Chief Operations Officer | The Foster Museum CA

Chief Operations Officer | The Foster Museum CA

About The Foster MuseumThe Foster Museum is a 14,000-square-foot Palo Alto museum dedicated to the watercolor wilderness Journeys of British artist Tony Foster. Funded by the Foster Art & Wilderness Foundation, a 501(c)(3), we unite, understand, and share Foster’s work through our collection, archive, exhibitions, and programs to inspire connection to art, nature, and the protection of place. We’re a small core team supported by hourly staff and specialized consultants.

The OpportunityThe Foster Museum is at an inflection point, with an ambitious vision for its next chapter and a need for stronger infrastructure to support it. This is a newly created role, designed to build the operational foundation the museum needs for its next stage of growth. Some systems need thoughtful stewardship; others need to be built. We seek a Chief Operating Officer who is energized by both—creating practical systems and maintaining them as the museum grows.

The COO is responsible for the internal operations of the organization, owning people operations, finance, risk and compliance, facilities, capital projects, and cross-functional execution. This is a hands‑on builder‑operator role, with a strong onsite presence at the museum.

The Foster is a founder‑led organization. The COO serves as the Executive Director’s key operational partner and has delegated authority across core operational functions, including management of the operating budget, vendor selection and contract execution, and development and implementation of operational policies and systems. The COO leads the organization’s internal operating cadence and serves as the Executive Director’s delegate in coordinating with staff, vendors, and partners. The role does not have formal direct reports at the outset. As the organization grows, supervisory responsibilities may be added to the position.

What You’ll Own

Broad by design: in each area, the COO builds what’s missing and maintains routines, documentation, and accountability staff can understand, use, and trust.

People & HR Operations

• Steward our people‑operations function as the go‑to contact for routine staff and manager needs.
• Turn HR groundwork from the Executive Director and external HR into durable processes, documentation, templates, and an annual people‑and‑compliance calendar. Run review, goal‑setting, and compensation cycles; coordinate professional development.
• Manage the employee lifecycle—recruiting, onboarding, benefits, offboarding—and keep personnel files, job descriptions, classifications, training, and HR policies current.
• Coordinate employee relations, leave, accommodations, and compliance, escalating complex or high‑risk matters to the Executive Director and outside HR/legal experts.
• Own wage‑and‑hour compliance for hourly staff (classification, timekeeping, meal and rest breaks, overtime) with staff who handle scheduling.

Finance & Administration

• Build the annual budget with the Executive Director; run a reliable forecasting, review, and decision‑support cadence.
• Review monthly financials and reconciliations, resolve discrepancies, and surface material issues.
• Oversee the annual audit—documentation, timeline, and primary contact for our accountants and auditors.
• Work with accounting, retirement‑plan, and insurance partners on enrollment, renewals, claims, plan changes, and filings.
• Own expenses and payment approvals: expense and card‑use policies, organizational cards, and accurate coding.
• Establish, maintain, and document internal financial controls.
• Administer grant disbursements, reporting, and compliance documentation.
• Assess earned income (private events, programs, retail) and identify opportunities.

Governance & Board Support

• Prepare operational and financial Board reports with the Executive Director.
• Maintain core governance records and the annual policy review.

Operations, Compliance & Technology

• Build manuals, workflows, and decision pathways that create clarity and preserve institutional knowledge.
• Manage vendors and service contracts (expectations, terms, follow‑through) and coordinate legal needs, including finding counsel.
• Own technology, data, and security decisions with our IT partner, keeping systems and policies current, secure, and documented.
• Oversee permits, licenses, and core records, coordinating filings with external partners.
• Represent us with city departments and local stakeholders on site issues, including public meetings, coordinating solutions with the Executive Director.

Facilities & Capital Projects

• Facilities will transition to this role over time, starting with capital and improvement projects.
• Lead one‑off capital projects (e.g., soundproofing, storage buildouts) from scoping and vendor selection to completion.
• Take on facilities vendors, contracts, and budgets, with preventive maintenance, response protocols, and a multi‑year operating and capital view.
• Ensure security and emergency‑preparedness systems are current, tested, and documented.

