Chief Business Officer

Chief Business Officer

The George Mason University College of Public Health invites applications for the position of Chief Business Officer. George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment.

About the Position:

The Chief Business Officer (CBO) reports to the Dean of the College of Public Health (CPH). The CBO facilitates the planning and implementation of the College’s financial and operational vision as it relates to the full range of business functions and activities for CPH. The CBO oversees financial planning, revenue generation, technology resources and support, and new ventures, including the facilitation of short- and long-range strategic planning for new and/or expanding programs and partnerships. The CBO is accountable for and provides overall leadership, supervision, management, coordination, and innovation of these functions, as well as oversight of the development and implementation of policies and procedures to achieve desired outcomes. The CBO works closely with other senior leaders in CPH to ensure optimal resourcing for the College’s various activities in support of its mission. In addition, the CBO liaises with central administration and other university departments, as well as with peers in other units

Responsibilities:

Supervision & Oversight:

The CBO is expected to perform the following duties through oversight of support personnel within the College:

• The CBO will apply strategies set forth by the Dean and define and execute the tactics for the functional units with guidance from the Dean and other senior administrators, and will oversee, guide, and delegate work to functional unit leaders;
• The CBO is expected to mentor, train, and develop functional leads and oversee training and development for the entire CBO team;
• The CBO will oversee development, mentoring, and training of fiscal administrators and other leaders within the college on fiscal, operational, and administrative processes and procedures; and
• In conjunction with key stakeholders, the CBO will oversee staffing levels, competency, consistency, and performance of each functional unit and ensure that staff are adequately trained, developed, and evaluated, and that all units are high performing and meeting the needs of faculty and students.

The CBO has ultimate accountability for the following functions

Strategic Analysis & Planning:

• Drive creative methods to manage and enhance financial resources to allow for opportunities to advance the College’s strategic plan;
• Direct the exploration, analysis, and projections of nontraditional revenue opportunities;
• Develop annual forecasts and longer-term (3-5 year) financial plans for the College considering the strategic initiatives of the University and the College. Include multiple scenarios that allow for changes to variables and "what if’ analyses;
• Support modeling, data collection, and analyses requirements of the Dean’s office to include accreditation reporting, national surveys, and other strategic projects; and
• Develop short-term and long-range analyses to support management strategic plans. Examples may include:
• Budget model;
• Program profit-loss analysis;
• Year-over-year financial revenue income and enrollment compression analysis; and
• Term/tenure-track/tenured faculty compensation compression analysis.

Financial Planning & Management:

• Oversee the annual operating budget process, including developing detailed budgets showing revenue, expense, and contribution to central budget targets each fiscal year;
• Provide quarterly financial reporting on variances against budget and prior year, including expenses, surpluses, and spending trends; identify budget risks and opportunities for savings;
• Review and approve budget justifications for submissions; allocate adequate resources among programs to align with the College’s strategic goals;
• Track separate revenue sources, such as tuition revenue and research revenue;
• Implement tools and metrics to measure the College’s financial performance against plans/targets;
• Provide financial management stewardship and oversight of internal controls, policies, and procedures governing financial operations;
• Ensure compliance with State and University policies and procedures;
• Oversee and manage workflow processes for all fiscal activities;
• Respond to new initiatives and facilitate disbursement and management of funds appropriately;
• Oversee approval of all expenditures for the College (e.g., travel forms, renovation funds);
• Develop and maintain an appropriate system of internal controls for the organization’s fiscal policy;
• Monitor all expenditures in accordance with federal/state fiscal rules and the university’s fiscal policy;
• Assure compliance in anticipation of internal or external audits; and
• Ensure authorized signature authorities for the organization are monitored and updated.

Information Technology:

• Provide executive leadership over IT team to create an IT roadmap for the organization, coordinating all IT hardware, software, and data needs for the organization and liaise with central IT services as needed;

School / Unit Specific Functions:

• Coordinate with Associate Dean of Research and/or Director of Research on charging instructional faculty effort to research projects;
• Oversee Tuition Sharing Program project management; and
• Manage response to annual ABA Report and U.S. News & World Report with regards to Fiscal, Scholarships, and Financial Aid sections.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a field related to business, accounting, finance, or fiscal management, and extensive experience with progressively responsible and comparable duties and assignments. B.A. or B.S. degree with additional experience and training may be substituted for a Master’s degree;
• Adept at building effective teams and overseeing diverse professional and administrative staff;
• Extensive knowledge of the principles and practices of budget planning, evaluation, and execution;
• Familiarity with payroll, procurement, operational, and financial reporting;
• Proven ability in using team-driven approaches to efficiently execute an organization’s finance and administrative functions;
• Excellent communication skills (both written and oral), especially when communicating with a wide range of stakeholders with varying levels of financial acumen;
• Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively with minimal supervision; and
• Evidence of aligning strategic initiatives with financial plans and forecasts.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Extensive experience in developing, implementing, managing, monitoring and evaluating financial and administrative policy, preferably in a university or non-profit environment;
• Experience overseeing financial operations for complex organizations with various forms of revenue streams and allocations;
• Skilled in teambuilding, generating consensus, resolving conflicts, and making sound judgment in a complex environment;
• Knowledge and experience with both federal and university grants management accounting policies and procedures; and
• Extensive experience and gravitas to interface at the executive level.

Special Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for position number FA32EZ at https://jobs.gmu.edu; complete and submit the online application; and include the following:

• cover letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and interest in the position;
• curriculum vitae;
• diversity statement (two paragraphs) (as Other doc); and
• List of three professional references with contact information.

Please note: Those selected for final round interviews, will need to provide 3 reference letters prior to the final round of interviews taking place. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled. Only complete electronic applications submitted using jobs.gmu.edu will be reviewed. An offer of employment is contingent upon background verification.

Please respond to the following prompt when writing your diversity statement:

Have you worked with any individuals in a teaching, mentorship, or advisory capacity who are from marginalized groups? If so, how did you help them identify and overcome barriers to success. Think about your experience with teaching or tutoring, academic advising, and community mentorship. (No more than 2 paragraphs).

Equity Statement: 

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.