Position Opportunity
Vice President – Finance
Workhouse Arts Foundation, Inc.
Lorton, Virginia
Workhouse Arts Foundation, Inc., which runs the Workhouse Arts Center, invites applications and
nominations for the position of Vice President of Finance, available in the Fall of 2022.
About Workhouse Arts Center
https://www.workhousearts.org/
The Workhouse Arts Center is a regionally and nationally recognized innovative collaboration of visual
and performing arts, education, community engagement, historical perspective, and personal
enrichment.
The Workhouse Arts Center (Workhouse) is housed in the former Workhouse prison facility of the DC
Correctional Complex in Lorton, VA, that opened in 1910. After closure in 2001, its founders in
cooperation with Fairfax County leadership transformed the site into a community arts center where
people could learn about and participate in art making; be inspired by the region’s and nation's best
artists; experience visual and performing arts talent; and come together for festivals and community
building.
Opened in 2008, the Workhouse now houses more than 80 resident and associate artists; presents 100
annual art exhibitions and 300 annual performances; and supports dozens of classrooms for teaching
800 classes, engaging more than 100,000 people annually. The Workhouse Arts Foundation, Inc. is a
not-for- profit 501(c)(3) corporation in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Workhouse has an annual budget of more than $3 million supported through tuition and ticket
sales; generous donations from the surrounding community and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan
Region; public and private grants; and generous in-kind support from Fairfax County, which owns the
buildings and campus grounds where the Workhouse operates and accounts for $1.74 million in annual
rent supporting operations at the Workhouse. Currently, the Workhouse has a staff of 20 and is
governed by a dedicated 18-member Board of Directors.
The Workhouse fosters innovative collaborations in the visual and performing arts through education,
community engagement, and personal enrichment for students of all ages and walks of life. The goal
of these collaborations is to encourage art making; provide therapeutic art experiences; support
physical health through Art of Movement activities; present opportunities for other forms of self-
expression; and to provide the public with access to high quality performing arts experiences and
events. Through the new Lucy Burns Museum, the Workhouse also provides the public with access to
the rich history of this nationally important site.
Since its inception, the Workhouse has dramatically expanded its arts education curriculum and
community events calendar, deepened its relationships with the Armed Services through military arts
programming, and expanded its in-house performing arts offerings with live concerts, musical theatre,
and dance.
The Workhouse currently consists of eleven (11) large buildings housing artist studios, main galleries,
classrooms, dance studios, music rooms, the W-3 Theatre, and the recently opened Lucy Burns
Workhouse Arts Foundation, Inc.
Vice President – Finance
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Museum. It also includes outdoor performance and event spaces. The Workhouse supports both
professional and emerging artists by providing them affordable studios and galleries in which to exhibit
their work. Instead of only viewing the art, visitors are encouraged to interact with the artists when they
visit. The Workhouse also offers more than 800 arts education classes and workshops in a broad
spectrum of art disciplines.
The story of the Workhouse began 110 years ago at the turn of the Twentieth Century and the site
gradually became an agricultural work camp. By the late 1980s, the prison was known more for
overcrowding and disorganization than rehabilitation and had become representative of the nation’s
difficulties with correctional facilities. In 1997, federal legislation required the Lorton Correctional
Facility to be closed by December 31, 2001. The last prisoner left the complex in November of 2001.
In 2002, 2,324 acres were sold to Fairfax County and a group of community leaders proposed a plan to
transform the former prison facility into a cultural arts center. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
approved the rezoning of a 55-acre portion of the facility to become what is now the Workhouse Arts
Center. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and after several years of
planning, adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of the historic buildings, the Workhouse Arts Center opened
to the public in September 2008.
The Opportunity
The Workhouse is poised to advance its mission in new and exciting ways. The Vice President –
Finance will have the opportunity to work with President and CEO, Leon Scioscia, as well as with a
dedicated Board, and Fairfax County colleagues to realize the vision of transforming the Workhouse
into a large-scale core community resource and regional destination. The future Workhouse will offer
expanded programming that reaches a wider and more diverse audience. This is an amazing
opportunity to join the Executive team and help lead the Workhouse to its next level of growth and
achievement.
