Director, Budget Operations and Planning

About the Department:

The George Mason University Office of the President works with senior administration and stakeholders from across the institution to establish and advance the university’s vision, strategic goals, and priorities.

About the Position:

Reporting to the Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff, the Director, Budget Operations and Planning is responsible for leading the budget planning, oversight, and forecasting processes across all units within the Executive Administration division. Serving as a key strategic advisor to the President, this position provides high-quality budget and financial analysis to support data-informed decision-making on matters of significant institutional impact.

This position ensures that the President’s strategic priorities are effectively translated into comprehensive multi-year pro-formas, annual operating, and accurate forecasts. The Director collaborates with EA senior leaders and their staff to drive budget and operational planning for new initiatives and projects; provide budget consultation; support facilities planning and acquisition; conduct management analysis; and coordinate special projects.

In addition, this position oversees the fiscal infrastructure and systems that support the division’s goals. The Director is accountable for the division’s overall fiscal health, by identifying risks, developing mitigation strategies, preparing reports and dashboards, and aligning resources with strategic objectives. This position focuses on strategic efforts to improve efficiency by capturing meaningful financial data, streamlining processes, sharing best practices across the EA division, and fostering continuous improvement in the budget and fiscal systems and operations.

This position ensures that the President’s strategic priorities are effectively translated into comprehensive multi-year financial plans, annual operating and capital budgets, and accurate financial forecasts. The Director collaborates with unit leaders and their finance staff to drive financial planning for new initiatives and projects; provides budget consultation and support; conducts management analysis; and coordinates special projects.

Responsibilities:

Budget Operations and Planning

• Leads the implementation of divisional budget planning, fiscal operations, and forecasting processes in collaboration with EA’s senior leadership, the Provost Office, and other university leaders;
• Designs and manages planning processes with clear deliverables, training, and communications to ensure consistency and transparency across EA units;
• Ensures the accuracy, quality, and timeliness of budget information and strategic advice related to multi-year plans, annual budgets, and forecasts;
• Creates and updates unit-specific and EA division-wide financial dashboards for ease of reporting and understanding financial, budget, and personnel metrics;
• Partners with unit leaders to align financial resources with unit-level goals and Presidential priorities; and
• Oversees all EA unit budgets across multiple funding sources, ensuring effective and forward-looking budget management, monitoring, and reporting.

Budget Analysis and Risk Management

• Identifies internal and external factors and trends that may impact outcomes;
• Evaluates risks and proposes actionable solutions;
• Prepares and presents regular and ad hoc budget and financial analyses for the President and Chief of Staff to inform strategic decision-making; and
• Advances and refines forecasting and budgeting methodologies and processes to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and align with best practices in public higher education financial management.

Stakeholder Engagement and Best Practices

• Liaises with senior leaders from all Presidential units, to operationalize unit budget and operational plans, optimize resource use, and promote knowledge-sharing;
• Fosters a culture of continuous improvement through standardization of reporting, collaborative planning, advancing the university’s financial management philosophy and principles; and
• Collaborates with university leaders and the Provost’s Office on strategic initiatives, including budget model redesign and resource alignment for Presidential priorities.

Special Projects and Strategic Initiatives

• Leads or supports other special projects, strategic initiatives, and high-impact analyses as assigned by the President or Chief of Staff.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field or the equivalent education and experience;
• Experience in fiscal planning, budgeting, management, or strategic finance roles;
• Experience managing or advising on budgets in a complex organization;
• Demonstrated experience supporting executive-level decision-making through reporting and analysis;
• Experience effectively presenting and communicating key financial data to senior management, boards, or other outside partners;
• Experience in higher education, public sector, or nonprofit institutions, especially those with complex funding streams (e.g., tuition, state appropriations, grants, auxiliary services);
• Proficiency with financial systems, reporting tools, dashboards, and Microsoft Excel or other data analysis tools;
• Ability to exercise sound judgment; maintain confidentiality and ensure transparency and accountability in financial decisions; and
• Ability to shape and execute financial strategies that align with organizational goals and drive long-term success.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field;
• Experience working directly with senior leadership to inform strategic resource allocation;
• Participation in large-scale budget and financial transformation efforts;
• Experience working with Ellucian Banner (ERP);
• Knowledge of budgeting, fiscal planning, and forecasting principles in complex, multi-unit organizations;
• Understanding of financial regulations, compliance standards, and internal control practices;
• Skill in developing and managing multi-source budgets, including operating, and project-based funding;
• Skill in evaluating performance metrics and identifying budget and operational risks, with a focus on continuous improvement;
• Ability to conduct high-level resource analysis, interpret trends, assess risk, and develop data-informed recommendations;
• Ability to demonstrate agility in navigating change, maintaining effectiveness under pressure while adapting to shifting priorities and demands;
• Ability to balance multiple responsibilities and deadlines while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail; and
• Demonstrated skill in leading process improvements, streamlining systems, and managing change within financial operations.