CINA Financial and Administrative Specialist

George Mason University - Fairfax, VA

Full-time

Hybrid - Fairfax, VA

Educational Services

About the position

The CINA Financial and Administrative Specialist plays a crucial role in providing comprehensive financial and administrative support to the Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis Center (CINA). This position is responsible for managing grant administration, fiscal transactions, and event coordination, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and university regulations. The specialist will work closely with the CINA Director, Deputy Director, and various university offices to facilitate smooth operations and support the center's mission in combating transnational criminal organizations.

Responsibilities

• Serve 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.
• Allocate faculty and staff effort to sponsored projects, process hiring of wage employees and GRAs on grant and org funds, and complete necessary forms regarding personnel funding.
• Process direct expenses including travel, consultant payments, purchasing of goods, food and beverage authorizations, participant support payments, etc.
• Assist the Director and Deputy Director in monitoring and tracking subcontract invoices.
• Coordinate required annual payroll certification documents.
• Monitor and reconcile grant and org expenses monthly, completing journal vouchers and cost transfers for account corrections.
• Prepare regular grant budget forecasts/projections as requested by the Director and Deputy Director.
• Assemble yearly budget package for sponsor and provide additional support constructing submissions for other funding requests.
• Oversee the Center foundation account and coordinate incoming donations and expenses where appropriate.
• Conduct all other grant-related activities as required.
• Coordinate with the Director, Deputy Director, and/or other Center and George Mason staff to support events and/or meetings related to the project.
• Assist with coordination of space, rental equipment, travel, catering, and event and communications materials.
• Coordinate all fiscal aspects of events, such as P-card purchases, preparation of purchase orders, travel reimbursements, food and beverage forms, honoraria, etc.
• Assist at meetings or events if appropriate.
• Assist the Director, Deputy Director, and CINA team with scheduling internal and external meetings, acting as liaison to other university support staff schedulers.
• Assist with personal fund reimbursement, travel plans, airfare and registration purchases, pre-authorization and reimbursement preparation through Mason Finance Gateway.
• Serve as equipment liaison, tracking purchase and inventory of Center equipment purchased on the grant and with other fund sources.
• Coordinate and assist with HR functions, posting and processing wage and GRA positions, coordinating affiliate faculty materials, etc.
• Provide other administrative support as requested.

Requirements

• 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.
• Ability to manage multiple revenue streams with different sponsor or client terms and conditions and university management procedures.

Nice-to-haves

• 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.