About the Department:

The Center’s primary objective is to serve as an academic hub for thought leadership and for the emergence of novel solutions to support the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE) in its efforts to effectively predict, detect, identify, monitor, track, disrupt, thwart, and ultimately dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and other illicit actors. The Center advances science while pursuing the development of cutting-edge solutions and innovative educational and training activities to support today’s and tomorrow’s DHS workforce. The Center is part of the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact and is funded in part by a DHS multi-year, multi-fund grant. (https://cina.gmu.edu/about/mission/)

About the Position:

The CINA Financial and Administrative Specialist provides general financial and administrative support to the Center. Duties include all aspects of administration for the CINA Center grant to include budgeting and projections, HR tasks, fiscal transactions such as purchasing and accounts payable, coordination with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), and monthly reconciliations. This position also provides event support as needed and general administrative support for the CINA Director, Deputy Director, and the rest of the CINA team.

Responsibilities:

Fiscal and Grant Administration:

• Serves as the liaison between OSP, Fiscal Services, HR, and other central university offices and the CINA Director and Deputy Director for activities relating to the master CINA administrative grant;
• Allocates faculty and staff effort to sponsored projects, processes hiring of wage employees and GRAs on grant and org funds, and completes necessary forms (funding change forms, electronic personnel action forms, tuition and scholarship payments) regarding personnel funding;
• Processes direct expenses including travel, consultant payments, purchasing of goods, food and beverage authorizations, participant support payments, etc.;
• Assists the Director and Deputy Director in monitoring and tracking subcontract invoices;
• Coordinates required annual payroll certification documents;
• Monitors and reconciles grant and org expenses monthly. Completes journal vouchers and cost transfers for account corrections;
• Prepares regular grant budget forecasts/projections as requested by the Director and Deputy Director;
• Assembles yearly budget package for sponsor and provides additional support constructing submissions for other funding requests (re-budgets, supplementals, BOA, and other);
• Oversees the Center foundation account and coordinates incoming donations and expenses where appropriate; and
• Conducts all other grant-related activities as required.

Event Support:

• Coordinates with the Director, Deputy Director, and/or other Center and George Mason staff to support events and/or meetings related to the project;
• Assists when needed with coordination of space, rental equipment, travel, catering, and event and communications materials;
• Coordinates all fiscal aspects of events, such as P-card purchases, preparation of purchase orders, travel reimbursements, food and beverage forms, honoraria, etc.; and
• Assists at meetings or events if appropriate.

Admin Support:

• Assists the Director, Deputy Director, and CINA team with scheduling internal and external meetings, acting as liaison to other university support staff schedulers;
• Assists the Director, Deputy Director, and CINA team with personal fund reimbursement, travel plans, airfare and registration purchases, pre-authorization and reimbursement preparation through Mason Finance Gateway;
• Serves as equipment liaison, tracking purchase and inventory of Center equipment purchased on the grant and with other fund sources;
• Coordinates and assists with HR functions, posting and processing wage and GRA positions, coordinating affiliate faculty materials, etc.; and
• Provides other administrative support as requested.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Demonstrated successful professional experience in financial and administrative management (typically 3 or more years);
• Knowledgeable about federal, state, university, and sponsor rules and regulations related to grant management;
• Knowledgeable about general financial and accounting principles;
• Knowledgeable about budget forecasting and planning, and ability to formulate and advise the Director and Deputy Director on strategies for financial sustainability beyond the end of CINA’s 10-year agreement;
• Highly skilled in use of Microsoft Office products, especially Excel;
• Highly skilled in time-management and organizational skills;
• Ability to be flexible, resourceful, detail-oriented, and ethical;
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks in a diverse and collaborative environment;
• Ability to effectively coordinate and communicate with collaborators, administrators, and stakeholders across multiple disciplines;
• Ability to interpret and apply federal, state, university, and sponsor rules and regulations to sponsored projects;
• Ability to foster an environment that supports teamwork, collaboration, and high-quality customer service; and
• Ability to manage multiple revenue streams with different sponsor or client terms and conditions and university management procedures.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, public administration, or accounting;
• Experience in financial and administrative management in an academic setting, preferably with research units and/or grants management;
• Experience in sponsored program and/or university administration.
• Knowledgeable about George Mason policies and procedures, systems and organizational structure a plus;
• One or more of the following certifications is preferred:
  • Certified Research Administrator (CRA) or Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA);
  • Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification;
  • NCURA (National Council of University Research Administrators) Certification; and
  • SRA (Society of Research Administrators) Certification.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the CINA Financial and Administrative Specialist at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume for review.

Posting Open Date:  December 6, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  January 17, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes