Sr. Manager, Finance & Accounting Projects

Company: Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
Location: Chicago
Posted on: February 17, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description About Us : The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is the largest and most interactive science museum in the Western Hemisphere. Griffin MSI exposes guests of all ages to awe-inspiring exhibitions that spark curiosity and bring science to life. Griffin MSI's mission – to inspire the inventive genius in everyone – is realized through its world-class exhibits and engaging guest experiences. The Museum provides programs and experiences that deepen the engagement of students and teachers in science and science-related disciplines, with a vision to inspire and motivate our children to achieve their full potential in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. We offer a creative, collaborative, and innovative environment for our employees. Our employees get great perks such as: benefits starting on day one of employment, a progressive employee wellness program, hybrid work modality for eligible positions, free parking in Griffin MSI's garage, free admission to Griffin MSI for family and friends, free admission to other museums, and more! If you are equally passionate about our vision and want to be surrounded by a team of dynamic, smart and innovative people, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is the right place for you! The Job: The Sr. Manager, Finance & Accounting Projects executes at the intersection of Corporate Finance and Corporate Accounting by managing areas including capital projects, donor-restricted accounting, grant compliance, and various special projects. Responsibilities Capital Projects Maintains detailed tracking and reporting of all capital projects, including budget, actual, and forecast, enabling decision-making and sound financial management. Serves as primary Finance point-of-contact to project managers and other non-finance project owners, including: budget intake and finalization, forecasting project costs, vendor analysis, and variance reporting, understands and incorporates non-financial dynamics into working style, leading accountable yet empathetic support for project success, meets regularly with non-financial project owners and proactively communicates throughout a project's life cycle, enforces financial polices and procedures fairly and consistently, bringing clarity and building trust. Works closely with the CFO and other Finance staff to maintain lists of future capital projects and align projects to available funding sources (e.g., owns tracking of projects funded from the Depreciation and Capital Reserve Fund). Creates a roadmap for continual improvement in the Museum's financial management of projects. Collaborates with Accounting team to support Capex accounting. Donor-Restricted Accounting Owns and maintains the net asset rollforward. Uses net asset rollforward to prepare reports and analyses that deliver information and insights to Finance and other non-Finance staff with a focus on available funding levels and forecasting future funds available. Works closely with the Controller and External Affairs team to support donor accounting including pledges, grants, and restricted gifts. Partners with the Finance team to support financial transformation of Education business. Analyzes financial data and prepares journal entries to allocate and/or reclassify costs to the appropriate donor-restricted projects and programs. Grant Compliance and Reporting Prepares budgets and financial analysis for private and government grants. Monitors spending against grant budgets and ensures that grant funds are spent only for allowable costs in compliance with applicable cost principles and grant agreements. Oversees compliance with reporting requirements. Directs the end-to-end preparation and execution of the annual Single Audit (Uniform Guidance), if required, serving as the primary liaison for external auditors. Special Projects Maximizes efficiency on Capital and Donor-Restricted responsibilities through building repeatable, consistent monthly processes, allowing position to scale and free up time for special projects. Leads special projects in Finance as they arise including but not limited to: optimizing financial systems in partnership with Accounting team, creating and maintaining project financial reports, developing policies and procedures, leading process improvement between Finance and other departments, benchmarking the Museum's financial position and ad-hoc analyses/requests. Other duties as assigned. Qualifications Bachelor's degree and at least five (5) years of accounting experience; CPA preferred. Experience in public accounting and audit preferred. Experience with government grant compliance requirements and knowledge of accounting for donor-restricted giving highly preferred. Experience with budget preparation, financial analysis, and preparing internal (management) financial reports a plus. Must demonstrate high attention to detail (accuracy) and organization skills. Ability to multi-task and prioritize work in a fast-paced, dynamic business environment. Strong interpersonal and communication skills including ability to translate financial concepts to non-finance managers. Must demonstrate the ability to be proactive, self-directed, and accomplish results in a high-level service environment. Ability to work independently and as a contributing team member. Must be proficient in Microsoft Excel. Language: Ability to read and interpret documents such as grant proposals, grant agreements, and technical accounting literature. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of of employees of the organization. Mathematical: Ability to calculate figures and amounts utilizing available tools such as Microsoft Excel. Reasoning: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. Physical: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Work Environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. The salary range for this position is $90,000 - $110,000. This fulltime position is eligible for benefits including: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans An attractive time off program including vacation, sick, and personal days 10 Company Holidays 401(k) plans (Traditional and Roth) including a generous employer match Robust Voluntary benefit plans including transportation, legal, and many others Free onsite garage parking Position created on February 13th, 2026. Our Inclusion and Belonging Statement The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is committed to advancing diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion across our workforce, experiences, and day-to-day operations. As Griffin MSI employees, we are each responsible for making the Museum a welcoming place externally for guests and internally for our colleagues within the scope of our roles. Griffin MSI is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, which includes providing equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. Powered by JazzHR Mqb3TejnAR

Keywords: Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, West Allis , Sr. Manager, Finance & Accounting Projects, Accounting, Auditing , Chicago, Wisconsin