Director of Finance

George Mason University; Chantilly (VA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

George Mason University is seeking a Director of Finance to provide strategic leadership over all financial activities within the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC). This role includes budget preparation, financial planning, compliance, and management of state and foundation funding.

The Director will oversee budgeting processes, develop multi-year financial plans, and ensure robust financial controls.

Qualifications

• Master's/advanced degree or equivalent in a relevant field, with work experience in financial leadership.
• Experience in leadership and management of financial strategy, planning, and execution.
• Experience overseeing financial operations for a complex organization.
• Experience aligning strategic initiatives with financial plans.
• Advanced knowledge of financial management, planning, forecasting and controls.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the annual operating budget process for college and department activities.
• Develop longer-term (3-year) financial plans aligned with the university and college initiatives.
• Lead financial management, forecasting, analyses, and reporting to ensure fiscal health.
• Supervise and develop the college's finance team, ensuring internal controls and policy adherence.
• Collaborate with university administration and stakeholders to support strategic initiatives.

Skills

Financial leadership

Budgeting & forecasting

Strategic planning

Stakeholder partnership

Communication skills

Education

Master's degree in related field

Job description

Department: Col of Engineering and Computing

Classification: Administrative Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department: The purpose of the College of Engineering and Computing's Office ofthe Dean is to oversee all education, research, development, andadministrative activities within the College by providing directionand structure and by working with the associate and assistantdeans, individual department chairs, and center directors. TheOffice of the Dean works closely with the Offices of the President,Provost, and SVP Finance and Administration.

The Business Operations Team lead by the Chief Business Officer,will facilitate the planning and implementation of the unit’sfinancial and operational vision as it relates to the full range ofbusiness functions and activities for the college to include HumanResources, IT, Finance and Operations. The team will be accountablefor and provide supervision, management, and coordination of thesefunctions, as well as provide oversight for the development andimplementation of policies and procedures to achieve desiredoutcomes.

George Mason University provides outstanding benefits to employees,including, but not limited to, a generous number of holidays andtuition remission. More information is available at https://hr.gmu.edu/benefits/.

About the Position: Reporting to the Chief Business Officer (CBO) of the College ofEngineering and Computing (CEC), the Director of Financeadministers and provides strategic leadership for all financialactivities for CEC, including budget preparation, financialplanning, reporting, compliance, and management of all state andfoundation funding.

The Director of Finance will lead the planning and implementationof the College’s finance-related initiatives and processes,including:

• Financial management and budgeting, forecasting and modeling,and financial controls;
• Provide overall leadership, supervision, management, andcoordination of the College’s finance functions, includingsupervision and development of the CEC finance team;
• Oversee the development and implementation of financialpolicies and procedures;
• Serve as finance liaison for the College with Universityadministration and collaborate with peers in other colleges/units;and
• Work closely with the CBO and other members of the College’ssenior leadership team in strategic planning to ensure the fiscalhealth of the College and to meet the College’s vision and growthstrategy.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Analysis & Planning

• Drives methods to manage and operate financial resources toallow for opportunities to advance the organization's strategicplan;
• Develops longer-term (3 year) financial plans for theorganization considering the strategic initiatives of theUniversity and the college. Includes multiple scenarios that allowfor changes to variables and “what if” analyses;
• Develops analyses to facilitate strategic decision-making andunderstand financial feasibility of cost-related initiativesassociated with advancing the College's strategic plan; and
• Supports modeling, data collection, and analyses requirementsof CEC to include accreditation reporting, national surveys, andother strategic projects.

Financial Planning, Forecasting & Analysis

• Oversees the annual operating budget process, includingdeveloping detailed budgets in support of all college, anddepartmental activities;
• Reviews detailed analyses of variances from budgets throughoutthe fiscal year. Identifies budget risks and opportunities forsavings;
• Develops current fiscal year forecasts to monitor and evaluatecollege and department financial performance;
• Implements tools and metrics to measure unit's financialperformance against plans/targets. Provides monthly organizationalfinancial reporting on unit variances against budget and prioryear, including expenses, surpluses, spending trends, etc; and
• Works closely with the CEC's Director of ResearchAdministration on financial analyses and forecasts related tosponsored research expenditures and indirect recovery.

Financial Management, Operations and Compliance

• Provides financial management stewardship and oversight ofinternal controls, policies and procedures governing financialoperations. Ensures compliance with State and University policiesand procedures;
• Development and Implementation of CEC Fiscal Policies andProcedures;
• Responsible for oversight and managing workflow for all fiscalactivities; and
• Responds to new initiatives and facilitate disbursement andmanagement of funds appropriately.

