Senior Consultant

Senior Consultant

George Mason University Business Consulting (UBC) is seeking qualified applicants for a Senior Consultant. UBC is a management consulting practice located in Operations and Business Services and was created to assist Mason’s senior leaders and heads of academic and non-academic units in identifying and capitalizing on opportunities for bold innovation, planned & structured growth, and increased effectiveness & efficiency, all in pursuit of the University’s overarching strategic goals.

George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment.

Position Summary:

This Senior Consultant is responsible for leading projects and programs (or sub-projects/programs) that directly support the goals of George Mason University (GMU) and the UBC Office. Projects include, but are not limited to, strategic planning implementation, financial analysis and modeling, business process redesign, stakeholder facilitation, implementing new initiatives, and/or conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis on business functions at the university. The Senior Consultant will also mentor other consulting staff.

Responsibilities:

• Leads complex UBC project work, including management of UBC working groups and/or subcommittees, with little involvement from UBC leadership;
• Leads the development and maintenance of project plans to consistently ensure appropriate outcomes for UBC projects. Expected to consistently develop insightful, robust, and information-driven solutions to complex problems;
• Develops and maintains project work plans, schedules, and budgets. Takes direction from leadership on projects and also self-directs work streams as needed to move projects forward on tight timelines;
• Expected to be able to work successfully on projects without much oversight required from UBC leadership. Expected to take initiative on project assignments to get the job done for clients, while keeping UBC leadership informed of progress and any project or stakeholder issues that may arise;
• Leads core consulting-style functions at an advanced level. Gathers data and develops thoughtful, detail-oriented, and high-quality qualitative and quantitative financial and other analyses;
• Draws insight from complex data and synthesizes it into easy to understand summaries, flow charts, presentations, and/or spreadsheets for university leadership and other clients;
• Oversees benchmarking, research, and insightful analyses on relevant processes and UBC topics; and
• Conducts analyses that are complete, data-based, and logical, with data sources clearly referenced and assumptions and caveats clearly stated.

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in business, finance, engineering, data analytics, or similar field, or an equivalent combination of education and related experience;
• Substantial experience in management consulting, strategic business solutions, business process improvement design and implementation, project management, or related experience (typically, 5+ years);
• Experience working at a consulting firm or on consulting projects;
• Experience leading teams and/or projects;
• Experience working with clients;
• Financial modeling, data analysis, and/or budgeting experience;
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills are essential;
• Ability to take direction from leadership on projects and also self-direct work streams as needed to move projects forward on tight timelines;
• Ability to develop and maintain project work plans, schedules, and budgets;
• Proficiency with MS Office applications, particularly Microsoft Excel (e.g., pivot tables, advanced formulas, VBA/macros experience), Microsoft Word (e.g., creating templates and tables in Word), and Microsoft PowerPoint (e.g., advanced presentation creation skills including importing data, animation, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree, such as MBA, Master of Public Administration, Masters in Finance or Accounting, or other similar professional degree with a focus on business analytics, budgeting/finance, or process improvement strongly preferred;
• Higher education, government, or not-for-profit experience;
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Six Sigma Green or Black Belt, or other project management or process improvement related certifications;
• CPA or other financial certification;
• Experience with SmartSheet, PowerBI, Tableau, MS Teams, or other similar project management and data viz tools.

Special Instructions to Applicants  

For full consideration, applicants must apply for position number FA20HZ at https://jobs.gmu.edu/; complete and submit the online application; and upload a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references with contact information.

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.