Director of Academic Finance & Planning

Department: Academic Administration

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:

The Office of the Provost champions an inclusive university community devoted to academic excellence, consequential research and scholarship, and innovative practices that inspire, engage, and transform lives. The Office of the Provost is charged with overseeing all aspects of education, research, and public engagement of the university. The Provost has direct oversight over all colleges, schools, and academic support units. Additionally, in conjunction with the senior administration of the university, the Provost is responsible for the allocation of resources for academic programs and functions. Supporting the Provost in these efforts is the Academic Administration team which is devoted to sustaining George Mason's mission.

The Academic Administration team provides leadership and strategic guidance through resource allocation and alignment, business analyses, modeling, project management, partnership development and communications. The office also manages the administrative, budget, and personnel operations for the Office of the Provost and the offices for which it has direct oversight.

About the Position:

A member of the Assistant VP (AVP) for Academic Finance & Planning's leadership team, the Director provides financial oversight of academic units (schools, colleges, and Provost units), as well as leads associated initiatives and projects.

Responsibilities:

Leadership

• Leads regular academic financial/budget meetings, including the preparation, analysis, and review of financial reports and corresponding documentation that track and assess the financial health and outlook for the academic units; recommends appropriate interventions; and provides strategic guidance to approach opportunities and challenges;
• Conducts assessments and identifies solutions, in collaboration with school/college finance offices, to ensure that academic units have the necessary tools to monitor financial activity and address budgetary issues through the year and provides training as needed;
• Partners with schools/colleges in a collaborative manner in an advisory and problem-solving role to address budgetary needs;
• Provides guidance and subject matter expertise on the university academic budget topics, policy development, and interpretation and implementation to continuously improve efficiency and quality of services;
• Prepares and disseminates communication of key processes and deliverables throughout the year (e.g., budget development, forecasting, carryforward submissions, tuition and fee adjustments);
• In conjunction with the AVP, develops short- and long-term financial plans in accordance with the university’s academic priorities and objectives;
• Serves as a thought partner to the AVP on strategic academic finance and planning issues;
• Represents the AVP on key university-wide initiatives, projects, and committees/ working groups;
• Develops, drafts, and proposes procedures on major processes in collaboration with Central Budget and Fiscal on topics including, but not limited to, the university’s budget model, budget development, use of carryforwards, etc.;
• Develops analyses, reports, and presentations for the AVP, VPs, and Provost in support of senior management decisions and funding allocations; and
• Manages a team that is responsible for developing, analyzing and disseminating critical financial information for the entire academic enterprise, establishing consistent processes and practices that allow for clarity, sustainability, and growth.

Financial Oversight & Analysis

• Reviews financial performance across academic units, including analysis of actual performance against budget, identifies and analyzes variances, understands root causes for any variances, and, as needed, recommends approaches for addressing them;
• Analyzes annual budget and quarterly forecast submissions, noting direction, trends, drivers, and impacts;
• Monitors and assesses the implementation of the newly designed budget model and, as necessary, develops scenarios and solutions;
• Develops the financial aid budget in partnership with supporting units, such as Enrollment Management, Graduate Division, and Central Budget Office;
• Reviews school/college enrollment trends and other key metrics and flags areas that may require additional research, discussions with relevant stakeholders, and/or a strategy to address relevant issues;
• Monitors gross and net tuition revenue and, in particular, use of graduate and undergraduate aid both centrally and in schools/colleges;
• Develops program profitability analysis and evaluates options and opportunities;
• Conducts review of unit-submitted information for accuracy and completeness (e.g., forecasts, budget development files); and
• Evaluates new ventures or academic innovation, including developing pro-forma, total cost of operations analysis, and recommended resource needs, in conjunction with academic units.

Other Duties as Assigned

• Performs special projects designed to improve the strategic, operational, and/or financial effectiveness of the organization, which may include, but are not limited to, developing reports, preparing analyses, and working on strategic financial or operational projects.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, economics, or related discipline or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• At least 5 years of experience in a financial management role in higher education;
• Experience developing financial models and conducting analysis of large data sets via advanced Excel functions formula;
• Experience using enterprise-wide general ledger and reporting applications;
• Experience conducting financial analysis, root cause analysis, trend analysis, and forecast development/modeling;
• Experience with financial aspects of an enterprise resource system and/or business intelligence systems;
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills;
• Demonstrated organizational, problem-solving and decision-making skills with proven ability to prioritize, organize, negotiate, coordinate and complete projects according to established time frames;
• Advanced Excel skills, including organizing and reporting on large volumes of data and maintaining complex spreadsheets;
• Demonstrated quantitative/analytical skills, attention to detail, and the ability to effectively organize, analyze, synthesize, and present data and information tailored to the audience;
• Ability to develop and present complex concepts and/or financial models to a broad range of constituents;
• Ability to develop a deep understanding of key performance drivers across the university in order to deliver value-added business analysis with meaningful financial and operational metrics to support executive-level decision-making;
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, balance priorities, and work efficiently in a fast-paced environment, bringing to completion multiple assignments concurrently while delivering a high-quality, error-free work product;
• Ability to work independently and to initiate and create new, original material; and
• Ability to effectively and efficiently contribute in a team dynamic with a wide range of constituencies across departmental lines to accomplish the identified goals of the department and university.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field or equivalent combination of education and experience; and
• At least 10 years of experience in a financial management role in higher education.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Director of Academic Finance & Planning at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume for review.

Posting Open Date: February 21, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  March 7, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes