Chief Financial Officer
| Req Number: | XB0TDY |
| Location: | United States |
| Posted: | 6/4/2025 |
| Category: | Government/Not-For-Profit : Not-For-Profit |
| Job Type: | Permanent |
| Compensation: | USD 250,000.00 - 350,000.00 Yearly |
Chief Financial Officer
The Norton Simon Museum, The Norton Simon Art Foundation, The Norton Simon Foundation
2025
The Organization
The Norton Simon Museum is home to one of the world’s most remarkable private art collections ever
assembled. Over a 30-year period, the industrialist Norton Simon (1907–1993) amassed an impressive group
of European masterworks from the Renaissance to the 20th century, and a stellar collection of South and
Southeast Asian art spanning 2,000 years. Modern works from Europe and the United States, acquired by the
former Pasadena Art Museum, also occupy an important place in the Museum’s holdings.
Set on an 8-acre campus just steps away from Pasadena’s downtown shopping and dining district, the
Museum’s building was designed by the Southern California architecture firm Ladd & Kelsey in the late 1960s
and renovated in the 1990s by noteworthy architect Frank Gehry. The lush and tranquil sculpture garden,
featuring a pond and plantings inspired by Monet’s garden at Giverny, was designed by Nancy Goslee Power
and hosts a café, walking paths, and Museum events throughout the year.
The Museum welcomes approximately 160,000 visitors annually, nearly half of whom qualify for free
admission. Lectures, films, tours, performances, art classes, children’s programs, and exhibition-related
celebrations are offered indoors and out year-round. The Museum’s operations are managed by 50 full-time
and 85 part-time employees who work collaboratively to display, care for, and interpret the Norton Simon art
collections, and to ensure that our visitors have a memorable, informative, and inspiring experience onsite.
A public charity, the Museum is part of a unique structure of related nonprofit entities that includes the Norton
Simon Art Foundation (an exempt operating foundation) and The Norton Simon Foundation (a non-operating
foundation). Together, their carefully managed financial assets enable the organization to operate
independently, a core principle of our founder, and finance their own operations and activities without
fundraising of any kind. A sampling of our current initiatives includes:
Exterior Improvement Project
Throughout 2025, the Museum is undergoing a construction project that will vastly improve the appearance of
the exterior areas of the campus as well as address safety and sustainability concerns. The project
encompasses landscaping, lighting, signage, tile restoration, pedestrian and vehicular access, drainage and
pond reconstruction, path repairs, and the construction of new perimeter walls and gates.
Museum Loan Exchange Program
Since 2007 the Museum has partnered with high-profile institutions throughout the world, including the Frick
Collection in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery, London, the Museo Nacional del
Prado in Madrid and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, to lend and borrow great works of art. Special loans become
the subjects of focus exhibitions at the Museum that complement and augment the strengths of the Simon
collections.
Scholarly Catalogue Series
The Norton Simon Art Foundation supports the production of in-depth scholarly catalogues on discrete
aspects of the collections, including Asian art, Italian paintings, and Northern European art, as well as artists
whose works Simon collected in depth, such as Edgar Degas and Francisco de Goya. These publications are
typically authored by world-renowned experts in their fields, who work closely with our staff to study and
interpret the works of art in our care.
Educational Initiatives
The Museum is committed to providing access to our exceptional art collections and to offering meaningful
educational opportunities for all members of our community: children and their families, students and
teachers, lifelong learners and people with different abilities. The Museum’s programs are designed to foster
the imagination and to build a deeper understanding of the historical arc of human creativity and expression.
Painting Conservation Collaboration with the J. Paul Getty Museum
Building on a relationship first cultivated through two joint acquisitions in the 1980s, the organization partners
with the Painting Conservation Department at the J. Paul Getty Museum for the technical study and treatment
of the Simon’s European paintings collection. Recent treatments have included three paintings by the 19th century French artist Édouard Manet; an iconic self-portrait by Rembrandt; Giovanni di Paolo’s extraordinary
Branchini Madonna, and Adam and Eve by Lucas Cranach, a multi-year effort involving conservators from the
Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museo del Prado working in collaboration with Getty conservators and
Norton Simon staff.
The Opportunity
Position: Chief Financial Officer
Location: Pasadena, CA
The Position
The Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) will play a critical role in developing and implementing financial
strategies, overseeing day-to-day financial operations, and actively participating in all major short- and long term organizational strategy decisions for the three Norton Simon entities: the Norton Simon Museum, the
Norton Simon Art Foundation, and The Norton Simon Foundation. She/He will be an active participant on the
Executive Leadership Team, working closely and collaboratively with the President/CEO, Chief Curator/Vice
President of Collections, Vice President of External Affairs, General Counsel, and other senior staff across
the organization.
