Opportunities

ACCOUNTING MANAGER

About the Wende

The Wende Museum is a unique cultural institution that explores the social, political, and cultural changes of the Cold War era. Founded in 2002, it serves as an art museum, cultural center, and archive with an extensive collection of art and artifacts. The museum offers a platform for international scholarship, artistic interpretation, community engagement, digital access, and experimental public programming.

The Wende Museum goes beyond the traditional boundaries of a museum, with a commitment to community engagement and experimental public programming. Its mission is to illuminate the past, make sense of the present, and inspire active participation in shaping the future. The forthcoming Glorya Kaufman Creative Community Center will expand the museum’s reach, offering a dynamic space for exhibitions, events, and educational programs, as well as state-of-the-art facilities and technology.

The Wende Museum is a hub for creative and intellectual exchange, fostering a deeper understanding of the complex historical and cultural forces that have shaped our world

About the Position

The Wende Museum is seeking an experienced Accounting Manager to lead and manage the Museum’s accounting operations, financial reporting, and process improvements. The Accounting Manager will ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, develop and implement process improvements to increase efficiency and accuracy, and collaborate with the Deputy Director and Consulting Director of Finance to develop and manage Museum’s annual budget, forecasting, and financial analysis. Additionally, the Accounting Manager will take charge of the Museum’s cash flow, including forecasting and cash management, ensure compliance with all accounting and financial regulations and policies, and oversee the Museum’s construction project financials and fixed assets.

Key Responsibilities:

● Take ownership of the Museum’s accounting operations, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, and financial reporting.
● Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, including monthly and year-end closing and financial statements.
● Oversee the Museum construction project financials and fixed assets. Work with the facilities (or construction) team to ensure timely and accurate reporting.
● Lead and manage the Accounting Associate responsible for Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable.
● Use your expertise to develop and implement process improvements and systems to increase the efficiency and accuracy of financial reporting.
● Collaborate with the Deputy Director and Consulting Director of Finance to develop and manage the Museum’s annual budget, forecasting, and financial analysis.
● Take charge of the Museum’s cash flow, including forecasting and cash management.
● Ensure compliance with all accounting and financial regulations and policies.

Full-time staff position. Location is on-site, with possibility of a day or two remote once fully trained, in a Covid conscious environment. This position has the potential to grow into the Director of Finance role and replace the Consulting Director of Finance.

Pay: $75,000 – 90,000 depending on experience

Benefits: Health Insurance, Vacation, Sick and Holidays, parking

Position is available immediately.

To apply: submit resume and brief cover letter to opportunities@wendemuseum.org

Qualifications

Ideal candidate
● Highly organized and detail-oriented
● Critical thinker and effective communicator
● Problem solver who is at ease with rapid change
● Possesses a positive attitude and ability to look for creative solutions within the structured
world of finance
● Good time management skills and ability to work independently

Skills and Experience
● Nonprofit accounting experience required
● Minimum of 5 years of accounting experience
● Strong knowledge of accounting principles and practices, as well as financial analysis and
reporting related to fixed assets.
● Bachelor’s degree in Accounting
● Ability to work collaboratively with all departments and external partners.
● CPA preferred
● QB experience preferred
● Advanced in gmail, Excel, Adobe Acrobat. Proficient in Apple operating systems, Word

Recognizing that this is an ongoing process, the Wende Museum is committed to continually increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and sustainability. People of color, LGBTQIA+ people, people without formal education, and others who may have been marginalized by conventional hiring practices are encouraged to apply.

Collections Internship

About the Wende

“Wende” is a German word that means “transformation.” It is commonly used to describe the era of uncertainty and possibility leading up to and following the fall of the Berlin Wall. Headquartered in a renovated National Guard Armory in Culver City, the Wende Museum is a cultural laboratory that pairs unparalleled collections from the Cold War era with contemporary artists, filmmakers, musicians, scholars, and others. The Wende’s collection encompasses more than 100,000 holdings, ranging from consumer products to fine art, political symbols, audiovisual materials, spy equipment, posters, ephemera, commemoratives, books, archives, and personal histories.

The Wende Museum offers Collections Internships for currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate students, as well as recent graduates who are interested in gaining experience in collection management, collection development, and artifact research. Positions are part-time, paid at $15.50/hour for 120 hours, and available for course credit. Internships are offered year-round, typically beginning in January, June, and September.

The Collections Internship will focus on cataloging the Museum’s incoming acquisitions and existing backlog. Interns will gain experience in key areas of object handling, processing objects, and using a museum database (Mimsy XG). Interns will have the opportunity to directly work with artifacts from the Cold War and be exposed to a variety of museum activities. Potential interns must meet the following criteria for consideration:

• Be available to work part-time between Monday and Friday. Internships are primarily done on-site, although hybrid arrangements are also possible;
• Have completed at least one semester of college by the time of application;
• Possess an interest in museum studies, collections management, history, and/or material and visual culture of the Cold War;
• Be comfortable working with databases and computers;
• Be detail-oriented, self-motivated, and independent, with excellent communication skills;
• A reading knowledge of German, Russian, or an Eastern European Language is helpful but not required.

We are currently accepting applications for our Winter internship through Friday, November 24. To apply, please send a cover letter outlining your interest and a current resume to internships@wendemuseum.org.

Please indicate that you are applying for the Collections Internship, both in the email subject and cover letter.