Job Description

The Menil Collection

The Menil Collection is a museum and neighborhood of art spanning 30 acres in the heart of Houston, Texas.

The main gallery building anchors the campus and is surrounded by four additional Menil buildings: the Menil Drawing Institute, Cy Twombly Gallery, Richmond Hall, which features an installation by artist Dan Flavin, and the Fresco Building.

Making art accessible is vital to the Menil's mission; no admission is charged, and public programs are free. All of the Menil's campus buildings are entered at ground level, symbolic of its democratic ideals. The Menil's philosophy is to foster each visitor's direct, personal encounter with works in the collection. The display of carefully chosen artworks in serene settings is a hallmark of the Menil.

The Menil's public programs aim to attract, educate, and inspire diverse audiences and are vital to the life of the Menil. Exhibiting artists lecture and perform; curators and scholars explore exhibitions, collections, and artworks; music, dance, and poetry performances are held, and all are organized to foster conversation.

The Menil is also marked by the activism and spiritual pursuits of John and Dominique de Menil. It is a museum engaged with art for life's sake, including the witnessing of civil rights photography, the overt spirituality of Byzantine icons, and the contemplative act of viewing an abstract painting. The museum and the campus aim to be an oasis amid daily life that offers each viewer a moment to pause, reflect, and reinvigorate.

The Menil's collection is built around several types of art loved and collected from the 1940s to the 1990s by the Menil Collection's founders, John and Dominique de Menil. The permanent collection highlights Arts of Africa, the Americas and Pacific Northwest, Ancient World, the Pacific Islands, Drawing, Medieval and Byzantine, Modern and Contemporary Art, as well as galleries devoted to Surrealism.

The Menil Collection does not aspire to be comprehensive. Instead, it strives for excellence in the distinct areas established by its founders and successive curators and directors. Rigorous intellectual independence and a commitment to humane values are key criteria for the Menil's program choices. Since its founding, the Menil Collection has supported substantial collaborations with contemporary artists who have used the collection as a jumping-off point for new work.

Scholarship is at the heart of the Menil enterprise. A conservation studio and a research library symbolically flank the public exhibition spaces, and the de Menils themselves commissioned several major research efforts. The Conservation Department is known for its studies of modern art materials and techniques and helps train conservators. The Menil’s publishing program contributes to the history and interpretation of art, provides intellectual contexts for artworks on exhibition or in the collection, and catalogues artists’ entire bodies of work.

Mission Statement
The Menil Collection is committed to its founders' belief that art is essential to human experience. Located in central Houston, the Menil fosters direct personal encounters with works of art, and welcomes all visitors free of charge to its museum buildings and surrounding green spaces.

Values Statement
The Menil's institutional culture and actions are guided by the following core values:

Inclusivity
We are committed to being equitable, inclusive, and welcoming to all people.

Integrity
We strive toward transparency and accountability, and we actively work to combat bias and racism in all of our practices, interactions, and activities.

Empathy
We are a small staff who work closely together. We listen to different points of view and are committed to acting with kindness, respect, and understanding towards one another.

Excellence
We uphold the highest professional standards. We consistently strive to innovate those standards and exceed expectations.

Intellectual Curiosity
Guided by our founders' vision, we are committed to being socially and culturally aware, to pursuing new and challenging ideas, and to advancing new scholarship and new perspectives.

Community
We aim to contribute to the cultural vibrancy of our diverse community by being a site for learning, sharing, and the free exchange of ideas. We are a thoughtful and active member of the Montrose and greater Houston community; we are a good neighbor and responsible partner.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement
Houston, this is your museum. – Dominique de Menil

Firm in the belief that art is essential to human experience, the Menil Collection remains free to all, always. From their philanthropic vision to their work with artists, our founders sought to combat prejudice and champion social justice. This legacy lives on in our work and mission, to which diversity, inclusion, and equitable representation are fundamental.

True commitment to diversity and inclusion is an active process; we are dedicated to the work of listening, learning, and taking action that this ongoing commitment necessitates. It is our responsibility to reflect the diversity of our community, from our galleries and programming to our offices and green spaces. At the Menil, you are included, welcomed, and needed.

The Role

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Menil Collection partners closely with the Director and is an integral member of the Menil's leadership team. With primary responsibility for the Museum's financial operations, including creating the strategic direction, developing the annual operating budget, developing special budgets and forecasts, assisting in management of the endowment, and establishing the financial reporting system, the CFO is a critical member of the senior staff who recommends and implements appropriate policies and internal control procedures to protect institutional assets and ensure accountability.

The CFO acts as the staff representative on the Investment Committee (which manages the Menil's endowment), the Audit Committee (which handles the budget and related matters as well as traditional audit matters), and the Employee Retirement Benefits Committee (which reviews and assesses investment options and performance of the Menil's 401(k) plan). The CFO collaborates closely with committee members, preparing reports and analyses for the meetings of the Menil's Board of Trustees.

Primary Responsibilities

Financial Steward and Strategist

1. Ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the Menil Foundation, balancing a vision for the future with fiscal responsibility.
2. Develop and implement financial strategies that support the museum's mission and strategic plan.
3. Provide financial analysis and insights to the board and executive leadership to inform strategic decision-making.

Finance and Accounting

1. Direct the accounting and related financial activities of the Menil Foundation to ensure sound financial administration. Recommend appropriate policies and establish internal control procedures to safeguard the assets of all its activities.
2. With input from each department, prepare and direct the Foundation's annual operating and capital budgets, including income-producing property, and present them to the Menil's Board of Trustees. Serve as liaison to department managers on accounting/financial matters, including the operating and capital budgets.
3. Review and analyze monthly financial reports to ensure the Foundation's finances are managed in accordance with the guidelines established by the Director, the Board of Trustees, and US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
4. Provide regular financial reports on the Foundation's financial status to the Audit Committee, the Board, and the Director.
5. Direct the preparation, review, and analysis of special financial reports for the Director, Senior Staff, and the Board of Trustees. These reports include long-range financial forecasting, which is necessary to guide the Board and Advancement Department in their fundraising activities.
6. Develop a keen understanding of the Foundation’s operations and their impact on the entity's financial resources.
   

Investment Portfolio/Endowment

1. In communication and cooperation with the Investment Committee, monitor investment policy, allocation targets, and underperformance of investment advisors and recommend revisions when necessary and appropriate.
2. Establish and maintain accounting control over the Foundation's restricted and endowment funds.
3. Stay current with economic trends that impact the Foundation.

Audit/Tax Returns

1. Direct preparation for annual audit and other audit activities. Coordinate issuance of the audited financial statements.
2. Manage the preparation of the annual Form 990, tax returns, and related reports to ensure compliance with governmental reporting requirements.

Rental Real Estate

1. Assist in safeguarding the unique needs of the surrounding neighborhood, including the campus and real estate portfolio. Develop relationships with neighboring institutions.
2. In collaboration with the Director of Facilities, oversee the management of the Menil's rental real estate portfolio, which currently consists of over 80 units.
3. Analyze and set rental rates and renewals with the outside property management company.

Insurance /Risk Management

1. Manage and participate in projects to enhance the safeguards and legal compliance over the Foundation's affairs, security programs, and capital a]]>

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