Director, Budget Operations and Planning

Job Overview

Executive Administration –
Director, Budget Operations and Planning (Full‑time, 1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk, hybrid eligible, Fairfax, VA). The role leads budget planning, oversight, and forecasting across the Executive Administration division; serves as a key strategic advisor to the President, providing high‑quality budget and financial analysis to support data‑informed decision‑making on matters of significant institutional impact.

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.

• 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.
• Oversees all EA unit budgets across multiple funding sources, ensuring effective and forward‑looking budget management, monitoring, and reporting.

• 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.
• Advances and refines forecasting and budgeting methodologies and processes to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and align with best practices in public higher education financial management.

• 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, and advancing the university’s financial management philosophy and principles.
• Collaborates with university leaders and the Provost’s Office on strategic initiatives, including budget model redesign and resource alignment for Presidential priorities.

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

• Bachelor’s degree in a 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.
• Ability to shape and execute financial strategies that align with organizational goals and drive long‑term success.

• Master’s degree in a 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…