SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA: Chief Financial Officer

Dexter Foxworth

Spoleto Festival USA is one of America’s leading performing arts festivals. Each spring, for 17 days and nights, the Festival fills Charleston’s historic theaters, churches, and outdoor spaces with more than 150 performances in opera, theater, dance, and chamber, symphonic, choral, and jazz music. The 2026 Season will run from May 22 through June 7.

Spoleto is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an annual operating budget of $10–12 million and a year-round staff of approximately 30. During the Festival season, the team expands to more than 500 seasonal employees and contractors.

Job Description

Spoleto Festival USA is seeking an experienced and strategic Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to join the senior leadership team. Reporting to the General Director & CEO, the CFO is a key member of the organization’s leadership and serves as the primary liaison to the Finance, Audit, and Investment Committees of the Board of Directors. The CFO leads a small but dedicated internal finance team and plays a pivotal, collaborative role across the Festival.

The CFO is responsible for stewarding Spoleto’s financial health, ensuring transparency, accountability, and sustainability while supporting innovation and growth. This position partners closely with colleagues across departments to align financial strategy with organizational priorities, enabling the Festival to deliver on its mission and vision.

The ideal candidate brings a builder’s mindset—thriving in collaborative, resource-constrained environments and motivated by improving how systems work. Experience scaling an organization or team, whether in nonprofit or for-profit settings, is valued, particularly when grounded in mission-driven work. The CFO demonstrates comfort with iterative processes and adapting strategy in real time, an ability to support growth and innovation while maintaining financial discipline, and approaches the work with energy, curiosity, resourcefulness, respect, and pragmatism.

Position Type: Full-time, exempt, and benefit-eligible

Hours: A standard 40-hour work week; including work nights, holidays, weekends, and extended hours as required; on-call during Festival period

Anticipated Start Date: January 2026

Location: Charleston, SC (on-site)

Department: Finance

Reports to: General Director & CEO

Compensation: The salary range for this position is $110,000 – $140,000 annually. The salary offered will be commensurate with the selected candidate's experience and qualifications.

Full Job Description and to Apply: spoletousa.org/.../Job-Description-Chief-Financial-Officer.pdf