Manager, University Policy and Enterprise Risk

George Mason University; Chantilly (VA); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, is seeking a Policy & Planning specialist to lead policy lifecycle, governance, and risk mitigation. The role partners with policy owners to draft, review, and publish policies while aligning with enterprise risk management and strategic planning.

This is a cross-functional contributor position with significant collaboration. The incumbent will manage policy governance, ensure clarity and compliance, and drive continuous improvement across policy processes

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5–7 years in policy management, enterprise risk management, compliance coordination, or governance.
• Experience with governance committees, policy owners, auditors, or risk stewards.
• Experience developing training materials, process documentation, or guidance related to policy, compliance, or risk practices.
• Experience using project management or risk tracking tools, workflow systems, or document management platforms.
• Knowledge of regulatory or accreditation requirements relevant to institutional policy and compliance environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and executive-level reporting.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the lead on development, review, approval, and renewals of university policies.
• Provides guidance to policy owners on required processes, templates, timelines, and governance structures.
• Maintains the policy repository and ensures version control and policy language clarity.
• Supports transparency by updating the policy website with current policies and information.
• Contributes to policy management efficiency by updating practices and approaches as needed.
• Identifies, assesses, and mitigates risks across university operations and functions.

Skills

Policy management

Enterprise risk management

Governance

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Project management

Policy drafting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Master’s degree in related field

Tools

Risk tracking tools

Document management systems

Workflow systems

Job description

Department: Enterprise Risk Management

Classification: Policy & Planning Specialist 2

Job Category: Classified Staff

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 visasponsorship

Pay Band: 05

Salary: Salary commensurate with education andexperience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

George Mason University’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) existsto promote institutional resilience by identifying, assessing, andmanaging risks that could affect the university’s mission. The unitalso oversees policy management and building code compliance toensure clear, consistent, and accountable governance across theinstitution. Through collaboration, transparency, and proactiveguidance, it supports informed decision-making and strengthens theuniversity’s culture of integrity and risk awareness.

About the Position:

The Manager, University Policy and Enterprise Risk serves as thelead on development, review, approval, and renewals of universitypolicies. This includes ensuring policies are clear, compliant, andaligned with strategic goals, while identifying, assessing, andmitigating risks that could impact operations, reputation,finances, or regulatory compliance. This is an individualcontributor role with significant cross-functional leadershipresponsibility.

Responsibilities:

Policy Development, Management & Governance Support:

• Serves as the University Policy Manager coordinating the fulllifecycle of institutional policies, including providinginformation to policy owners as they draft and revise policies,providing feedback and advice to policy owners, managing the reviewprocess by the Policy Management Group, facilitating approval,publishing policies to the policy website, and archiving;
• Provides advice and guidance to policy owners regardingrequired processes, templates, timelines, and governancestructures;
• Maintains the policy repository and ensures version control,consistency, and clarity in policy language;
• Supports transparency by keeping the website up-to-date withcurrent policies listed and helpful information posted to enablethe policy management process; and
• Contributes to policy management efficiency and effectivenessby updating practices and approaches to university policymanagement as needed.

Enterprise Risk Management:

• Serves as a thought partner to the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) incontinuous improvement of the university’s Enterprise RiskManagement (ERM) framework;
• Identifies, assesses, and prioritizes institutional risksacross academic, operational, financial, regulatory, andreputational domains;
• Facilitates regular risk assessments with leadership and keystakeholders across units;
• Maintains the university’s enterprise risk register and otherkey ERM documents and data, ensuring risks are documented,evaluated, and updated regularly;
• Designs and works with risk owners to implement risk mitigationstrategies and action plans to reduce exposure and strengthenorganizational resilience;
• Monitors emerging risks and trends (e.g., regulatory changes,cybersecurity threats, enrollment shifts) and advises leadershipaccordingly;
• Works in partnership with the CRO to establish key riskindicators (KRIs) and metrics to track risk levels andeffectiveness of mitigation efforts;
• Provides advice for integrating risk management practices intostrategic planning, decision-making, and business processes;and
• Evaluates the effectiveness of existing controls and recommendsimprovements where needed.

Communication & Collaboration:

• Works with policy owners to develop policy-specificcommunication plans;
• Promotes a risk-aware culture through training, communication,and stakeholder engagement;
• Collaborates with internal audit, compliance, legal, and policyteams to ensure alignment of risk management activities; and
• Owns project execution for policy and risk workstreams,including establishing structures, tracking requests, organizingand leading meetings, and driving accountability for deliverablesacross cross-functional stakeholders.

Other Related Duties as Assigned:

• Related tasks assigned by the supervisor and departmenthead.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field, or equivalent combinationof education and experience;
• Experience (typically 5-7 years) in policy management,enterprise risk management, compliance coordination, ororganizational governance;
• Experience working with governance committees, policy owners,auditors, or risk stewards;
• Experience developing training materials, processdocumentation, or guidance related to policy, compliance, or riskpractices;
• Experience using project management or risk tracking tools,workflow systems, or document management platforms;
• Experience interpreting regulatory or accreditationrequirements relevant to institutional policy and complianceenvironments;
• Knowledge of enterprise risk management frameworks (e.g., COSOERM, ISO 31000) and higher education governance/complianceenvironments;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to assess risk anddevelop practical mitigation strategies;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, includingpolicy drafting and executive-level reporting;
• Ability to engage stakeholders and facilitate cross-functionalcollaboration and risk discussions;
• Ability to translate complex concepts into clear, actionableguidance for diverse audiences;
• Strong organizational and project management skills to handlemultiple priorities effectively;
• Ability to apply a strategic, proactive mindset withadaptability to evolving risks and regulatory requirements;and
• Sound judgment, integrity, and ability to manage confidentialand sensitive information.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field;
• Professional certification or advanced training in riskmanagement, audit, compliance, or governance (e.g., CRMP, CERM,CIA, PMP);
• Experience (typically 7+ years) that includes both policymanagement and enterprise risk management, preferably in highereducation or a similarly complex organization;
• Advanced experience leading or maturing enterprise-wide policyor ERM programs, including implementing governance frameworks anddriving cross-functional adoption at scale; and
• Experience implementing ERM programs or policy frameworks in ahigher education or similarly complex organizationalenvironment.

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.