Vice President for Finance:

George Mason University ("Mason") seeks a seasoned and innovative finance executive to serve as its next Vice President for Finance. Located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and known for its entrepreneurial spirit and rapid emergence, Mason is one of the most remarkable success stories in the past half-century of American higher education.

Since its establishment, Mason has been on a steep growth trajectory. It is now a major national research university with a deep-seated mission of access to excellence and a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. In 2016, the university achieved a Tier 1 research designation and in fall 2018 was named one of the top 150 universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and one of the top 95 in the nation by the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy's Academic Ranking of World Universities. Given Mason's rise in stature, the university hopes to achieve "Level 3" status as defined by State Council for Higher Education for Virginia. Specifically, the university will attempt to achieve greater operational authority in the areas of capital outlay, information technology, procurement, human resources, and finance.

With an enrollment of more than 37,000, including students from 130 countries and 50 states, Mason continues to grow. With three Northern Virginia campuses - and an international campus near Seoul, South Korea - Mason's location just outside of the nation's capital provides exceptional opportunities for the university to engage the U.S. government, international organizations, and major corporations in a myriad of industries. Mostly recently, Amazon announced that the Arlington/Alexandria area would be home to its second headquarters. This represents a tremendous opportunity for not only the region but also for George Mason University in terms of public/private partnerships, real estate, and computer and technology related ventures. To support this, George Mason University recently announced a large-scale expansion of its Arlington Campus to grow its computing programs, advance research in high-tech fields, and rapidly increase the number of highly skilled graduates for Amazon and other regional employers. The university has pledged to invest more than $250 million over the next five years to grow programs and hire large numbers of new faculty.

Reporting to Mason's Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance, Carol Kissal, Mason seeks a VP for Finance who will contribute to Mason's impressive growth. The individual will provide university-wide leadership and broad strategic oversight of financial accounting and compliance to assist the university's academic leadership, administrative management and board members in the efficient and effective monitoring, management, and control of the financial resources of the university. The VP for Finance is a key participant in managing risk exposure for the university. S/he will work closely and collaboratively with the executive leadership and budget and financial managers across the institution to provide strong management reporting and controls with excellent customer service throughout the university.

The VP for Finance has oversight responsibilities for debt management, Office of Student Accounts, Cashier's Office, Loan Management, General Accounting, Cost Accounting and Fiscal Reporting, International Tax Compliance, Internal Controls, Fiscal Services Training and Communication, Purchasing and Accounts Payable, Inventory and Surplus Property, Fiscal Policy and Procedures, and the Finance Administration Systems Team.

The successful VP for Finance will enhance systems and develop best practices to support the education, health care, and research missions of the university, while ensuring high standards of compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. The VP will lead an office committed to improving processes, providing outstanding customer service in an increasingly complex and demanding regulatory environment, and strengthening collaborations and relationships across the university to better serve the mission and communicate financial policies and procedures. The VP will look outside the university to both anticipate regulatory challenges and understand how best to meet them and will be an essential advisor to the Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance. In all the aforementioned responsibilities, the VP must lead with a solution-oriented, customer-centric leadership style.

"For full consideration, applicants must apply at https://jobs.gmu.edu/ ; complete and submit the online application; and upload a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references with contact information. Mason is assisted in this search by Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm. Nominations, applications, and inquiries are being accepted for the position. Consideration of candidates will continue until the position is filled. Applicants must electronically submit a resume and cover letter. All candidate information will be held in strict confidence. Confidential electronic inquiries concerning this search should be directed to Ponneh Varho, Andrew Lee, and/or Kahn Lee at Isaacson, Miller via: https://www.imsearch.com/7034 ."

"Great Careers Begin at Mason!

George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in both academics and research. Mason holds a top U.S. News and World Report "Up and Coming" spot for national universities and is recognized for its global appeal and excellence in higher education.

Mason is currently the largest and most diverse university in Virginia with students and faculty from all 50 states and over 135 countries studying in over 200 degree programs at campuses in Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William, as well as at learning locations across the commonwealth. Rooted in Mason's diversity is a campus culture that is both rewarding and exciting, work that is meaningful, and opportunities to both collaborate and create.

If you are interested in joining the Mason family take a look at our current opportunities and catch some Mason spirit at jobs.gmu.edu/!

George Mason University, Where Innovation is Tradition."