Description

JOB TITLE: Associate Director of Financial Aid 
DEPARTMENT: Financial Aid 
REPORTS TO: Executive Director of Financial Aid & Student Enrollment Services

POSITION SUMMARY: 
This position will provide leadership to the Office of Financial Aid and will work closely with the Executive Director of Financial Aid to review and lead the financial aid business processes, improve workflows, enhance efficiencies, and fully utilize the PowerFAIDS software. This position will participate in ongoing training to stay well-informed of financial aid regulations and software enhancements and lead the training of team members.

This position will serve as the lead on the development and enhancement of technical systems and business processes in the Financial Aid Office, as well as the management of the daily data exchange with federal, state, private, and internal databases. This role requires leadership experience, extensive knowledge of student financial aid, technical proficiency, accounting skills, analytical problem-solving skills, and attention to detail. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Serve as the leader of the unit when the Executive Director of Financial & Student Enrollment Services is not present.
• Supervises multiple staff members 
• Provides leadership, management, and mentoring to members of the department.
• Leads and co-leads the creation and implementation of strategic initiatives for the department.
• Serve as a key member of enrollment management staff in increasing enrollment and retention.
• Oversee the operation, configuration, upgrading, testing, and development of the University's Financial Aid student information system, PowerFAIDS. 
• Responsible for leading and coordinating the annual parameter roll and migration of student records to a new award year, modifying packaging algorithms, and developing quality controls. 
• Manages the setup and monitors scheduled jobs, executes manual jobs, and is responsible for scheduling or generating batch email communications.  
• Responsible for maintaining all internal and external data interfaces, data reporting, as well as the set-up and maintenance of the PowerFAIDS financial aid management system. 
• Manages the daily data exchange between PowerFAIDS and federal, state, private, and internal databases including, but not limited to, Federal Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG), federal Common Origination and Disbursement (COD), College Board, and university databases (Banner, Slate, OnBase, etc.). 
• Collaborate with the University's Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) to troubleshoot software issues and data integration issues, assist with financial aid systems planning, and develop queries and reports. 
• Responsible for managing and running technical processes that support the administration of financial aid awards and disbursements.
• Serves the vital role of primary compliance contact for all financial aid policies and procedures working closely with the Executive Director to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
• Strategically plans, prepares and delivers training sessions on all financial aid systems to the department, centers, and other staff as on a regular basis and as needed. 
• Manages the reconciliation of Title IV aid which includes the Federal Pell Grant, SEOG, and Federal Work-study
• Oversees and is responsible for the reconciliation of the Illinois state grant programs
• Evaluate student financial aid applications and records with accuracy, runs and monitors reports, and resolves data discrepancies through internal audits.
• Determine financial aid packages for undergraduate, transfer, post-baccalaureate, certificate and graduate students.
• Help ensure compliance with federal and state regulations, and institutional policies and procedures.   
• Prepare for and participate in enrollment events such as open houses, information sessions, and orientations.
• Stay current on state, federal and institutional regulations 
• Perform other duties as requested, delegated or assigned by supervisor. 

Requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor's degree 
• Five years or more of experience in a Financial Aid department (Private University is a plus) 
• Background in functional student financial aid processing 
• Ability to work independently and within a team 
• Ability to lead and manage others
• Experience with a financial aid management system, preferably PowerFAIDS 
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to multitask with accurate attention to detail 
• Ability to build relationships internally and externally 
• Strong verbal and written communication skills 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Master’s degree
• Experience with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Experience with a university Student Information System.  
• Bilingual Spanish/English
• Familiarity with financial leveraging principles
    

Physical Demands:

• Ability to spend long durations of the workday moving around, sitting at a desk, and working on a computer
• Ability to lift up to 15 pounds at times
• Note: accommodation will be made for applicants who cannot meet these physical demands
• The typical work week is M-F (8:30 am - 4:30 pm) with occasional evening and weekend work