Department: Academic Affairs
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: Hybrid Eligible
Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship
Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience
Restricted: Yes
Criminal Background Check: Yes
Security Clearance Check: Yes
About the Position: The Project Manager (Federal Contracts) supports federal, defense, and national-security-aligned programs within George Mason University's Mason Defense initiative within CPE.
This role oversees the planning, coordination, and delivery of federal contract-funded programs, ensuring regulatory compliance, high-quality program execution, and alignment with Mason's mission to advance workforce readiness and national security education.
Responsibilities: Project Leadership and Execution - Leads end-to-end delivery of federal and defense-aligned programs operated through Mason Defense and CPE;
- Develops, manages, and tracks program schedules, milestones, and deliverables; and
- Coordinates with internal GMU units, faculty, partner organizations, government stakeholders, and subcontractors.
Contract and Compliance Management - Ensures adherence to FAR, DFARS, and agency-specific federal acquisition regulations;
- Manages contract deliverables, reporting, documentation, audits, and compliance protocols; and
- Partners with GMU's Office of Sponsored Programs and other internal compliance teams as needed.
Financial and Budget Oversight - Tracks budgets, expenditures, invoices, and financial forecasts for defense-funded programs; and
- Supports cost proposals, budget modifications, and pricing for new or expanding contract efforts.
Stakeholder Communication - Serves as a primary liaison between government sponsors, GMU leadership, and program teams;
- Provides executive-level updates, briefings, and performance summaries; and
- Communicates program status across Mason Defense, CPE, and university partners.
Team and Vendor Coordination - Supports staffing, onboarding, and resource allocation for program personnel;
- Oversees subcontractor work to ensure quality and compliance; and
- Facilitates coordination with faculty, instructional designers, and subject-matter experts for training-based programs.
Other duties as assigned from time to time Required Qualifications: - Bachelor's degree in Business, Project Management, Public Administration, Engineering, IT, or related field or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
- Generally, 5+ years of project management experience, including typically 3+ years supporting federal or defense government programs;
- Experience delivering programs under FFP, T&M, or Cost-Plus contracts;
- Strong knowledge of FAR/DFARS and federal procurement regulations;
- Excellent organizational, communication, and documentation capabilities;
- Proficiency in tools such as MS Project, SharePoint, Smartsheet, or Jira;
- U.S. citizenship required; and
- Active [Clearance Level] or the ability to maintain a US security clearance is required.
Preferred Qualifications: - Bachelor's degree in related field;
- PMP, CAPM, Agile/Scrum, or DoD program management certification;
- Experience supporting defense-focused entities (DoD, DHS, IC, DoN, Army, Air Force);
- Experience with federal workforce development, training programs, or university-based contract management; and
- Familiarity with Earned Value Management (EVM).
Instructions to Applicants: For full consideration, applicants must apply for
Project Manager, Federal Programs 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: April 8, 2026
For Full Consideration, Apply by: May 15, 2026
Open Until Filled: Yes
