Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (SVP and CFO)

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (SVP and CFO)

Posted: 9/18/26
Deadline: 10/18/26

About This Organization

George Mason University

Job Duties

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (SVP and CFO)
Req # 10004479

About the Department:
Reporting to the President and serving on the Senior Leadership team, the SVP and CFO is the University’s Principal Financial Officer and holds ultimate accountability for the financial operations of the institution.

About the Position
The CFO leads the Fiscal Services division of approximately 100 staff and works through the senior leaders of its units to deliver accounting and financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, treasury and debt, internal controls and compliance, purchasing and procurement, accounts payable, payroll, and student accounts.

The CFO is accountable for the accuracy and timeliness of the university’s financial data and the integrity of the financial statements provided to leadership, the Board of Visitors, and the Commonwealth. The CFO sets standards and priorities for the division, maintains the university’s system of internal controls, serves as the SLT lead for managing financial risk, and advises the President on the financial implications of institutional decisions.

KEY PRIORITIES FOR THE ROLE
President’s Priority: Professionalize the Financial Enterprise

In addition to the full scope of essential functions outlined later in this profile, the President has identified the following as immediate priorities for the incoming SVP and CFO:

Board and State Ready Monthly Reporting:

• Responsible for accurate monthly reporting that rolls up to the Board of Visitors, the State, and the Commonwealth, including unit-level performance.
• P&L Like Framework for Fiscal Units:
• Establish a profit-and-loss (P&L) style framework for all fiscal units to accurately track how expenses are managed and funded at the unit level, structured so that it can roll up to the Board and State on a monthly cadence.

Responsibilities:
Leadership Management

• Lead the Fiscal Services division of approximately 100 staff through its unit leaders, setting direction, priorities, and performance expectations;
• Hire, develop, coach, and evaluate direct reports, and build leadership depth, employee engagement, and succession across the division;
• Establish service standards, performance measures, and accountability across the division, and oversee the schedule for close, reporting, audit, and budget cycles;
• Allocate staffing and resources across units, and foster collaboration within the division and with partners across the university;
• Present the university’s financial statements and monthly financial reports to the Board of Visitors and its committees, ensuring monthly reporting rolls up into board submissions, and respond to questions on the financial results; and
• Provide financial reporting to the President and the Senior Leadership Team in order to ensure efficiency and fiscal accountability across the university, and represent the university to Commonwealth agencies and on state and legislative reporting requests.

Fiscal Oversight
Accounting and Financial Reporting:

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and year-end financial close, and take direct responsibility for the accuracy and timeliness of the university’s financial statements, delivered through the Controller’s Office;
• Oversee accounting operations and banking, the general ledger and chart of accounts, interface with the Commonwealth’s accounting system, and account reconciliations across all funds;
• Ensure compliance with GASB and governmental and fund accounting standards, and the production of the annual financial statements and supporting schedules for leadership, Commonwealth, federal, and sponsor reporting;
• Oversee fixed assets, international tax, payroll, and cost accounting, including Facilities and Administrative and fringe benefit rates; and
• Build business processes and reporting tools for financial tracking, predictive analytics, and data mining that strengthen decision support across the division.

Budget Development and Execution:

• Direct the development of annual operating and capital budgets, the biennial State budget submission, and the allocation and reconciliation of unit budgets under the budget model;
• Establish and lead a budget management rollup across the university to include academic and non‑academic units, oversee budget‑to‑actual execution, variance analysis, and forecast updates during the year, and review results with university leadership; and
• Ensure position control and salary and benefit funding are managed, and maintain the multi‑year integrated financial plan.

Treasury, Cash, and Debt:

• Oversee cash management, liquidity, banking relationships, bank reconciliations, and the investment of university funds;
• Hold accountability for debt management, debt service, covenant compliance, continuing disclosure, arbitrage, and for accurate debt schedules and reporting; and
• Oversee capital project funding and reconciliation of capital spending against approved plans and the six‑year Capital Plan.