The CFO will be responsible for reporting the financial results of the organization to the Executive Leadership
Team, as well as to the Boards of Trustees, and will interact extensively with Audit, Executive, Finance, and
Investment committees of the Boards. She/He will be responsible for providing vision, leadership, and
development opportunities to staff across the organization. The CFO will have a holistic understanding of
how the Museum and foundations operate, and will partner with the Boards and senior staff in the
establishment and achievement of actionable and measurable goals that shape the organization’s function
and financial stability now and in the future.
Specifically, the CFO will have the following responsibilities:
▪ Advise the Boards of Trustees, President/CEO and Executive Leadership Team on financial matters
▪ Establish appropriate accounting policies and internal control procedures to safeguard assets; ensure
compliance by staff
▪ Oversee the development and preparation of financial reports, including monthly/annual financial
statements
▪ Oversee the development of annual capital and operating budgets; monitor actual results versus
budget and investigate significant variances
▪ Oversee the annual audit process
▪ Direct tax return preparation; ensure compliance with governmental reporting requirements
▪ Oversee the investment program, including compliance with Investment Policy Statements
▪ Serve as risk manager and oversee insurance program
▪ Serve as main contact with external auditors, tax preparers, investment advisory firm, investment
management firms, insurance brokers, and bank representatives
▪ Participate as a member of the Executive Leadership Team in shaping the short, mid-, and long-term
strategic goals and opportunities for the organization
▪ Develop a technology strategy and roadmap for financial and accounting tools, solutions, and systems
to effectively enable and improve the organization’s service delivery, processes, and operations;
direct creation of robust implementation and training programs for new systems
▪ Mentor and develop a small, high-performing team, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability,
and continuous improvement
The Candidate
The Chief Financial Officer will be a strategic and innovative leader who builds on the organization’s
impressive legacy, advances priority objectives, and supports long-term financial stability. She/He must be a
forward-thinking and pragmatic finance professional with exceptional analytical, communication, and
leadership skills. Candidates from both the private and nonprofit sectors will be considered.
In addition to strong financial acumen, the ideal candidate will be energized by the organization’s purpose
and operations and exhibit a passion for the arts, museums and serving the community. She/He will be a
collaborative, highly organized, efficient and relationship-driven leader who fosters an open environment
where personal accountability and excellence are valued.
Specifically, the successful candidate will possess the following key qualifications and experience:
▪ A proven financial executive with a minimum of 10 to 15 years of progressive accounting and finance
experience including 5 to 10 years of experience in senior financial management. Experience or
knowledge of museum operations, arts or cultural institutions, or related organizations would be highly
valued
▪ Demonstrated success in leading critical business functions in the areas of finance, accounting, business
planning, risk management, information technology, and/or data analytics
▪ Must possess a strong understanding of the balance sheet and financial performance to develop and
maintain trust with senior management, key internal and external stakeholders, the Boards of Trustees,
and across all key business areas
▪ Demonstrated strategic financial and analytical skills coupled with strong business acumen. Strategic
thinking skills with the ability to be flexible and adaptable, revising strategies as necessary. Able to
effectively partner with the President/CEO and other members of the Executive Leadership Team to drive
initiatives and support achievement of the organization’s goals
▪ Outstanding oral and written communication skills with proven ability to present complex business topics
to financial and non-financial audiences
▪ Strong operational, process, systems, and project management experience of successfully driving
transformational initiatives focused on increased automation and functionality
▪ Strategic thinker with demonstrated consensus-building skills, and an ability to convey confidence within
the organization and with external constituencies. Demonstrated ability to think proactively and creatively
and improve performance by identifying key strategic opportunities
▪ Demonstrated people management and leadership skills with a track record of mentoring and advancing
direct reports. Ability to provide constructive and positive feedback, while motivating and holding the
team accountable for their performance
▪ A reputation for integrity and building confidence among key stakeholders, with previous high-level
interactions with boards
EDUCATION
Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field; MBA and/or CPA or other recognized
financial certification highly preferred.
Interested candidates please email Resume directly to:
arlene.kobayashi@kornferry.com
Arlene Kobayashi
Senior Client Partner, Financial Officers Practice
T: 310 556-8530
E: arlene.kobayashi@kornferry.com
About Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We work with our clients to design
optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people
and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing
professionals as they navigate and advance their careers.
Visit kornferry.com for more information
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Korn Ferry shall provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified candidates, and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected basis.
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