Director of Operations and Strategic Planning

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

George Mason University is seeking a Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives within the Psychology Department to oversee daily operations, budget, and staff. You will drive cross-functional coordination among faculty, staff, and students while ensuring policy compliance and strategic alignment with university goals.

You will manage a multi-disciplinary administrative and fiscal team, provide mentorship, and coordinate with facilities and external partners on space, equipment, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proven success managing, operating, and directing broad department operations.
• Strong working knowledge of government grants and managing complex budgets.
• Expertise in HR leadership, including recruitment and staff development.
• Mastery of budgeting, forecasting, and account reconciliation.
• Grant management: administration, compliance, and tracking.
• HR: recruiting, onboarding, and training protocols.
• Supervisory practices, performance management, and staff motivation.
• Proficient with multiple computer applications and handling changing priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Translates leadership vision into actionable projects and monitors progress.
• Primary project manager for major initiatives; identify bottlenecks and resolve issues.
• Oversee departmental facilities and assets, including lab space and equipment.
• Coordinate renovations, space moves, and construction through final sign-off.
• Mentor and develop professional staff; supervise progress toward goals.
• Direct evaluations and establish SMART goals for reports.

Skills

Leadership

Budget & Grants

HR & Talent Development

Financial Stewardship

Grant Management

Communication

Strategic Thinking

Operations Management

Process Improvement

Analytical Reasoning

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Master’s degree

Job description

Department: Col of Humanities and Soc Science

Classification: Gen Admin Supv 2/Coord 2

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

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

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visasponsorship

Pay Band: 05

Salary: Salary commensurate with education andexperience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The Psychology Department advances the understanding of behaviorand its determinants and educates our students in the methods andknowledge of the discipline. To this end, we support a broad,high-quality undergraduate curriculum; attract and train excellentgraduate students; attract and support faculty who excel inteaching and scholarship. A hallmark of this department is theintegration of scholarship and practice; we support application ofadvances in Psychology to the individual and provide common goodsupport for students and faculty, so university and departmentdegree program and operational objectives are met. Interact in apleasant, supportive manner with other staff, faculty, students,and university agencies as well as general public.

About the Position:

The Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives is the centralhub for the psychology department. The Director manages dailyoperations, directs and mentors a multi-disciplinary administrativeand fiscal staff with six direct reports. Required to facilitatecross-functional communication across faculty, staff and studentsand coordinate processes to support the department’s overarchingacademic and research goals. Responsible budget authority whoensures Federal, Commonwealth, and University policy compliance for$16M in commonwealth and external funding annually. Triage andprioritize university-wide information and initiatives that havedepartment, college, and university-wide academic and researchimpact.

Responsibilities:

Operational Execution and Oversight

• Translates high-level leadership vision into actionableprojects and monitor progress across all programs within thepsychology department;
• Serves as the primary project manager for major initiatives,proactively identifying bottlenecks and resolving operationalissues;
• Accountable for departmental laboratory facilities and assets,including a specialized laboratory classroom. Serve as the subjectmatter expert (SME) and point of contact (POC) for lab spaceallocation, equipment purchasing, and maintenance;
• Collaborates with Facilities and external vendors to coordinateall renovations, space moves, and construction phases through tofinal sign-off;
• Manages, mentors, and develops professional staff, providingand recommending targeted training and supervising their progresstoward departmental goals; and
• Directs annual and interim evaluations to establish and monitorSMART goals for direct reports, including the lab manager, businessadministrator, and finance team.

Departmental Financial Oversight

• Oversees departmental organizational budgets, including allfunds and orgs and foundation accounts; serve as approver;
• Provides financial reporting and engages in long‑range fiscalplanning discussions in collaboration with the Department Chair toensure ongoing budget sustainability; and
• Evaluates financial risks, establish internal controls, andguide chair decision-making to ensure the department’s financialstability and growth.

Communications & Stakeholder Management

• Functions as a proxy or surrogate for the chair in internal andexternal meetings when necessary;
• Serves as a central liaison between the chair, seniorleadership, faculty, staff, and students; and
• Exercise sound judgment in triaging or resolving complex orsensitive inquiries.

Strategic Advising & Planning

• Serves as a trusted sounding board and thought partner for thechair;
• Assists in defining long-term departmental objectives andtracking key performance indicators (KPIs); and
• Analyzes enrollment trends and manage departmental enrollmentgrowth each semester.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or the equivalent combination of educationand experience;
• Department Leadership: Proven success managing, operating, anddirecting broad department operations in a fast-paced, shiftingenvironment;
• Financial & Grant Administration: Strong working knowledgeof government grants, alongside direct experience developing,managing, and reconciling complex department budgets;
• Human Resources & Talent Management: Significant expertisein human resources leadership, including recruitment, workforcedevelopment, employee engagement, performance management,succession planning, and the effective leadership and developmentof staff;
• Financial Stewardship: Mastery of departmental budgeting,forecasting, and comprehensive account reconciliationprocesses;
• Grant Management: Expertise in the administration, compliance,and budget tracking of government grants and other external fundingsources;
• Human Resources: Thorough working knowledge of HR management,including recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and trainingprotocols;
• Team Leadership: Solid understanding of supervisory practices,performance management, employee motivation, and conflictresolution;
• Technical & Adaptability: Proficiency across multiplecomputer applications, with the ability to swiftly manage shiftingpriorities and multiple projects simultaneously;
• Communication & Interpersonal Acumen: Exceptional written,verbal, and coaching abilities, with a history of effectivelyinterfacing and collaborating with a wide range of internal andexternal constituencies; and
• Process Optimization & Problem Solving: Demonstratedcritical thinking skills with a record of identifying,troubleshooting, and resolving complex operational issues.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field;
• Executive level experience performing a wide variety of complexduties in a higher education setting is preferred; and
• Higher Education Administration: In-depth understanding ofgeneral business practices, financial processes, and institutionalprocedures specific to a higher education environment.

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 foremployment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexualorientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability orveteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.

Campus Safety Information

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