Strategy and Compliance
Audit, Internal Controls, and Compliance:

• Serve as the senior point of accountability for the annual external audit, including the Auditor of Public Accounts review and the federal Single Audit, and ensure audit preparation and responses are managed across the division;
• Oversee the university’s internal controls program, including the Commonwealth’s internal controls mandate and PCI data security standards, and ensure clean, accurate financial data and controls over financial transactions and resources are documented and tested;
• Ensure audit findings and control deficiencies are corrected within set timeframes and approve and enforce fiscal policies and procedures in compliance with state and federal laws and with donor and sponsor requirements; and
• Establish a profit‑and‑loss (P&L) style accountability framework across the institution that tracks funding and expenses at the unit/division level to strengthen financial ownership and performance visibility.

Purchasing, Payments, and Financial Systems:

• Oversee purchasing and procurement, the P‑Card program, contract administration, travel, eVA purchasing, and the processing of vendor payments and reimbursements through Accounts Payable;
• Oversee student accounts, billing, third‑party and sponsor billing, the Cashier’s Office, and collections;
• Direct the operation and improvement of the university’s financial systems, including the university’s ERP (Banner), eVA, Mason Finance Gateway, and business intelligence platform (MicroStrategy) for reporting and ensuring data integrity; and
• Set and monitor service standards, and reduce processing times, error rates, and backlogs.

Financial Strategy and Planning:

• Advise the President and the Senior Leadership Team on the financial implications of institutional decisions, and work to optimize the university’s overall financial position;
• Contribute to the long‑range financial plan and resource allocation, and identify financial risks and opportunities in advance; and
• Build the division’s expectations and practices toward a best‑in‑class accounting and financial management framework, professionalizing the university’s financial function.

Mason Ad Statement
George Mason University is a nationally ranked R1 research university committed to creating a more just, free, and prosperous world. With 40,000 enrolled students, George Mason is the largest and most diverse public research university in Virginia, offering degree programs at the master’s, doctoral, and professional level, along with certificates and credentials.

George Mason fosters an All Together Different environment for students, faculty, and staff, driven by our core beliefs. We believe in inclusivity over exclusivity; we believe in advancing our mission by being willing to take risks, not avoiding them; and we believe our best work is possible when we apply our diversity of origin, identity, circumstance, and thought.

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.

Required Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, accounting, or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Extensive progressive experience leading or supporting a finance or accounting function in a large, complex organization with an operating budget of at least $1 billion, including experience in higher education (R1 preferred) and supervisory experience managing a team through subordinate leaders;
• Extensive progressive experience leading or directly supporting the financial operations of a large, complex organization with an annual operating budget of at least $1 billion, through subordinate managers and unit leaders, with accountability for accounting, reporting, and budgeting;
• Experience leading or supporting financial operations in higher education, particularly at an R1 research university or other large, complex public institution;
• Experience with ERP accounting and budget systems and reporting tools, and leading process and system improvements;
• Direct experience overseeing or supporting a financial close, the production of financial statements, and an external audit;
• Supervisory experience leading a team through subordinate leaders, including hiring, goal‑setting, performance management, and staff development;
• Command of accounting, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, audits, internal controls, and reconciliations;
• Knowledge of governmental or fund accounting and reporting principles;
• Ability to personally perform and critically review financial analysis, forecasting, and variance analysis, to present and defend financial data before executives and a governing board; and
• Strong analytical, technical, and written and oral communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field;
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA);
• Experience at a public university within a state system, or in a multi‑campus or research‑intensive institution;
• Experience with debt and treasury operations, capital financing, and continuing disclosure;
• Experience with Ellucian Banner, MicroStrategy, eVA, and SQL; and
• Knowledge of Commonwealth of Virginia budgeting and reporting practices, state appropriations, and restructured operating authority.

Other Info

Link to job posting: