Director, Purchasing and Fiscal Services

Department: Facilities & Campus Operations

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

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

Financial Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

George Mason University Facilities ensures a quality physical environment supporting the mission of the university. We will be the technical and business experts of choice with the total trust and confidence of our students, faculty, and staff.

About the Position:

The Director, Purchasing and Fiscal Services is responsible for managing the procurement of construction and professional services contracts, materials, and supplies in accordance with the laws of Virginia and the procurement rules of George Mason University. This position is also responsible for managing Facilities decentralized accounts payable, billing, and recharge process. The Director leads a team of approximately 10 full-time staff.

Responsibilities:

Direct the Facilities & Campus Operations Procurement Group:

• Oversees the procurement of professional services for design projects and various services for the University;
• Handles contract actions exceeding 150 annually, totaling $80,000,000 to $110,000,000;
• Contracts with firms selected by the RFP process;
• Coordinates tasks involved in selection and contracting;
• Reviews, negotiates, and processes field-change orders (FCOs), change orders, and modifications;
• Advertises, procures, and modifies contracted construction, repairs, and renovation contracts, including multimillion dollar capital projects;
• Supports negotiations, process changes, and modifications;
• Leads or supports negotiations as required;
• Advises the Facilities organization on hiring professional firms and construction methods (CM, DB, DBB, etc.);
• Sets procurement schedules and oversees postings in eVA and on the public board and webpage;
• Oversees purchasing of all materials and supply chain purchasing (MRO), primarily for Facilities Management;
• Leads or supports contractor performance meetings, performance warnings, cure notices, claims, and/or termination actions including coordination with Legal and Risk Management;
• Reviews and provides commentary/feedback on feasibility studies, working drawing packages and project manuals as it relates to potential impacts on the procurement/contracting phase;
• Leads efforts to update Mason’s HECO manual and all related forms, templates, processes, and procedures to stay current with mandatory legislative changes and best-practices. This includes coordinating changes with related departments including the Office of University Building Officials (OUBO) and Capital Strategy and Planning;
• Develops and leads training initiatives as it relates to procurement policies and procedures for end users and firms; and
• Responsible for setting goals for performance and deadlines in ways that comply with the University's plans and vision and communicate them to subordinates:
  • Organizing workflow and ensuring employees understand their duties or delegated tasks;
  • Monitoring employee productivity and providing constructive feedback and coaching;
  • Receiving complaints and resolving problems;
  • Maintaining timekeeping and personnel records;
  • Passing on information from upper management to employees and vice versa;
  • Preparing and submitting performance evaluations;
  • Deciding on rewards and promotions based on performance;
  • Hiring and training new employees; and
  • Ensuring adherence to Legal and University policies and procedures, and undertaking disciplinary actions if the need arises.

Oversee Facilities & Campus Operations Fiscal Services:

• Responsible for managing fiscal services and procedures division-wide. The scope of work includes managing payment of all invoices for Facilities division org codes, over 7,000 annually;
• Provides payment processing support and maintains compliance with Mason policy and the MOU between central A/P and Facilities A/P, and adherence to the Virginia Prompt Pay Act; and
• Provides an internal control function for the department, ensuring all University required procedures for control of financial resources, records, and accountability are being met.

Training and Collaboration:

• Collaborates with department representatives to train personnel in professional services, construction selection, and procurement methods; and
• Works closely with the SWaM coordinator to foster relationships and report contractual dollars spent with SWaM firms.

Reporting and Record Maintenance:

• Provides audit support and drafts legislation review;
• Responds to all Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and audit requests concerning construction, professional services, and related contracts and procurements;
• Maintains original procurement file records for audit and research purposes; and
• Ensures proper entries of all procurements in the Banner accounting system.

Other Related Duties as Assigned:

• Supports the VP, AVP, and CBO in completing other related duties and reports as needed.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Extensive experience (typically 10+ years) in procurement;
• Designation as a Virginia Contracting Officer (VCO), and/or Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM), or ability to obtain within 1 year of hire;
• Virginia Construction Officer (VCCO) required within 1 year of hire;
• Demonstrated knowledge of public procurement ethical conduct;
• Knowledge of procurement rules/principles and the administration of professional contracts;
• Demonstrated knowledge of business practices and procedures;
• Demonstrated advanced knowledge of the Virginia Public Procurement Act and related state and federal regulations;
• Demonstrated advanced knowledge of eVA, Virginia's electronic procurement system, and its functionalities;
• Awareness of the Bureau of Capital Outlay Management and Department of Planning and Budget Capital Outlay forms and processes;
• Negotiation skills and experience required;
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, including computer skills and the ability to prepare detailed reports in Excel and presentations in PowerPoint;
• Advanced managerial skills to include hiring, motivating, training, and evaluating employee performance;
• Advanced skills in customer relations and customer service;
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Proficiency in developing and managing budgets and financial plans;
• Skills in conducting audits and ensuring compliance with procurement policies;
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy;
• Ability to deal skillfully and professionally with diverse constituencies;
• Ability to develop and implement procurement strategies and policies;
• Ability to respond rapidly and effectively to the needs of the customer base;
• Ability to set up a contracts function to include processes and procedures that conform to all state and federal requirements;
• Ability to lead and manage a team effectively;
• Demonstrated ability to oversee large-scale procurement projects and initiatives;
• Ability to develop and maintain an appropriate system of internal controls for the organization’s fiscal policy;
• Demonstrated ability to conduct detailed analyses of variances and identify risks and opportunities; and
• Ability to compile comparative and historical data for analysis and decision-making.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field;
• Experience using eBuilder and eVA;
• Experience in higher education fiscal services;
• Experience in public sector procurement;
• Demonstrated knowledge of eBuilder, or other project management software tools;
• Demonstrated knowledge of higher education procurement practices;
• Demonstrated knowledge of Ellucian Banner or similar financial software system;
• Demonstrated knowledge of TranscendAP or similar automated invoice processing system; and
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Construction and Professional Service’s Manual or similar state/higher education manual.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Director, Purchasing and Fiscal Services at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a resume for review.

Posting Open Date:  June 17, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  July 1, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes