Fiscal and Budget Support Specialist

Department: Col of Engineering and Computing

Classification: Admin Office Specialist 3

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

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

Location: Fairfax & Manassas, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Pay Band: 03

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

Financial Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at George Mason University is a young department with vibrant undergraduate and graduate educational activities and research laboratories.

About the Position:

The Department’s Fiscal and Budget Support Specialist is a critical team member to support our research and educational mission. This people-facing role supports students, faculty, and staff, with purchasing, reconciliation, travel, and property management. With a large capstone design program, much of this position’s day-to-day is student centric, assisting undergraduates with needed purchases to be able to complete culminating design-build activities essential to their degree.

Please note, this is not a 100% remote/virtual position, but is telework friendly. Depending upon your department/office, you may have the ability to telework 1-3 days per week. Additionally, the Department of Mechanical Engineering maintains a presence on both the Fairfax and SciTech campuses, and as such, this position could be principally based out of either location.

Responsibilities:

Purchasing:

• Provides financial support for both academic and research department activities;
• Processes faculty, staff, and student purchase requests for equipment and supplies through the eVA vendor system and other approved sources;
• Processes small purchase requests through the department purchase card (P-Card); and
• Processes reimbursements for foundation accounts.

Reconciliation:

• Reconciles P-Card purchases and submits monthly statement with required documentation;
• Reconciles departmental orgs and foundation account on a monthly basis;
• Maintains appropriate filing systems for reconciled records; and
• Provides reconciliation documents for direct expenditures on sponsored research projects. 

Budget Oversight:

• Monitors the department’s budget and financial resources in close collaboration with the department Chair and CEC Chief Business Officer (CBO);
• Responsible for periodic budget reviews, keeps budget updates for the department, and updates department Chair on any budget issues; and
• Provides periodic budget reports to the department Chair and provides explanation for any budget related questions on expenditures.

Travel Requests:

• Processes travel authorizations and reimbursements for faculty and students on both state and sponsored project funds; and
• Provides logistics support for faculty and student travel needs.

Fixed Asset Management:

• Manages the unit’s equipment and acts as the point of contact for Fixed Assets, University Police, and Risk Management offices;
• Conducts a periodic inventory of the unit’s equipment; and
• Promptly reports status changes and discrepancies (acquisition, transfer between departments, disposition, cannibalization, destruction, loss, theft, etc.) of centrally recorded (i.e., barcoded) equipment to the responsible office(s) as soon as possible (within 30 days of activity). 

Other Duties:

• Serves as telecom coordinator for the department; and
• Other related duties as needed/assigned. 

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent;
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills;
• Proficiency using e-mail, internet, and Microsoft Office;
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks;
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential materials related to faculty, staff, and students;
• Ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, and students;
• Professional demeanor and presentation;
• Experience processing financial transactions; and
• Experience reconciling financial transactions ensuring accuracy.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree i