Associate Director of Financial Aid for Student Services

The Associate Director of Financial Aid, under the direction of the Director of Financial Aid for Student Services, provides assistance to prospective and enrolled students and their families in all aspects of the financial aid process, including application, eligibility, and award in accordance with federal, state, and institutional policies. The incumbent must possess excellent knowledge of and demonstrated the ability to administer practices with regard to financial aid in compliance with applicable regulations and policies.  The Associate Director of Financial Aid must also possess excellent interpersonal and oral/written communication skills, relate well to a broad variety of constituencies, and be dedicated to providing high-quality service to all constituencies of the Stevens Community. The Associate Director will support university strategic enrollment goals.

 

• Oversee the management, awarding, reporting, and reconciliation of one or more financial aid programs.

• Provide support to the Directors of Financial Aid for monitoring compliance in the financial aid management system (PowerFAIDS), streamlining operations, and analyzing queries and reports. 

• Manage the Pre-College aid eligibility and awarding process.

• Identify recurring “pain points” in the prospective and admitted undergraduate and graduate student experience, propose solutions, and work with Student Enrollment Services and Financial Aid leadership to implement corrective action to ensure a more student centric experience.

• Counsels students and families regarding all aspects of financial aid and financial planning.

• Revise existing awards to reflect changes in eligibility or allowable budget adjustments.

• Exercise professional judgment in adjusting a student's application to accommodate documented, qualifying special and unusual circumstances.

• Reviews financial aid applications and determines financial aid offers for new and returning students.

• Performs Title IV verification, professional judgment reviews and dependency overrides.

• Hire and supervise student workers, assign work and complete payroll information.

• Provides financial aid training to Student Enrollment Services Hub and Office of Financial Aid staff as needed

• Serves as the Office of Financial Aid’s Undergraduate Admissions liaison to ensure students and their families are packaged and counseled effectively and compliantly.

• Maintain Policy & Procedures and How To documentation for managed program(s) and tasks completed.

• Present virtually and in-person to various constituents about financial aid.

• Encourage strong relationships with campus partners to ensure for seamless problem resolution, and strong collaboration to meet university strategic goals.

• Serve on college committees, work groups, task forces, and professional organizations as appropriate.

• Evening and weekend hours as required.
• Other duties as assigned   

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree

• four to six years of experience in a financial aid office or related office in the field of higher education

• Deliver excellent customer service

• Experience in managing at least one financial aid program

• Ability to multi-task and quickly shift between tasks

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Strong interpersonal, organizational and analytical skills are required.

• Knowledgeable about federal and state laws and rules 

• Knowledge of federal database applications, including EDConnect, the FAFSA Partner Portal (FPP), Common Origination and Disbursement (COD), National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and EDExpress.

• General knowledge in MS Office applications

• Ability to work extended hours

• Experience with CollegeBoard PowerFAIDS or a similar financial aid management system