Potential Second Facility

• The Foster is evaluating a potential second facility. If it proceeds, the COO leads its organizational and operational side and runs both sites; design, permitting, and construction stay with outside experts.
• Keep a central source of truth for decisions, timelines, dependencies, owners, and documentation.
• Run the project cadence: facilitate meetings, coordinate stakeholders, track commitments, and follow through.
• Surface risks and decision points early.
• Prepare and implement a two‑site operating model.

What Success Looks Like

• The Executive Director has a trusted operating partner who sees problems through.
• People operations are planned, documented, and dependable, with a trusted internal contact and deliberate use of outside expertise.
• Finance, compliance, technology, vendors, and facilities are reliable and visible; capital projects have clear ownership.
• Staff know where to go and when to escape, critical knowledge lives in durable systems, not just people’s heads.
• The Executive Director’s capacity shifts to the museum’s direction, partnerships, and growth.

What You Bring

A builder and steward by nature, you create structure, improve systems that no longer serve, and maintain what works. You can build a budget or project plan, untangle an HR process, or find why things keep falling through the cracks. You see the whole system and dig into details when needed.

Experience & Skills

• Meaningful operations ownership in a nonprofit, museum, foundation, small business, or similar setting, building or professionalizing durable systems. What you’ve owned matters more than years of experience.
• A record of getting things done through people you don’t manage, building trust and accountability across staff and partners.
• Strong financial fluency: budget development, review of externally prepared financials, and audit support.
• Owning or building people operations in a small organization: HR administration, benefits, employee lifecycle, and outside experts.
• Managing vendors, contracts, compliance, operational risk, and technology partners.
• Excellent project management and communication across stakeholders, priorities, timelines, and decisions.

Preferred: Bringing HR or operations in house; leading complex, multi‑stakeholder projects; real estate or facilities experience; mission‑driven work. How You Work

• Ownership and follow‑through: You notice what needs doing, make responsibilities and next steps visible, and close loops.
• Humility and judgment: You care more about the right answer than who had it, and know when to build a system, use a workaround, or accelerate.
• Curiosity and adaptability: You ask good questions, learn quickly, and make progress while scope is still taking shape.
• Equity and team orientation: You notice whom a process or policy serves—and whom it may leave out—and bring warmth, perspective, and good humor to change.
• If you don’t check every box but recognize yourself in the shape of this role, we’d still like to hear from you.

Reporting: This role reports to the Executive Director.

Anticipated Start: December 2026 with flexibility for the right candidate.

Work Arrangement: The Foster observes a museum‑wide remote‑work day on Mondays. The COO will work remotely on Mondays and onsite Tuesday through Friday at our Palo Alto museum. If a second facility (nearby) moves forward, the role will include time at that site.

Schedule: Full-time and exempt, Monday through Friday during regular business hours. Occasional evening and weekend work is required for key museum events, Board meetings, contractor work, and urgent facilities or security matters.

After‑Hours Availability: As facilities responsibilities transition to the COO, this role will become a point of escalation for issues that genuinely cannot wait until regular business hours.

90‑day Introductory Period: This role includes a standard 90‑day introductory period.

• 100% employer-funded health, dental, and vision
• company-paid life insurance
• 401(k) with 6% match
• public transit reimbursement
• 20 vacation days, 11 holidays, and paid sick leave per applicable law

Physical Requirements

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.

Frequent desk work (extended sitting, typing, reading); regular movement through the museum and grounds, including stairs, storage, and back‑of‑house areas; occasional lifting up to 25 pounds, bending, reaching, kneeling, or step stool/ladder use during facilities walkthroughs and project oversight.

The Foster Museum is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable law.

Additional Info

Experience Level : Director, Executive

Job Function : Finance, Human Resources, Operations/Visitor Services/Security

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