This vision for the Workhouse includes sustained development of the campus through the activation of
five key buildings on the property and expanded programming in performing arts. Working in
partnership with Fairfax County and the business and philanthropic communities of Northern Virginia,
the Vice President – Finance will help build, in conjunction with the President and CEO, the successful
revenue model to support larger scale projects within the campus and in collaboration with other
entities, ensuring that the strategic priorities of the Workhouse are financially sustainable. In addition,
the Vice President – Finance will work with senior staff and the Board to help expand, and account for,
resources and revenue at the Workhouse, ensuring that the revenue model satisfies both project-specific
and operational needs moving forward.
The Position
Reporting directly to the President and CEO, the Vice President – Finance has the primary leadership
role for finance on the senior management team. This position has hands-on and primary day-to-day
responsibility for planning, implementing, managing, and controlling all finance-related activities of
the organization. This includes budget development and execution; cash management; financial
management; contracts management and oversight; and budget and financial accountability from
applicable staff and members.
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Vice President – Finance
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The Vice President – Finance is responsible for the organization’s Human Resources function, ensuring
a safe work environment for all employees, equitable employment policies and practices, and a clear
commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout the organization.
The Vice President – Finance works with the Board Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee to
support their responsibilities for budget development and financial reporting and analysis to the Board.
The Vice President – Finance ensures that the President and CEO, the Board, and Board Committees
have timely and accurate information for decision-making.
The Vice President – Finance will be expected to participate in Workhouse meetings and events
evenings and weekends as needed, and to assume other responsibilities as assigned by the President and
CEO.
Candidate Profile
The Workhouse seeks an innovative, visionary, and demonstrated financial leader who will, in
conjunction with the President and CEO, achieve and maintain financial stability for this dynamic arts
organization. The successful candidate will have a comprehensive knowledge of not-for-profit
accounting standards and not-for-profit tax issues, including the handling of tax-deductible
contributions.
The successful candidate will possess strong leadership skills and the proven ability to engage, develop,
motivate and supervise a high caliber finance staff. The candidate will demonstrate clear and
thoughtful decision-making, sound judgment, and the ability to address difficult challenges in a timely,
resourceful, diplomatic, respectful, and informed manner. The candidate will be transparent and
strategic. The candidate will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. The candidate
will have the ability to work effectively with Board Members, senior management, and all staff.
The Workhouse seeks a leader with proven skill in developing operating strategies that are financially
sustainable within a non-for-profit organization. This includes competencies in selecting and directing
senior leaders; financial and program analysis; and enhancement of both earned income and
philanthropic contributions. The candidate will possess comprehensive knowledge of accounting;
building and tracking budgets; assessing IT needs and solutions; and developing and implementing
successful financial strategies to achieve significant organizational growth.
The Vice President – Finance will be a confident and experienced financial executive who is inspired
and motivated by Workhouse’s mission and community. The successful candidate will be a strong
manager who provides creative, decisive, and proactive leadership in assuring Workhouse’s financial
health. The Vice President – Finance will take initiative and offer constructive opinions with candor
and commitment.
The successful candidate will have leadership style that promotes creativity, accountability,
resourcefulness, transparency, efficiency, excellence, and teamwork across the entire organization. The
candidate will be person of high integrity and ethical standards. The candidate will be respectful,
humble, loyal, trustworthy, and kind.
The successful candidate will have at least eight years’ experience directing and analyzing the
financial operations of a not-for-profit organization, preferably a multi-faceted arts institution, or a
background in public accounting with a focus on not-for-profit clients. An undergraduate degree
accounting or finance is preferred; an MBA and/or a CPA is highly desirable.
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Compensation
This position offers an annual salary of $110,000 to $120,000 and a competitive benefits package.
Applications
Workhouse Arts Foundation, Inc. is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all facets of the
organization and welcomes applications from all qualified candidate regardless of age, race, gender,
sexual orientation, disability, religion, or national origin.
Please send a cover letter outlining your specific interest in the Workhouse Arts Foundation, Inc. and
your qualifications for this position. Include a resumé, salary requirements, and contact information for
at least three references. Electronic submissions are requested. All applications will be treated as
confidential and references will not be called without the candidate’s prior knowledge and agreement.
The position will remain open until filled.
Please send materials to:
Workhouse Arts Foundation, Inc.
c/o Catherine French Group
2500 Q Street NW, Suite 623
Washington, DC 20007
applications@catherinefrenchgroup.com
Please submit material in Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word format, only