About The Apollo

In December 2024, The Apollo Theater became the first organization honored by the Kennedy Center Awards, emphasizing The Apollo’s impact on the past, present, and future of American culture and the performing arts. From the longest-running talent show in America with Amateur Night at The Apollo, which launched the careers of icons like Ella Fitzgerald and Lauryn Hill, to performances from beloved legends like Smokey Robinson and Lil’ Kim and today’s biggest stars like Drake, The Apollo has always been a home for artists to create and a home for audiences to see incredible music and art from legendary artists.

The Apollo is an American cultural treasure. It is a vibrant non-profit organization rooted in the Harlem community that engages people from around New York, the nation, and the world. Since 1934, The Apollo has celebrated, created, and presented work that centers Black artists and voices from across the African Diaspora. It has also been a catalyst for social and civic advocacy. Today, The Apollo is the largest performing arts institution committed to Black culture and creativity.

Description

WHO ARE YOU?

Are you passionate and driven, with an entrepreneurial spirit? And are you resourceful, innovative, forward-thinking, and collaborative? Do you have an interest in culture, performing arts, or entertainment? At Apollo Theater Foundation, the Chief Financial Officer embraces these qualities!

The CFO Role:

The Apollo seeks a strategic and entrepreneurial Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to lead the finance and infrastructure teams during a time of opportunity, change and growth. Reporting to the CEO, the CFO is a valued member of the Executive and Leadership Teams.

The CFO staffs two board level committees — Finance (which also serves as the Investment committee), and Audit committee. As an organizational leader, the CFO works across the organization to ensure sound financial management and a strong infrastructure. The CFO leads and supervises staff who manage the finance teams within an organization that raises approximately $20 to $30 million annually. For finance, the CFO will build and manage a team responsible for cash flow management, budgeting and financial planning, payroll, tax compliance, financial statements, investments, accounting, and renovation reporting. Finally, the CFO plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of The Apollo’s Sustainability Plan and Historic Theater renovation, particularly the Financial Management of the Sustainability Plan which focuses on ensuring our systems and internal financial systems are effective.

As CFO, the successful candidate will play a pivotal role in creating, maintaining, and expanding transactional, financial, and operational excellence.

What you’ll do:

Financial Management

The CFO will oversee the financial and accounting operations of the organization, through supervision of the accounting and finance team.

Financial Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement financial strategies aligned with organizational goals.
• Monitor financial performance, provide insights, and recommend actions to leadership.
• Ensure financial policies and procedures align with best practices and compliance requirements.
• Serve as prime banking and Treasury relationship manager, negotiating loans and other credit facilities, and ensuring our Investments are in line with our board-approved Investment Policies and best practices.
• Collaborate with both program and fundraising staff to provide leadership in developing and budgeting of program initiatives. Ensure established pricing captures and accurately reflects the full cost of creating, managing, and overseeing these programs, while being responsive to donor interests.

Accounting & Financial Oversight

• Oversee and finalize month-end and quarterly close processes.
• Ensure the integrity and accuracy of financial reporting and general ledger accounts.
• Lead the preparation and review of financial statements and reports.

Audit & Compliance

• Oversee annual audit preparation and serve as the key liaison with auditors.
• Ensure compliance across the organization with governance requirements and applicable local state and national regulatory laws, and rules for financial and tax reporting, as well as The Apollo membership compliance and reporting. Be bold to take action where non-compliance is identified.

Budgeting & Forecasting

• Develop, review, and finalize the annual budget, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
• Provide financial forecasting and scenario analysis to support decision-making.

Grants & Funding Management

• Oversee grant financial management in collaboration with the development team.
• Ensure proper tracking, reporting, and compliance with grant requirements.

 Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Partner with members of the executive team to establish financial and strategic objectives, to implement organizational strategy, and to oversee mission critical projects and initiatives.
• Lead and develop the finance team, ensuring strong performance and alignment with organizational goals.
• Lead finance staff in the provision of timely and accurate analyses and financial reporting, thereby providing the highest level of executives and board financial oversight.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with leadership on financial planning and operational decisions.
• Provide financial insights to stakeholders to drive informed decision-making.
• Create a culture of excellence and customer service within the finance department, ensuring high level performance of accounting and gift processing staff.

Risk Management The CFO will act as primary liaison to outsourced General Counsel.

• Ensure that the enterprise risk management function is operating effectively to protect organizational staff, data, and assets—brand, financial, physical and intellectual property.
• Secure all necessary insurance and conduct periodic market surveys.
• Oversee review of all contracts, sponsorship agreements, and grant compliance documents, revising and negotiating as necessary.

Information Technology The CFO will oversee information technology function serving approximately 70 employees.

• Partner with Director of IT and Facilities Manager to design, fund, and implement multi-year initiatives to keep equipment and software in state-of-the art status, insofar as limited budget allows.
• Collaborate with Director of IT and Facilities Manager to instill and enforce a security focused mindset across the organization, with a focus on meshing the ways people work with the need for ensuring that donor, client, and organizational data is protected.

Who you are: The CFO position calls for an entrepreneurial spirit, bold leadership, and financial savvy. Specifically, the successful candidate will have:

• 15+ years of professional experience in finance and operations, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role, ideally at an organization with an operating budget of $20M or more.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP, financial reporting, budgeting, and compliance.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and leadership skills.
• Deep and continuously updated knowledge of nonprofit accounting.
• A strategic and visionary mind for problem-solving around core business challenges.
• Demonstrated ability to balance big thinking with pragmatic implementation.
• Ease in building trusting relationships and inspiring confidence with a variety of stakeholders, including staff, Board members, peers, and external partners.
• Ability to communicate financial information to non-financial stakeholders effectively.
• A traditionalist when it comes to financial rigor, a modernist when it comes to systems, a risk taker when it comes to strategy, and a “roll up your sleeves” team member when it comes to getting work done.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree is required, preferably in business, accounting, or finance.
• Advanced degree, such as an MBA or an MPA, is desirable.