Business and Finance Manager

Puppet Showplace Theater; Brookline (MA); Hybrid; USD 41,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

Puppet Showplace Theater seeks a highly organized Business & Finance Manager to oversee financial administration, revenue tracking, contracting, payroll coordination, and administrative systems. This role supports performances, education programming, community partnerships, and sustainability in a small, collaborative team.

You will report to the Executive Artistic Director and manage an external bookkeeper, with opportunities to drive KPI tracking and process improvements across the

Qualifications

• Nonprofit administration and finance management experience.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Experience with QuickBooks and financial tracking.

Responsibilities

• Maintain revenue spreadsheets and financial tracking systems.
• Prepare general financial findings for staff meetings.
• Analyze budget vs. actual reports and assist with forecasting.
• Review accounts receivable and pledge reports; address overdue balances.
• Coordinate payroll-related updates with bookkeeper and staff.
• Prepare board financial materials and monthly reporting.
• Support annual budget planning and KPI tracking.
• Manage external bookkeeper for payables and receivables.

Skills

Nonprofit administration

Finance management

Operations

Sales coordination

Communication skills

Organization

Project management

Tools

QuickBooks

Job description

Location

Hybrid (can be primarily remote or fully onsite; on-site presence preferred at least

Pay

$30-50 / hour, depending on experience

Compensation and schedule structure to be determined based on organizational needs and candidate experience.

Position Summary

Puppet Showplace Theater seeks a highly organized, proactive, and relationship-driven Business & Finance Manager to oversee core business operations, earned revenue activities, financial administration, and client services. This role combines operational management, sales coordination, financial tracking, contracting, and administrative systems oversight to support the organization’s performances, educational programming, community partnerships, and long-term sustainability.

The Business & Finance Manager serves as a central administrative lead for revenue tracking, payroll coordination, financial reporting, budgeting and organizational growth planning, and process improvement. The ideal candidate thrives in a collaborative arts environment, balances strategic thinking with detailed execution, and enjoys creating systems that improve organizational efficiency and customer experience. The ideal candidate also brings a love of structure, timeliness, systems, and tracking big ideas against KPI & budget.

As a key contributor on a small team, you will be an integral part of a beloved 52-year-old cultural institution that facilitates joy and connection for 20,000 theatergoers each year, ranging from babies to seniors, and supporting independent artists in the creation and dissemination of their artistic work.

You will report to our Executive Artistic Director (EAD) and work within a small team of 3 FT and 2-4 PT staff, with opportunities to propose your ideas, lead projects in areas of impact, and contribute to culture-building during a time of growth. You will manage an external contracted bookkeeper and work with our accountant for annual taxes and audit needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain and update revenue spreadsheets and financial tracking systems.
• Prepare and present general financial findings during sta? meetings. Support sta? in understanding and tracking financial KPIs relevant to their roles.
• Analyze budget versus actual reports and assist with financial forecasting.
• Review accounts receivable and pledge reports to ensure payments are applied correctly and overdue balances are addressed.
• Count and reconcile monthly cash activity and prepare supporting documentation.
• Assist with preparation of board financial materials and monthly reporting.
• Support annual budget planning and creation of new fiscal year revenue tracking documents.
• Coordinate expense reimbursements and maintain accurate expense documentation.

Finance Support for Programming & Fundraising

• Support EAD and sta? with financial modeling for artistic and educational programming.
• Support our planned B2B expansion with school clients by contributing to strategicapproach, back-end operations for a sales pipeline, and developing and tracking KPIs in support of achieving financial targets. This initiative is a cross-functional team e?ort, with strategic support from our EAD, board, and the pro-bono consultants who supported planning and market research, and sales relationship lead e?ort from our Box O?ice team.
• Assist with financial components of fundraising, including preparing budgets for grants and grant reports, assessing fundraising data to identify key trends, and supporting financial components of annual report.

Contracts, Payables, & Receivables

• Manage external bookkeeper to ensure prompt and accurate processing of accounts payable and accounts receivable.
• Support Operations & Production team members in preparing accurate contracts or artists, rentals, & program partners.
• Manage artist payment workflows, including percentage/contingent payment calculation and submission support.
• Maintain organized records of contracts, completed files, and program documentation.

Operations, Human Resources, & Administrative Systems

• Maintain and improve operational procedures, systems, and organizational workflows.
• Coordinate payroll-related updates, including communication with bookkeeper and sta? regarding employee activation and status changes.
• Work collaboratively across departments to ensure accurate communication and operational consistency.
• Support board and leadership reporting needs, including preparation of board slide decks and KPI tracking.
• Organize and maintain digital files, operational records, and internal process documentation.

Qualifications

• Experience in nonprofit administration, finance management, arts management, operations, sales, or business management.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Sensitivity to time with regard to communications with clients, partners, & team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines independently.
• Experience with Quickbooks, spreadsheets, financial tracking, contracts management, and administrative systems.
• Comfort working collaboratively in a small team environment.
• Customer service and relationship-building experience strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with nonprofit financial processes, payroll coordination, or arts administration is a plus.

Preferred Characteristics

• Systems-oriented strategic thinker who enjoys improving processes and workflows.
• Adaptable, collaborative, and solution-focused.
• Passion for one or more of the organization's areas of focus, including arts, education, theater, the needs of young children and their families, equity, community engagement, and of course, puppetry arts.
• Comfortable balancing strategic oversight with day-to-day administrative execution.

Hiring Approach & Equal Opportunity Employment

Puppet Showplace Theater engages in skills-based hiring and does not have any specific requirements regarding formal degrees or educational attainment. We value durable skills such as communication, leadership, and creativity and invite applicants to express their skills in ways that go beyond degree qualifications. As a small, collaborative organization, we aim to customize roles in ways that play to team member strengths.

Excited by our mission but not sure? Your skill set doesn’t match exactly but you feel it could be a great fit? We value non-traditional professional paths and diverse lived experiences and know that many wonderful professionals experience imposter syndrome. Even if you don’t match every requirement, applying creates the opportunity to start a conversation.

Puppet Showplace Theater is deeply committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics.

Accessibility, Location, & Reasonable Accommodations

Accessibility, Location, & Reasonable Accommodations:On-site work will typically take place on-site at our theater at 32 Station Street, Brookline, MA. Our building has a wheelchair-accessible entrance and bathroom, and all areas the team member will need to access are wheelchair-accessible. This role requires the ability to work on a computer for multiple consecutive hours, and to communicate via phone, video call, and email.

We are directly across the street from the Brookline Village T station on the MBTA Green “D” Line, a 10minute walk from the Green “E” line, and close to several bus lines, including the 66 and 65. Paid streetparking is available, and free parking may be possible though cannot be guaranteed.