Scholarship Coordinator/Lead Financial Aid Advisor

Full-time, on-site position within the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at California State University, Bakersfield.

About the Role

The Scholarship Coordinator/Lead Financial Aid Advisor provides leadership and compliance oversight for all institutional and external scholarship programs, totaling approximately $1.2 million and benefiting more than 550 students across 200 funding sources annually. This role establishes operational frameworks for scholarship administration, ensures proper endowment alignment and reporting, and collaborates with University Advancement to maintain donor compliance and stewardship standards.

The incumbent serves as the primary financial aid counselor for Special Populations programs including EOP, TRIO, Guardian Scholars, Basic Needs, Project Rebound, and Emergency Grants, acts as a lead advisor for complex student financial-aid cases, and provides operational and policy support for compliance initiatives. The role develops, recommends, and implements internal policies and procedures, audits, reconciliations, and staff training to ensure compliance with federal Title IV, CSU, and institutional requirements.

Responsibilities

• Institutional & External Scholarship Administration
  • Lead coordination, management, and reconciliation of all institutional academic scholarships, including endowed, annual, and external "pass-through" awards; CSU systemwide scholarships; the President's Matching Scholarship Fund Program (PMSFP); and the CSU Future Scholars Program (CFSP).
  • Serve as the campus authority for scholarship administration, ensuring compliance with donor agreements, endowment spending policies, and university audit standards.
  • Establish operational and compliance frameworks guiding departments in interpreting donor intent, fund utilization, and regulatory requirements.
  • Oversee and maintain the Scholarship Universe database, ensuring data integrity across scholarship criteria, applicant pools, donor records, and funding sources.
  • Collaborate with University Advancement to review endowment spending reports, establish fund availability, and confirm compliance with donor intent and institutional policies.
  • Prepare annual scholarship memoranda and coordinate publication of award opportunities to ensure transparent and equitable student access.
  • Guide departmental scholarship committees through eligibility review, selection, and awarding processes, ensuring adherence to established criteria and documentation standards.
  • Conduct regular reconciliation and quality-control audits between Scholarship Universe, PeopleSoft, and Student Financial Services.
  • Develop, implement, and update written procedures for scholarship setup, processing, and donor reporting to maintain compliance with federal and CSU guidelines.
  • Analyze and resolve discrepancies between endowment records, campus ledgers, and Scholarship Universe data; prepare corrective actions and maintain audit-ready documentation.
  • Provide training and technical guidance to staff and campus partners on scholarship processing, donor compliance, and system functionality.
• Compliance Support & Risk Management
  • Provide co-leadership in institutional compliance by monitoring and interpreting changes to Title IV and CSU Chancellor's Office policy.
  • Translate federal guidance (Dear Colleague Letters, Electronic Announcements, FSA Handbook updates) into campus procedures.
  • Develop, document, and implement internal controls and business processes to prevent non-compliance, audit findings, and financial liability.
  • Conduct compliance reviews and data audits across all federal, state, and institutional programs.
  • Collaborate with the Director to draft and update departmental policies and procedures, incorporating corrective-action plans when discrepancies are identified.
  • Coordinate and respond to internal and external audits, prepare evidence, narratives, and support data to demonstrate compliance and remediate findings.
  • Create and deliver compliance training sessions for staff on key regulations (Pell, R2T4, verification, consumer information, SAP).
  • Lead risk-assessment initiatives each aid year, identifying operational vulnerabilities and proposing data-driven improvements.
• Financial Aid Advising Lead
  • Serve as a lead campus advisor and point of contact for departmental issues in the absence of administrators and/or the Senior Lead Advisor.
  • Provide expert-level counseling to students, parents, faculty, and staff regarding financial-aid processes, eligibility, and regulatory requirements.
  • Review files, evaluate exceptional circumstances, and determine need/eligibility for aid, applying professional judgment in accordance with federal and CSU policies.
  • Verify and revise financial-aid files and perform awarding/revisions for approximately 2,000 students annually.
  • Coordinate with campus and external offices to resolve complex academic, financial, or personal issues impacting student eligibility.
  • Lead outreach and financial-literacy initiatives at campus events, some occurring evenings or weekends.
  • Participate in university committees and professional conferences, representing the Financial Aid Office and CSUB campus.
  • Provide mentoring and training to staff and student assistants, ensuring consistent, compliant, and student-centered advising practices.
• Special Population Programs
  • Serve as the primary financial aid counselor for Special Population Programs, including EOP, TRIO, Guardian Scholars, Basic Needs, Project Rebound, and Emergency Grants.
  • Collaborate with campus partners to connect students with financial aid resources and address financial barriers affecting persistence and success.
  • Provide individualized financial aid counseling regarding eligibility, awards, SAP, verification, professional judgment, and available financial aid resources.
  • Review student records, determine aid eligibility, resolve conflicting information, and process financial aid awards in compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations.
  • Administer and process Emergency Grants, EOP, and other specialized funding programs in accordance with federal, state, institutional, and program guidelines.
  • Assist students with completing the FAFSA or California Dream Act application and resolving application issues.
  • Monitor students' financial aid status, communicate outstanding requirements, and ensure timely processing of aid.

Requirements

• Education & Experience
  • Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university in a related field plus upper division or graduate coursework in counseling techniques, interviewing, and conflict resolution.
  • Four years of progressively responsible professional student services work experience, including advising students individually and in groups, and analyzing and resolving complex student services problems.
  • A master's degree in Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, or a job-related field may substitute for one year of professional experience.
  • A doctorate degree and appropriate internship or clinical training in counseling, guidance, or a job-related field may substitute for two years of professional experience for positions with major counseling responsibilities.
• Skills, Knowledge & Abilities
  • Thorough working knowledge of federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs, policies, and procedures, especially scholarship programs and Scholarship Universe software.
  • Thorough knowledge of the Scholarship Universe Management System, check processing protocol, and PeopleSoft system, or ability to quickly learn.
  • Demonstrated organization and analytical skills, including experience reconciling large accounts and/or program funds.
  • In-depth understanding of Title IV federal student aid programs (Pell, Direct Loans, TEACH, FWS, etc.).
  • Familiarity with California state financial aid programs (Cal Grant, Dream Act, Middle Class Scholarship).
  • Knowledge of CSU Chancellor's Office policies and applicable executive orders.
  • Understanding of FERPA, SAP, Return to Title IV (R2T4), and consumer disclosure requirements.
  • Ability to interpret and apply audit findings, corrective actions, and internal controls.
  • Ability to interpret evolving regulations, audit reports, ISIR flags (e.g., overawards, aggregate, C flags), and formulate precise corrective strategies.
  • Familiarity with compliance monitoring tools, checklists, and documentation practices.
  • Ability to determine appropriate courses of action and techniques for sensitive personal interactions.
  • Ability to reason logically, analyze, and solve organizational and operational problems.
  • Ability to plan, coordinate, and initiate actions to implement administrative or group decisions.
  • Ability to analyze and define complex organizational, policy, or procedural problems, collect and evaluate data, and project consequences of alternative actions.
  • Ability to understand roles and responsibilities of others and gauge relationships accordingly.
  • Demonstrated customer service experience requiring high levels of diplomacy and professionalism.
  • Ability to use tact and diplomacy to handle a broad range of high-level and sensitive interpersonal situations.

Pay

Starting salary upon appointment is not expected to exceed $6,320 per month. The CSU classification salary range is $6,320 - $9,014 per month.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Retirement participation in CalPERS.
• CSU tuition waiver.
• Up to 24 vacation days per year.
• Sick leave with unlimited accrual.
• 15 paid holidays per year.