theSkimm

JOB TITLE: Director of Finance and Operations

theSkimm is looking for an “all-around athlete” to provide financial and operational support to its founders.  The Director of Finance and Operations will work closely with the Founders to develop and execute on the Company’s business plan and will be involved in many facets of the business.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Participate in the development of the Company’s strategy from a financial and operational perspective in partnership with the Company’s founders
• Build financial models and analysis to support the Company’s business plan and all strategic decisions
• Analyze, evaluate and advise on the impact of long-range planning and introduction of new programs/strategies.
• Plan, develop, organize, implement, direct and evaluate the organization’s fiscal function and performance.
• Provide timely and accurate analysis of all key performance indicators, financial reports and financial trends 
• Assess the human resource needs of the organization and assist in building out an appropriate team
• Develop, implement and enforce policies and procedures of the Company that will improve overall operation and effectiveness.
• Provide leadership for fundraising efforts and transactions from a financial and legal perspective
• Advise on legal, HR, IT and other business matters as needed (while broader team is being put in place)

Requirements:

• Passion and energy for the business and the opportunity. 
• Ambition and strong leadership ability.
• Ability to pay close attention to detail while not losing sight of the broader strategy.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with limited structure.
• 2-5 years of experience in media industry preferred but not required.
• 2-5 years of experience in a finance and/or operations role strongly preferred.
• Highly collaborative with entrepreneurial energy.
• Experience in a start-up environment a plus.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, especially Excel

Salary commensurate with experience. Send resume to jobs@theskimm.com 

GUEST SKIMM: It’s CFDA Fashion Awards time
Skimm’d by Zac Posen, Designer & CFDA Member

WHY IS THE CFDA IMPORTANT The CFDA is a non-profit organization that helps raise funds for industry activities, philanthropy, and helps promote and nurture American fashion designers.

HILLARY CLINTON WILL BE THERE TONIGHT. IT’S A BIG DEAL. You can see it all on style.com tomorrow. The industry can get very serious. The Awards are the perfect platform for the industry to laugh at itself and also celebrate.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CFDA AWARDS MEMORY? My first CFDA Awards when I was a nominee [and] Helmut Swarovski passed me a crystal heart under the table.

Think about how many times you’ve told someone you love their haircut, you don’t care where you go to dinner, or you should totally get together soon. Multiply that B.S. by a million and you are in start up life.

As new entrepreneurs we have learned that people love to talk a big game. Sometimes big things come from it, other times, nothing does. They make promises and then things fall through. 

NEW ENTREPRENEUR LESSON OF THE DAY: Nothing is final until you have a check that cashes or a completed project in hand. 

Example 1: We once hired an all-star intern, partially because of how she pitched herself — “you never have to ask me twice. I am the most reliable person you will ever meet.” Week 1 & 2 she was a dream come true. Week 3 she disappeared (don’t worry, we checked social media, she’s alive). Never heard from her again. 

Example 2:  We have had one person beg us to invest. “Ladies this rounds” on me.” We said yes, one week later said person suddenly became whelmed by life and said he/she couldn’t handle making any new decisions. 

Example 3: We had one consultant miss multiple project deadlines but rather than say “this took longer than expected,” the excuse-factory went into overdrive. Our favorites: “So sorry, but we couldn’t do our work because an ice storm was coming” and a co-worker writing to inform us that said consultant had “gone missing” for the weekend but would make up the work later on. 

While these sound like Match.com dates from hell, they are a very real reality of starting a business. Don’t take it personally and develop a good B.S. detector.

The *: We sometimes fall through on things, too. But we come up with really good excuses.