Senior Vice President, Operations and Business Services

Department: Finance and Administration

Classification: Administrative Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

Financial Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

Accomplish the academic and administrative missions assigned by the Board of Visitors, as outlined in the mission statement and the most recent strategic plan, while supporting and enabling strategic decision-making. Provide essential services to the university by promoting best practices, forming strategic partnerships, fostering innovation, investing in infrastructure, establishing efficient systems, and pursuing continuous improvement.

About the Position:

The Senior Vice President (SVP), Operations and Business Services oversees the operational execution of the vision and mission of the university, while ensuring stability, security, and efficiency in alignment with the University’s strategic priorities.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the key business operations of the university, including facilities, campus operations, capital strategy and planning, IT services, and auxiliary operations, providing management and strategic oversight to these departments to ensure service delivery in a manner that meets the diverse needs of Mason’s many constituents. Additional operations housed in these units include sustainability, EagleBank Arena, Child Development Center, and other operations;
• Working closely with the President, as well as with key partners and stakeholders across the university, oversee the whole of the operational ecosystem to ensure smooth coordination and interoperability, while also understanding the functional details;
• Leads transformational change in how these services and operations are delivered to meet the evolving needs of a growing university, facilitating necessary strategic investments and prioritizing operational efficiency;
• Guides initiatives to improve and modernize systems and infrastructure, some of which have seen underinvestment and long-deferred maintenance, to best serve the needs of the university;
• Oversees the activation of new assets and management of capital projects and ensures that the necessary operational and financial framework is in place to intake and foster vibrant and fully integrated additions to the Mason ecosystem;
• Provides strategic leadership and planning to ensure future compatibility of Mason operations, ensuring they are well-positioned to meet future needs as well as current ones;
• Holds ownership of key university priorities, such as sustainability, serving as a champion while ensuring alignment with university priorities; and
• Provides strategic management and guidance to oversee key Mason contractors and external service providers under the SVP span of control.

Required Qualifications:

• Managerial experience combined with a collegial style that will engender trust and foster collaboration across the university;
• Extensive experience overseeing operational functions within higher education, state government, or an organization of significant size and complexity with related experience (generally ten or more years) which demonstrates leadership, management, and fiscal acuity;
• Track record of experience building and managing organizations with a strong service orientation and collaborative partnerships with leaders across a mission-driven or business enterprise;
• Demonstrated success supporting entrepreneurial activity across units within the policy and compliance framework of a complex and multilayered organization;
• Significant operational experience with a major research university is preferred, as well as previous successful experience in strategic leadership including working with governing boards;
• Subject-matter expertise, credibility, integrity, and confidence to sustain a complex array of relationships and to lead through influence as much as through authority;
• Possess an open, accessible, and transparent approach to management along with significant experience in the building of both teams/new organizations and of the capacities of the members of those teams. A commitment to mentoring and supporting the professional growth and development of staff under their supervision;
• Skill in continuously seeking to improve the quality of services and processes of the University;
• Well-developed interpersonal skills and relationship-building skills, both to work effectively within the various reporting organizations as well as to build trust and confidence with the other members of the leadership team as well as with distributed units across a decentralized organization;
• Diplomatic communication skills, interactions with others, and keen political acumen. Reliable judgment, sound discretion, and excellent interpersonal skills to interact with community representatives, and numerous and varied constituencies of the University including academic leadership, faculty, staff, and students;
• Ability to analyze and interpret data to inform and support decisions;
• Ability to present complex information in a readily understandable format to various audiences, including the Board of Visitors, University executive leadership, faculty, staff, and students;
• Ability to prioritize ongoing and new projects as necessary to implement specific organizational programs;
• Demonstrated ability to work collegially with a wide record of integrity; and
• Strong orientation to service, highly mission-oriented, financially savvy, and politically astute.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced academic credentials (MBA or other) highly desirable; however, an extraordinary business or government career profile will be considered;
• Significant operational experience with a major research university is preferred, as well as previous successful experience in strategic leadership including working with governing boards;
• Thorough and up-to-date knowledge of the business and finance field as related to higher education management; and
• Familiarity with laws and regulations related to financial and research administration.

Instructions to Applicants: 
George Mason University has retained Opus Partners to support this recruitment. Katie Dean, Partner, and Thomas Lapierre, Senior Associate are leading the search. Inquiries, applications, and nominations should be sent to thomas.lapierre@opuspartners.net. The search process will unfold with the greatest possible attention to candidate confidentiality. Required application materials include a resume and cover letter.

Posting Open Date: January 6, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  March 1, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes