Associate Director, Healthcare Finance & Operations

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Department: University Life

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: On Site Required

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary: Salary starting in the mid $90ks; commensurate with education and experience

Restricted: Yes

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

Student Health Services (SHS) provides health care services at George Mason University. SHS provides primary care services and health promotion to eligible students at Mason, including but not limited to initial and follow-up assessments, history taking, physical exam of patients, utilization of differential diagnosis, appropriate interventions, consultations, and referrals as indicated, and basic emergency treatment and stabilization. Staff provide services to faculty, staff, and visitors on an as-needed basis. SHS operates its main clinic on the Mason Fairfax Campus and smaller clinics on the Mason Square (Arlington) and SciTech Campuses (Prince William).

About the Position:

The Associate Director, Healthcare Finance & Operations, serves as the senior financial and administrative leader for Student Health Services and reports to the Executive Director.

This role is responsible for financial strategy, budgeting, forecasting, and operational process improvement, ensuring long-term sustainability while maintaining a commitment to high-value care without increasing costs to students.

The Associate Director serves as:
* The primary financial advisor to the Executive Director;
* The central financial review authority for all SHS financial activity;
* A strategic partner to clinical, operational, and program leadership;
* A partner to the UL finance team to ensure adherence to institutional policies, accurate financial reporting, and achievement of budget targets.

The position collaborates with the Associate Medical Director, Associate Nursing Director, Associate Behavioral Health Director, and Health Promotion/Outreach leaders to align financial planning with service delivery and program priorities. The role directly supervises the Fiscal Specialist, Office Manager, and two full-time Insurance team members.

Responsibilities:

Supervision & Operational Leadership

• Directly supervises a Fiscal Specialist, Office Manager, and two full-time Insurance team members;
• Fosters a collaborative and supportive work environment that promotes employee well-being, engagement, and retention;
• Supervises staff by setting clear performance expectations, providing regular feedback, and addressing performance issues to support employee engagement, accountability, and retention;
• Encourages and supports ongoing professional development opportunities for allstaff,ensuring they have the tools and training needed to succeed in their roles;
• Organizes workflow and ensures that employees understand their duties or delegated tasks;
• Sets clear performance expectations, goals and deadlines aligned with unit, divisional, and university strategic plans;
• Communicates expectations effectively, monitors employee productivity and development, and provides continuous feedback and coaching to support staff growth and accountability;
• Prepares and conductstimelyperformance evaluations, andmaintainsaccuraterecords of employee performance, feedback, and disciplinary actions,ensuring adherence to legal and university policies and procedures;
• Collaborates with UL divisional partners/stakeholders to address performance concerns;
• Effectively hires, onboards, and trainsnew employeesto build capability and ensure operational continuity;
• Ensures coordination across financial, insurance, and administrative operations;
• Provides leadership oversight of front-end operations through the Office Manager;
• Serves as backup to the Office Manager as needed to ensure continuity of operations; and
• Addresses escalated operational issues impacting service delivery and student experience.

Financial Oversight, Budget Management & Compliance

• Serves as the central financial review authority for SHS;
• Reviews all financial transactions, contracts, procurements, and commitments for accuracy, compliance, and budget availability;
• Ensures all financial actions are vetted before Executive Director approval;
• Oversees budget execution, monitoring, and variance analysis across service areas;
• Evaluates requests for new positions, recruitment, and programmatic investments to ensure alignment with budget availability and financial sustainability;
• Provides financial analysis and recommendations to support leadership decision-making;
• Ensures compliance with university financial policies, audit standards, and internal controls; and
• Partners with University Life Finance team on reporting, reconciliation, and budget performance.

Financial Strategy, Forecasting & Service Planning

• Leads development of annual and multi-year budgets, forecasts, and financial models;
• Provides financial guidance across medical, nursing, behavioral health, and outreach areas;
• Identifies revenue opportunities and cost efficiencies while maintaining student affordability;
• Partners with leadership to align staffing, services, and resources with demand; and
• Translates financial, billing, and utilization data into strategic recommendations.

Revenue Cycle, Billing Oversight & Financial Systems

• Oversees insurance, billing, and revenue cycle performance;
• Maintains working knowledge of EMR financial and billing systems (e.g., Medicat) and ensure alignment with financial systems;
• Provides guidance and support for reconciliation and financial troubleshooting as needed;
• Serves as the primary escalation point for complex billing concerns and service recovery issues;
• Supports students through review and approval of Medical Assistance Fund requests, in coordination with clinical leadership; and
• Monitors accounts receivable, collections, and overall revenue trends.

Committee Participation & University Engagement

• Serves on SHS and University Life committees and participate in search committees;
• Represents SHS in internal and external engagements;
• Supports divisional planning initiatives and other special projects as assigned;
• Actively participates in UL divisional meetings, initiatives, and in-person events to stay connected with divisional and institutional priorities, and to foster a cross-unit collaboration;
• Participates in professional development workshops and training sessions for staff across the division to promote continuous learning and skill enhancement;
• Stays informed about best practices, research, and emerging trends in higher education and student support services to ensure SHS remains innovative and responsive to the evolving needs of the student body; and
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Experience (typically obtained in 5+ years) in financial management, budgeting, or operations;
• Experience in financial analysis, forecasting, and resource allocation;
• Experience supervising staff and managing performance;
• Experience ensuring compliance with financial policies and procedures;
• Demonstrated knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, and financial management principles;
• Demonstrated knowledge of financial compliance, internal controls, and institutional policies;
• Demonstrated knowledge of billing, revenue cycle, or financial operations in a complex service environment;
• Demonstrated skill in financial analysis and interpretation of data to support decision-making;
• Demonstrated skill in problem-solving, process improvement, and operational efficiency;
• Demonstrated ability to communicate financial information to individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, including non-financial stakeholders;
• Demonstrated ability to review financial activity for accuracy, compliance, and appropriate use of funds;
• Demonstrated ability to assess budget availability and sustainability in support of hiring and resource decisions;
• Demonstrated ability to work with financial or operational systems to support reporting and reconciliation processes;
• Demonstrated ability to supervise staff and collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams; and
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Public Health, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Experience in healthcare finance in an ambulatory or student health setting;
• Experience in higher education or multi-service organizations;
• Experience working with clinical leadership on service planning;
• Experience with EMR/practice management systems and financial reconciliation;
• Demonstrated knowledge of ambulatory healthcare, student health, or similar service environments;
• Demonstrated skill in enterprise systems and reporting/BI tools (e.g., Banner, MicroStrategy, or similar platforms);
• Demonstrated skill in leading or supporting organizational change and process improvement initiatives;
• Demonstrated ability to align financial planning with service delivery or programmatic needs; and
• Demonstrated ability to balance financial decision-making with access, affordability, or client/student-centered service models.

Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Associate Director, Healthcare Finance & Operations at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.

Posting Open Date: October 5, 2026

For Full Consideration, Apply by: October 19, 2026

Open Until Filled: Yes