Financial Aid Program Manager

About the Role

This position plays a key role in enacting the College’s commitment to providing a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible environment to a diverse group of students. Financial Aid Program Managers create and maintain structures for their programs that lessen barriers for students while ensuring required compliance. The role requires a high degree of independent judgment, initiative, organization, and problem-solving skills. The ideal candidate collaborates with staff and faculty to identify and remove barriers to student success and provides education and outreach to student-facing staff.

Universal Core Competencies

• Advocate for Continual Improvement – empowering each other to identify opportunities for excellence.
• Collaborate with Mutual Accountability – working together with a willingness to take ownership and account for our actions.
• Champion Service – anticipating needs and creating a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive environment.
• Perseverance – commitment to excellence even in the face of adversity or delay in achieving success.
• Lead – regardless of title, through positive influence.

Responsibilities

• Maintain up-to-date expert knowledge of federal and state Financial Aid regulations.
• Responsible for one or more of the following programs:
  • State Awarding and Reporting
  • Loan Processing
  • Default Management Program
  • Work-study coordination
  • Direct Loan and Pell Reconciliation
  • Financial Aid Communication
  • Other Financial Aid Programs
• Manage assigned financial aid program(s) by:
  • Reconciling disbursements monthly
  • Completing required federal or state reporting
  • Ensuring all regulations are followed to prevent financial loss to the college
  • Serving as the point of contact for staff inside and outside the Financial Aid Office
• Exercise professional judgment regarding financial aid eligibility.
• Provide support to staff regarding financial aid questions.
• Advise and assist students regarding high-level financial aid topics; may assist with other financial aid questions as needed.
• Assign correct budgets, complete financial aid files, and award financial aid.
• Complete detailed reports as required by the Federal and State Government.
• Maintain working knowledge of degree audits to determine if a student is making satisfactory academic progress.
• Serve on the financial aid appeals committee.
• Periodically review processing procedures to determine their effectiveness and efficiency.
• Give financial aid presentations to various groups as required.
• Perform other related work duties as assigned.

Performance Expectations

• Strong attention to detail and ability to complete complex tasks without errors.
• Ability to comprehend and interpret financial aid regulations.
• Commitment to the ethical compliance of financial aid requirements.
• Self-motivated with excellent time-management and organizational skills.
• Clear and effective oral and written communication with attention to audience-awareness.
• Ability to understand and interpret complicated financial aid situations.
• Ability to communicate complicated situations to individuals without prior knowledge of the process.
• Ability to remain positive and helpful under stressful situations.
• Commitment to working effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences while fostering an inclusive and respectful environment.
• Dedication to personal professional development, always seeking to learn and improve.

Physical Activities

Position involves working in an office setting with the following physical demands:

• Occasional (10-33%): standing, pushing, pulling, grasping, and driving to events and meetings away from the main campus.
• Frequent (34-66%): reaching and viewing a computer and other types of close visual work.
• Constant (67-100%): sitting, walking, repetitive motion, talking, and hearing.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree.
• Experience in higher education or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three years of financial aid experience.
• Experience understanding and explaining complicated regulations.
• Program management experience.
• Experience with Ellucian Colleague.