The Kimbell Art Museum seeks a hands-on controller who will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the general accounting functions and will partner with the Deputy Director of Finance and Administration in managing the financial operations of the Museum. The responsibilities include maintaining accounting records and preparation of financial reports on a modified cash basis of accounting. The role is also responsible for preparation of all schedules for the annual audit. The position will supervise a staff of up to three and will prepare journal entries and monthly reconciliations of balance sheet and income statement accounts. This role will collaborate with staff ranging from department heads to Museum front line to ensure proper internal controls, accounting, and reporting. This position will work closely with and report to the Deputy Director of Finance and Administration.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Responsible for the day-to-day operations, training, supervision, and performance reviews of the accounting staff in the processing of accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash receipts, and G/L accounting.
Responsible for accurate and timely financial reporting on a modified cash basis of accounting and for maintaining a strong system of internal controls.
Prepare financial reports for distribution to the Foundation and department heads.
Maintain the integrity of the accounting software (Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT) and the accuracy of information posted to it from the other software systems:
Ticketing/membership (Tessitura)
Museum shop (TAM)
Café (Square)
Payroll (currently Paychex)
Review/audit of staff travel reports for accuracy and proper documentation.
Invoice preparation and accounting for outside rentals.
Preparation of weekly attendance reports for exhibitions and for the Museum.
Accounting and preparation of grant reporting and assisting with financial information for grant applications.
Maintain fixed asset records.
Accounting and reconciliation of the annual physical inventory for two Museum shop locations.
Assist with the annual budgeting process and monthly reviews of actual costs compared to budget for significant accounts.
Coordination and supervision of the annual audit, including the preparation of workpapers and the Museum’s financial statements.
Additional duties as assigned, which may include research projects and system upgrades and implementations.
Supervisory Responsibilities
Manage a team of three, which includes an accounts payable clerk, an accounting assistant, and one part-time staff in cash control.
Recruitment, mentoring, performance management, training, and coaching of accounting staff.
Assist staff in the processing of accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash receipts, and in the preparation of bank reconciliations.
Required Knowledge & Skills
Preparation of annual and monthly financial statements and periodic reports to grantors.
Analyzing accounts and accounting relationships and preparing journal entries.
Excellent organizational, analytical, written, and verbal skills.
Prior experience explaining accounting principles to various knowledge levels and assisting staff with reconciling issues.
Must be accurate and detail oriented, be able to prioritize multiple responsibilities, and work under pressure to meet deadlines.
Job Conditions
Exempt and full-time status
On-site only
Normal Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm
Must be flexible to work additional hours during budget and year-end, as well as for special projects
Education, Formal & Informal Experience, Training Required, Certification, Etc.
BBA Accounting
Licensed CPA
5+ years of experience as a controller directly supervising accounting staff
A highly motivated leader and team player with a proven track record of excellence in leading others and building cohesive and effective teams
Expert skills in Microsoft Office applications and in a variety of accounting systems
Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT, Tessitura, and/or TAM experience is a plus
Applicants must be able to pass a pre-employment criminal background and drug screening
The Kimbell Art Museum officially opened on October 4, 1972. The Kimbell Art Foundation, which owns and operates the Museum, had been established in 1936 by Kay and Velma Kimbell, together with Kay’s sister and her husband, Dr. and Mrs. Coleman Carter. Early on, the Foundation collected mostly British and French portraits of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. By the time Mr. Kimbell died in April 1964, the collection had grown to 260 paintings and 86 other works of art, including such singular paintings as Hals’s Rommel-Pot Player, Gainsborough’s Portrait of a Woman, Vigée Le Brun’s Self-Portrait, and Leighton’s Portrait of May Sartoris. Motivated by his wish “to encourage art in Fort Worth and Texas,” Mr. Kimbell left his estate to the Foundation, charging it with the creation of a museum. Mr. Kimbell had made clear his desire that the future museum be “of the first class,” and to further that aim, within a week of his death, his widow, Velma, contributed her share of the community property to the Foundation.
With the appointment in 1965 of Richard F. Brown, then director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, as the Museum’s first director, the Foundation began plannin...g for the future museum and development of the collection, both of which would fulfill the aspirations of Mr. Kimbell. To that end, under the leadership of its President, Mr. A. L. Scott, and in consultation with Ric Brown, the nine-member Board of Directors of the Foundation—consisting of Mrs. Kimbell; Dr. Carter; his daughter and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Ben J. Fortson; Mr. C. Binkley Smith; Mr. P. A. Norris, Jr.; Mr. J. C. Pace, Jr.; and attorney Mr. Benjamin L. Bird—adopted a policy statement for the future museum in June 1966, outlining its purpose, scope, and program, among other things. That statement remains to this day the operative guide for the Museum. In accordance with that policy, the Foundation acquires and retains works of so-called “definitive excellence”—works that may be said to define an artist or type regardless of medium, period, or school of origin. The aim of the Kimbell is not historical completeness but the acquisition of individual objects of “the highest possible aesthetic quality” as determined by condition, rarity, importance, suitability, and communicative powers. The rationale is that a single work of outstanding merit and significance is more effective as an educational tool than a larger number of representative example.
Two aspects of the 1966 policy in particular would have the greatest impact on changing the Kimbell collection: an expansion of vision to encompass world history and a new focus on building through acquisition and refinement a small collection of key objects of surpassing quality. The Kimbell collection today consists of about 350 works that not only epitomize their periods and movements but also touch individual high points of aesthetic beauty and historical importance.
