Assistant Director, Financial Aid

SUMMARY 

Under the direction of the Director of Financial Aid, the Assistant Director of Financial Aid, this position will manage financial aid programs (for example Pell Grant, CAL Grant and Federal Direct Loans), coordinate and oversee the Satisfactory Academic Progress process and aid awarding processes. The position specializes in day to day oversight of financial aid processes, trains staff on processing, serves as the liaison for special student populations and external agencies on matters pertaining to those programs.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: 

• Maintain a student caseload by school(s), which includes: 
  • Oversee reconciliation of federal Direct Loan, Pell Grant, Federal Work Study and California State CAL Grant funding programs. Work closely with the Accounting Office on annual closeout for funding programs and reconciling accounts when adjustments to federal student aid have been made. 
• Needs Analysis:
  • Analyze eligibility for federal funds using Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data 
    • File verification: analyze tax transcripts and other required forms to verify eligibility for federal funds 
    • Packaging: allocate federal and Institutional awards in accordance with eligibility, regulation, and policy 
• Mentor and train counseling staff members on daily processes, such as verification, missing information processing and aid adjustments 
• Oversees and coordinates a variety of Professional Judgement areas, such as Need-based Appeals, and/or cost of attendance revisions. Processing changes, emergency grants and communicating with students regarding outcomes. 
• Manage the Satisfactory Academic Progress process, communicate status updates with students, facilitate SAP appeal meetings and manage changes to student records.
• Act as primary liaison for special populations, such as the Posse program  
• Manage two or more financial aid programs (CalGrant, Pell, SEOG): 
  • In coordination with Director of Financial Aid manage and monitor financial aid program budgets and awarding 
  • Monitor funding levels and reconcile funds on a monthly, semester, and year end basis with the Accounting Office and the US Department of Education 
  • Communicate with students, as needed, regarding eligibility, awarding and disbursement Issues for the financial aid program 
  • Troubleshoot financial aid program related issues with federal and/or state agencies and/or other outside agencies and CalArts departments, as needed 
  • Develop and conduct workshops or similar mechanisms for students to learn about and apply for private scholarship assistance 
  • Keep abreast of current regulatory information and disseminate to CalArts staff, faculty, and students, as needed. 
• Oversee and Manage general or specialized financial aid workshops and outreach for students as determined by Director of Financial Aid 
• Organize and offer a new series of financial aid workshops and webinars aimed at prospective and current students to help fill gaps in information, simplify the financial aid process and assist students with their plans to fund their education at CalArts. 
• Manage web content all CalArts financial aid webpages, assure that content is up to date and student friendly, coordinate with Marketing Communications to produce marketing for events and other financial aid information pieces. Coordinate with partner offices on campus to promote events and financial aid messaging. 
• Assist with office projects or office workflow as determined by the Director of Financial Aid 
• Maintain confidentiality of financial aid records and information. 
• Other duties as assigned.

SKILLS/ABILITIES: 

• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills. 
• Excellent presentation skills with the ability to translate complicated FA language into student friendly instructions and support.  
• Ability to interact effectively with varied Internal and external constituencies demonstrating tact, diplomacy, discretion and good judgment. 
• Ability to lead projects internally and support streamlining of student interfacing projects.  
• Ability to manage and motivate a team of FA counsellors including student workers.  
• Ability to interpret complex student data and support decision making in collaboration with other members of the FA team.  
• Ability to learn, adapt to, and use new computer systems and technology 
• Financial and business acumen-ability to work with complex data processing, needs analysis, and aid packaging strategies. 
• Exceptional communication ability to communicate complex information with a wide constituency, verbally and in writing. 
• Ability to present financial aid Information to groups of students and parents. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google and Adobe applications. 
• Critical thinking skills required. 

EDUCATION: 

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required. 
• Masters degree or equivalent experience preferred. 

EXPERIENCE: 

• 3-5 years progressively responsible experience in a college financial aid office including experience with federal and institutional needs analysis, or equivalent. 
• Experience leading webinars that engage student audiences.  
• Proficiency with financial aid systems, including using financial aid management engagement tools such as PowerFAIDS, Excel, Access, etc.