Supervision and Oversight

• Develops Process and Procedures for the Finance team to ensureresources are available to team to meet theirresponsibilities;
• Completes performance reviews in accordance with Universityguidelines and ensures that each staff members has annual goals andobjectives; and
• Provides feedback on performance on a periodic basis andsupport staff development with necessary training andresources.

Other Duties as Assigned

• Seeks out opportunities to improve operations and makesrecommendations for implementation; and
• Willing to take on additional work as needed to ensure smoothoperations of the unit and the College.

Required Qualifications:

• Master's/advanced degree or training and work experience at alevel that equates to an advanced degree;
• Experience in the leadership and management of financialstrategy, planning, and execution;
• Experience overseeing financial operations for a complexorganization;
• Experience aligning strategic initiatives with financialplans;
• Advanced knowledge of principles and practices of financialmanagement, planning, forecasting and controls;
• Skilled in developing and maintaining financial planning toolsand forecasting models for both short- and long-range financialplanning;
• Skilled in developing key performance indicators and conductingin depth financial analyses;
• Ability to work in partnership with and across various internaland external stakeholders;
• Ability to effectively communicate with colleagues across arange of financial skill sets; and
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with minimalsupervision.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field;
• Experience in management of financial operations in a highereducation environment;
• Experience in supervision of a team including performancemanagement and development;
• Knowledge of Higher Education Financial Structure; and
• Advanced Presentation Skills.

A Force for Innovation in the Heart of Northern Virginia's Technology Corridor

About the College:

The College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) at George MasonUniversity is a fast-growing force for innovation in research andeducation. Ranked nationally in the top 100 in both undergraduateand graduate education, the CEC enrolled more than 11,000 studentsin fall 2025. The college has 34 undergraduate, master’s anddoctoral degree programs including several first-in-the-nationofferings. Of its 314 full-time faculty, 107 are tenured, 59 aretenure-track, 96 are term faculty, and 52 are research faculty. Aspart of a nationally ranked research university, CEC research teamsexpended $83.7 million in sponsored research awards in the pastyear and had projects with over $66.8 million in awards. Thecollege stands out for its leading research in areas such asartificial intelligence, data analytics engineering, cybersecurityengineering, biomedical imaging and devices, healthcare, autonomoussystems, 5G/Next G communications, systems architectures,computational biomedicine, advanced materials and manufacturing,sustainable infrastructure, and more. The college encourages andsupports multidisciplinary research and provides ample opportunityfor faculty to work with other disciplines.

About the University and the Region:

George Mason University is the largest and most diverse publicresearch university in Virginia, with an enrollment of more than40,000 students studying in over 200 degree programs. Mason is aninnovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinctionin a range of academic fields. It was classified as an R1 researchinstitution in 2016 by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutesof Higher Education. The university has campuses in Fairfax,Arlington, and Prince William County. Its proximity to Washington,D.C. provides unmatched geographical access to federal agencies andnational laboratories. Northern Virginia is also home to one of thelargest concentrations of high-tech firms in the nation, providingexcellent opportunities for interaction with industry. The regionis consistently rated as being among the best places to live in thecountry and has an outstanding local public school system.

About the Future:

In conjunction with Amazon's decision to establish a secondheadquarters in Northern Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginiaannounced a multi-year plan to invest in the growth of degreeprograms in computing. As a result, George Mason has committed toaccelerate its plans to grow its capacity in computing and emergingtechnologies. Among the university’s exciting initiatives are thelaunch of the Institute for Digital Innovation—a university thinktank and incubator to serve the digital economy and the expansionof Mason Square home to its Arlington facilities. In 2025, Fuse anew 355,000 square foot building, opened to students, faculty, and research teams. This net-zero facility houses the Institute forDigital Innovation, state-of the-art classrooms, robotics and powerengineering labs, and collaborative spaces. It will also includeretail space, and leasing opportunities for local businesses. Theseinitiatives reflect hundreds of millions of dollars in newinvestment by George Mason that will rapidly elevate theuniversity’s already leading national position in computing andrelated areas.

Mason Ad Statement

George Mason University is a nationally ranked R1 researchuniversity committed to creating a more just, free, and prosperousworld. With 40,000 enrolled students, George Mason is the largestand most diverse public research university in Virginia, offeringdegree programs at the master's, doctoral, and professional level,along with certificates and credentials.

George Mason fosters an All Together Different environment forstudents, faculty, and staff, driven by our core beliefs. Webelieve in inclusivity over exclusivity; we believe in advancingour mission by being willing to take risks, not avoiding them; andwe believe our best work is possible when we apply our diversity oforigin, identity, circumstance, and thought.

Equity Statement

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative actionemployer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in itscommunity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration foret employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexualorientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.

Campus Safety Information

Mason’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available at http://police.gmu.edu/annual-security-report/