will have strong analytical skills, with the capacity to maintain and create financial systems and procedures, while being flexible to shifting priorities. As an agent of change, they will be focused on both short- and long-term organizational goals in how they approach challenges and problems. With excellent attention to detail, the CFO will have the capacity to evaluate large amounts of complex information, make sound and ethical decisions, and communicate those clearly and transparently with the team. The CFO will be emotionally intelligent, and exercise discretion and composure, especially when under pressure. Pragmatic and resourceful, they will maximize the efficient use of their time and resources to accomplish their work, while setting expectations and goals, organizing projects and teams, and motivating and evaluating the job performance of employees.

Other key competencies include:

• Problem Solving and Conceptual Thinking – The ability to define, analyze, and diagnose key components of a problem to formulate a solution, while analyzing hypothetical courses of action to ensure that work is completed effectively.
• Planning and Organizing – The capacity to establish courses of action to ensure that work is completed effectively.
• Goal Orientation and Decision Making – The dexterity to set, pursue, and attain goals, regardless of obstacles or circumstances, as well as analyzing all aspects of a situation to make consistently sound and timely decisions.
• Personal Accountability and Flexibility – The acumen to be answerable for personal actions, readily modifying, responding, and adapting to change with minimal resistance.  

Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree in accounting or commensurate educational training in accounting is required, and a master’s degree is preferred.  The ideal candidate will have at least 10 years of accounting experience as a CFO or Controller in a hands-on finance environment, and a CPA certification. Experience working within a non-profit organization of a similar or larger size is desired, and experience working within a union environment is helpful. A passion for the arts is critical. The role requires strong knowledge of non-profit taxation and filing requirements, management of investment and endowment accounts, cashflow management of earned and contributed income, and expert knowledge of QuickBooks and Excel.

Compensation and Benefits

The Wallis provides a competitive and equitable compensation package with a salary range of $150,000 – $175,000.  Benefits include paid vacation, sick leave, personal days, and holidays; medical, dental, vision, life insurance and long-term disability insurance; and a voluntary 401(k) retirement plan. In addition, parking for employees is 100% paid for by The Wallis, and complimentary performance tickets are offered subject to availability.

Applications and Inquiries

To submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred), please click here or visit artsconsulting.com/employment. For questions or general inquiries about this job opportunity, please contact:

Geoff Chang, Vice President

501 West Broadway, Suite A-582

San Diego, CA 92101

Tel       (888) 234.4236 Ext. 218

Email    TheWallis@ArtsConsulting.com

Deeply rooted in our local Beverly Hills community and influenced by cultural change, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, a public-private partnership with the City of Beverly Hills, strives to be a site for the convergence of relevant, dynamic performing arts, education and civic life, strengthening our local and global community is our role as a presenter, producer, educator and community resource. We approach our work with the pioneering creative spirit of Beverly Hills and greater Los Angeles, while also recognizing that we live in a multi-cultural every-changing world guided by our core values of Trust, Artistic Courage, Enlightenment, Cooperation, Communication, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Accountability.