Chief Financial & Operating Officer (CFO​/COO

Chief Financial & Operating Officer (CFO/COO)

The Frye Art Museum is one of Seattle's most beloved cultural institutions and one of the nation's few free art museums. Founded on the conviction that art should be accessible to everyone, the Frye has served as a welcoming gathering place for nearly 75 years—where artists, audiences, ideas, and communities come together through meaningful, unique encounters with modern and contemporary art.

The museum is known not only for the quality of its exhibitions and programs centered on the art of our time, but also for its culture of experimentation, curiosity, generosity, and creative joy. Internally, we believe our best work emerges through collaboration across disciplines and departments. Externally, we partner closely with artists, educators, civic leaders, cultural organizations, and community members to imagine new possibilities for what an art museum can do and be in Seattle.

As the Frye approaches its 75th anniversary, the museum is entering an ambitious period of institutional growth. Building on a strong financial foundation and a clear strategic vision, we are investing in new earned revenue initiatives, technology, campus improvements, and organizational capacity to ensure the museum remains a vibrant public resource for generations to come.

The next Chief Financial & Operating Officer will play a central role in helping realize that vision.

The Frye seeks a strategic, entrepreneurial Chief Financial & Operating Officer to serve as the chief steward of the museum's business and operational enterprise, which together represent a total organizational budget of just under $12 million annually and assets valued at approximately $166 million.

Reporting to the Executive Director and CEO and working closely with Executive Team, the CFO/COO ensures that the museum's financial and human resources, operational systems, technology, facilities, and business functions are aligned to advance the Frye's mission and strategic priorities.

Bringing an entrepreneurial, systems-oriented mindset, this leader builds the organizational capacity, financial discipline, and operational excellence that enable innovation while safeguarding the museum's long-term sustainability.

This is an opportunity for an executive who enjoys building organizations, leading through change, and partnering closely with an engaged Executive Director and Board of Trustees. The successful candidate will help shape the next chapter of the Frye's evolution—strengthening the institution's financial resilience, operational excellence, and entrepreneurial capacity as it enters its 75th anniversary and beyond.

The CFO/COO serves as a member of the Executive Team and provides strategic leadership for the museum's enterprise functions, including:

• Finance and accounting
• Facilities, capital projects, and real estate
• Security and public safety operations
• Retail, café, and other earned revenue initiatives
• Technology and enterprise systems
• Human resources

Success in this role depends less on personally being the technical expert in every operational discipline than on building excellent teams, aligning leaders around shared priorities, and creating and integrating systems that enable the museum and its teams to perform at a high level.

Strategic Leadership

• Serve as a trusted strategic partner to the Executive Director and Board.
• Align financial planning, operational priorities, and organizational strategy.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives that strengthen institutional performance.
• Foster collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement across operational divisions.

Financial Stewardship

• Lead long-range financial planning, annual budgeting, forecasting, treasury, and cash management.
• Ensure accurate financial reporting, strong internal controls, and effective risk management.
• Partner with Board committees on financial strategy, investments, and organizational sustainability.
• Steward the museum's financial resources with transparency, discipline, and long-term vision.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee the museum's operational functions through capable department leaders.
• Build…