Assistant Director, Financial Aid Processing and Systems

GENERAL SUMMARY

The Assistant Director, Financial Aid Processing & Systems is responsible for managing and coordinating duties related to the administration of all federal, state, and local student financial assistance including scholarships, veterans’ education benefits and military tuition assistance. The Assistant Director will be responsible for daily financial aid operations, processing, and disbursement for all prospective students/applicants, as well as oversight of financial aid awards, tracking, functionality of systems. The Assistant Director ensures a seamless financial aid experience for students that is transparent, efficient and leads to student preparedness prior to the start of the program. This is a campus-based position and is ineligible for remote work.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Duties include, but not limited to:

Student Financial Aid Processing and Awards

• Provide management of the University’s student financial assistance programs including, but not limited to, financial aid processing and disbursement.
• In partnership with the Executive Director, oversees administrative, operational, and organizational functions of the office, and develops and/or recommends policies and procedures for financial aid administration, including veteran’s education benefits and military tuition assistance, while maintaining compliance with state and federal regulations.
• Oversee Financial Aid Advisors to ensure that student loan package is within COA and other regulatory guidelines by performing eligibility, COA, Satisfactory Academic Progress reviews, FAFSA verifications and documentation to clear FAFSA flags, corrections and monitor subsequent ISIRs for changes.
• Ensure timeframes are met on disbursements and return of funds to COD.
• Conduct quarterly internal audits of Financial Aid records including award records, award letters, financial aid packages relating to enrollment; assist administration with any compliance reviews.
• Lead in adjusting/preparing loan fund returns as requested by students, Bursar, or due to schedule changes.
• Adhere to regulations as set forth by governing agencies and institutional policies.
• Assist with operational procedures for student eligibility of institutional, state, and federal awards.
• Assist with analyzing student financial aid information for the awarding process.
• Accurately document student information, while maintaining the confidentiality of student records.
• Responsible for ensuring Exit notifications are sent to students who withdraw in a timely manner to meet compliance requirements and deadlines.
• Coordinate the certifying process for Veterans Affairs benefits for eligible students.
• Primary contact for students with special circumstances and schedule changes affecting cost of attendance. Includes monitoring student schedule changes for proper loan awards and adjustments for continuing students.
• Demonstrate and maintain a current and thorough understanding of the College, as it relates to Admissions, Registrar, Financial aid, enrollment, and support services to ensure students are directed to subject matter experts as appropriate.

Financial Aid Systems and Reporting

• Performs data integration between various financial aid management systems.
• Primary counselor point-of-contact in problem solving student packaging errors with PowerFAIDS; includes assisting in resolution of student funding issues.
• Lead to import ISIR data from COD and EdConnect on a daily basis.
• Complete all required reports/audits accurately and timely, assist and suggest standardized policies and procedures, assure audits are successful by developing quality controls
• Identify potential areas of compliance vulnerability and risk; propose to management corrective action plans for resolution of problematic issues.
• Lead in processing and awarding ELM private loan disbursements.
• Monthly reconciliation with student charges, outside aid, and payments on account in collaboration with the Bursar’s Office to ensure student is within COA.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

May perform other duties and responsibilities that management may deem necessary from time to time, including but not limited to:

• Assure that students are serviced at the highest of standards
• Assure that all communications to students and staff are correct and timely.
• Provide leadership with the ability to influence, inspire and motivate individuals and groups to achieve results
• Demonstrate objectivity, integrity, and ethical behavior and continuously acquire new skills and knowledge
• May perform other duties and responsibilities that management may deem necessary from time to time

POSITION IN ORGANIZATION

Reports to: Executive Director, Financial Aid Compliance & Services

Positions Supervised: Financial Aid Advisors, Sr. Financial Aid Advisors, Student Workers (as applicable)

TECHNICAL, MANAGERIAL & PEOPLE SKILLS REQUIRED

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Incumbents will be evaluated, in part, based on performance of each essential function. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Proven expertise in federal and state policies and regulations governing the various financial aid programs available to graduate students.
• Possess a thorough knowledge of Title IV regulations. Participate in local, regional, and national professional associations, remain up to date on regulations, rules, and pending legislation.
• Demonstrate leadership ability, great communication skills both verbally and written, a thorough knowledge of Title IV, state, VA and military tuition assistance regulations and requirements.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s Degree required; Master's degree preferred
• Minimum of 5 -7 years of university financial aid position, specifically in a financial aid processing and disbursing capacity and providing operational management
• At least 2 years of successful managerial experience in financial aid or student services area
• Previous experience awarding financial aid at a graduate level, highly preferred
• Strong customer service/student service skills in a fast-paced, changing environment required.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to communicate technical information to individuals with diverse capabilities
• Strong analytical skills and ability to provide reporting and analysis as needed to all audiences
• Must have experience with the financial aid and student information systems; specifically, proficiency in systems and reporting, specifically with PowerFAIDS, Salesforce, Jenzabar, College Board, other CRMs and SIS

TRAVEL

Infrequent travel, not to exceed 10%, to other campuses as necessary and appropriate conferences.

BUSINESS COMPETENCIES

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Collaborates - Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Being Resilient - Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.
• Instills Trust - Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Drives Results - Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
• Innovation - Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
• Customer Focus - Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Drives Engagement (People Managers Only) - Creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives.
• People Leadership (People Managers Only) - Leads by example when it comes to finding and developing talent, with a focus on talent acquisition strategies, setting performance targets that raises standards and development of high potential talent.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work is performed primarily in a standard office environment but may involve exposure to moderate noise levels. Work involves operation of personal computer equipment for six to eight hours daily and includes physical demands associated with a traditional office setting, e.g., walking, standing, communicating, and other physical functions as necessary.