Chief Financial Officer

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Chief Financial Officer

Minneapolis, MN

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design educates individuals to be professional artists and designers, pioneering thinkers, creative leaders, and engaged global citizens.

THE SEARCH

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), a private, nonprofit, four-year, and postgraduate college, seeks a strategic financial and administrative leader to serve as its next Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Reporting directly to the President and working in close partnership with other senior leadership and the Board of Trustees, the new CFO will bring exceptional financial analysis, planning, and systems thinking expertise to a role with exceptional impact on the future of MCAD.

Founded in 1886 as a small school of drawing and painting, MCAD has been a leader as a college of art and design as one of the founding members of accrediting bodies and organizations known for excellence in the field. Since 2008, the institution has experienced impressive enrollment growth with an average headcount of 798 students each fall. MCAD’s investments in technology and innovative learning modalities have enabled the institution to weather the 2020 pandemic storm well. MCAD employs 39 full time faculty and 125 staff and administrators, with approximately  488  total staff.

The CFO will enhance financial and administrative operations and systems in order to support MCAD’s mission to prepare current and next generation students as creative cultural leaders and innovative artistic practitioners.  The  CFO is responsible for providing fiscal strategies, vision and operational effectiveness, while also fostering an ethos of innovation, transparency, collaboration, responsibility and accountability. Key to this role is the development and support of integrated financial, operational, and capital plans.

The CFO  has responsibility for a $35 million operating budget and has direct oversight of four finance and administrative units led by assistant vice presidents of finance, human resources, technology, and facilities.  In addition, the CFO also serves as the college’s treasurer and has staff responsibilities for the Board Finance & Operations, Executive, and Audit Committees.   

The ideal candidate will be an accomplished financial leader, natural collaborator, and gifted manager of people, processes, projects, and systems - an inventive and experienced leader who is well versed in trends in higher education financial management and associated administrative areas. The CFO will possess knowledge of best practices in the areas of finance, accounting, IT, human resources, and facilities for an organization of MCAD’s size and aspirations. An understanding of  student financial services and advancement best practices as they relate to overall financial management and strategic planning is also sought. The CFO will have keen strategic and operational planning skills, a thorough understanding of technological tools and processes, financial acumen, superb staff and project management skills, a natural bias for action and doing, and a communicative and collegial working style. An advanced degree is preferred. Experience in a higher education environment of similar size and complexity is desirable.

MCAD has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in the recruitment of its next CFO. Please direct all applications, nominations, and inquiries to Isaacson, Miller.

TO APPLY

Confidential inquiries, nominations, and/or resumes with cover letters may be directed electronically to:

Dan Rodas, Partner

Liz Vago, Managing Associate

Isaacson, Miller

www.imsearch.com/7858

MCAD is an equal opportunity employer and educator