Assistant Director of Financial Aid

About the role

Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) is dedicated to advancing educational access, inspiring student success, and supporting institutional excellence. The Assistant Director of Student Financial Services plays a crucial role in the leadership, administration, and continuous improvement of Student Financial Services operations.

Responsibilities

• Assists the Director in planning, coordinating, and evaluating the daily operations of Student Financial Services to support the effective, compliant, and student-centered delivery of financial aid services.
• Provides operational oversight for assigned staff and functional areas and helps ensure continuity of services in the Director's absence.
• Supervises assigned Financial Aid Counselors, support staff, and student employees by assigning work, monitoring productivity, providing coaching and training, supporting performance management, and promoting cross-training and continuous improvement.
• Aids in the development, implementation, and monitoring of departmental policies, procedures, internal controls, workflow standards, and desk guides to promote operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and consistent customer service.
• Affords professional judgment and sound independent decision-making in the review of student financial aid cases within the scope of assigned responsibilities while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements and institutional policies.
• Assists in quality assurance and compliance monitoring activities by reviewing files, monitoring processing accuracy, identifying operational or compliance concerns, and recommending corrective actions and process improvements.
• Affords coordination of the packaging, awarding, adjustment, and disbursement of federal, state, institutional, and private financial aid programs in accordance with applicable regulations and institutional awarding practices.
• Affords oversight of operational processing within Banner and related financial aid systems, including monitoring ISIR processing, exception reports, data loads, system interfaces, and automated workflows to support timely processing and regulatory compliance.
• Affords reconciliation activities for Pell Grants, Direct Loans, state aid, institutional aid, and other funding sources through Banner, COD, NSLDS, and institutional accounting systems; researches discrepancies and supports their resolution in accordance with established procedures.
• Utilizes Banner, COD, NSLDS, COGNOS, EDConnect, and other reporting tools to analyze processing activity, identify trends, monitor compliance metrics, and support operational decision-making and departmental improvement efforts.
• Affords preparation and review of required federal, state, institutional, and grant reports, including reconciliation documentation, audit support materials, compliance reports, and other required submissions.
• Affords coordination of Student Financial Services' responsibilities related to identity verification, provisional admission requirements, identity theft claims, and suspected financial aid fraud by reviewing documentation, assessing financial aid eligibility impacts, monitoring institutional holds and checklist completion, collaborating with campus partners, and recommending appropriate actions consistent with institutional policy and federal guidance.
• Affords development and implementation of fraud prevention strategies, internal controls, quality assurance reviews, and reporting mechanisms designed to protect institutional resources and maintain the integrity of student financial aid programs.
• Collaborates with Admissions, the Registrar, the Business Office, Student Conduct, Information Technology, Institutional Research, Academic Affairs, and other college departments to support operational effectiveness, student services, compliance, and enrollment management initiatives.
• Affords response to audits, program reviews, monitoring activities, and external agency requests by preparing documentation, coordinating information gathering, supporting corrective action efforts, and monitoring follow-up requirements.
• Serves as a resource for students, parents, faculty, staff, and external agencies by interpreting financial aid regulations, institutional policies, and financial aid eligibility requirements and by providing high-quality customer service.
• Performs other duties as assigned to support Student Financial Services, Student Development, and the strategic priorities of Baton Rouge Community College.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in finance, education or related field.
• Experience: Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience administering federal Title IV financial aid programs.
• Demonstrated supervisory or leadership experience in a financial aid or higher education environment.
• Working knowledge of federal and state financial aid regulations, including Title IV compliance, verification, satisfactory academic progress, Return of Title IV Funds, professional judgment, reconciliation, and student eligibility requirements.
• Experience using Ellucian Banner or comparable student information systems.
• Experience utilizing federal financial aid systems, including COD, NSLDS, FAFSA Partner Portal, and EDConnect.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Five (5) or more years of progressively responsible financial aid administration experience.
• Experience with Banner Financial Aid, COGNOS reporting, workflow automation, and data analysis.
• Experience with financial aid reconciliation, audit preparation, program reviews, compliance monitoring, and quality assurance.
• Experience developing operational procedures, internal controls, and staff training programs.
• Experience managing financial aid identity verification, fraud prevention, or compliance investigations.