Assistant Director, Student Services & Veteran School Certifying Official

Illinois Institute of Technology•Chicago, IL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Illinois Tech Student Financial Services strives to educate, empower, and support students with an understanding of Financial options and resources in an approachable environment. Reporting to the Director of Financial Aid Services, the Assistant Director for Student Services & Veteran School Certifying Official is a key leader of the Financial Aid Office and a member of the enrollment management team, providing leadership on the student experience, particularly as it relates to veteran student needs, along with support for all aspects of the student experience related to Financial aid and veteran benefit processing. This role will support the Director in providing direct student services and triage support in the Office of Financial Aid. This role will serve as the VA School Certifying Official and manage the veteran student experience from benefit processing, student advising, recruitment support, and veteran related compliance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s required.
Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in veterans affairs, financial aid, admissions, or enrollment services.
Excellent communication skills required when working with university staff, outside vendors and current and prospective students, including in-person and virtual advising, presentations, email, and phone outreach.
Excellent customer service required when working with university staff, outside vendors and current and prospective students.
Broad knowledge of university functions and depth of Financial aid requirements necessary to cultivate relationships with students and across campus.
The ability to maintain student confidentiality is essential in this position.
Exercises great attention to detail utilizing analytical and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrate the ability to adapt in a high pace environment.
Must keep abreast of changes with Federal Student Aid and Veterans/ Military benefits programs.
Must be able to manage multiple projects and coordinate with collaborators simultaneously.
Demonstrated ability and experience to handle complex and sensitive issues.
Strong written and verbal communications with proven ability to maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external constituents in order to provide support for the office and the students it serves required.
Demonstrated ability to work in a team-based environment.
Excellent commitment to diversity and to service the needs of a diverse population.
Demonstrated ability to efficiently and effectively solve problems and initiate and implement projects independently.
Works well in translating financial aid requirements into operational activities supporting overall enrollment efforts.
Influences management by supplying key data that assists in decision making.
Office environment; must be able to sit at computer for long periods of time.

Nice To Haves

Military Veteran or knowledge of military experience, benefits, and transcripts is beneficial.

Responsibilities

Counsel students (in person, virtually, over phone, and email) on all aspects of the financial aid process, including FAFSA completion, cost of attendance, awarding of federal funds, loan borrowing and management, financial hardship situations, etc.
Serve as member of counseling team to support student appointments (in-person & virtual) and walk-in needs.
Assist in the direction of student inquiries to other staff as needed and provide leadership to the counseling staff for escalation needs.
Meet with students in a co-terminal program to ensure aid receipt based on enrollment is understood so students can plan course schedule accordingly.
In support of the Director of Financial Aid Services, provide escalation assistance for all service needs with a solution mindset to support the student experience and positive team culture.
Process ROTC funds for eligible students; coordinate with each branch to ensure timely process each term and assist students in understanding impact on overall aid offer.
Oversee financial aid processing needs for key populations such as part-time scholarship requests, reinstatements, and scholar programs.
Assist with reconciliation and discrepancies with Student Accounting for veteran and special populations going through third-party billing.
Assist with completion of financial aid processes including but not limited to verification, c-flags, private loan processing, etc.
Process financial aid hardship appeals in accordance with federal professional judgement guidelines.
Process satisfactory academic progress (SAP) appeals to review students in continued eligibility for federal aid.
Adhere to all VA principles of excellence to provide high quality services and support to veteran students.
Certify enrollment and benefits each term for benefits eligible students, including allowable tuition and fees; monitoring any changes in enrollment or aid to ensure accuracy and ensure VA benefits are processed as last payer with all other applicable aid by working closely with the Offices of the Registrar and Student Accounting.
Ensure cost transparency based on VA guidelines with the maintenance of the shopping sheet in conjunction with the Senior Financial Aid Director.
Provide timely support for all veteran student data for annual financial audits and periodic veteran compliance surveys.
Supply data validation for all veteran student reporting requirements, including internal and external requirements such as IPEDS and USNews surveys.
Monitor student�s standards of progress and report ineligible students to the VA accordingly.
Maintain proper record retention in accordance with the VA guidelines.
Counsel students processing veteran benefits on financial, enrollment, and any other needs that may arise to support overall student success for this population.
Liaise needs internally to ensure veteran students have holistic support throughout academic career.
Working collaboratively with admissions, marketing, financial aid, and academic affairs units for the purpose of recruiting military students, including attending events to support enrollment and retention.
Remain current regarding state, federal, and university regulations and policies related to veteran�s benefits and federal compliance.
Support the development of and serve on a Veteran�s Services task force with key stakeholders from enrollment, academics, and student affairs to develop and support a robust veteran experience at Illinois Tech.
Collaborate the delivery of special veterans� related programming (ex: Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and veterans support groups) with key campus stakeholders.
Conducts training for faculty and staff on matters related to veteran student needs.
Liaise between student and government agencies to address inquiries and resolve issues with federal aid or veteran benefits eligibility and/or processing.
Provide input on any financial aid or veteran compliance related policies and procedures to ensure continued organizational and student eligibility for funds.
Ensure all required university documentation for processing all military benefits is kept current and monitored by key university leadership stakeholders.
Serve on the financial literacy committee and assist the Director of Financial Aid Services in providing programming, tools, and support for student literacy and cost planning needs.
Provide support to all financial aid staff to resolve financial aid discrepancies and resolve issues to ensure integrity in aid administration.
Provide regular training to the financial aid staff on all service, processing, and operational needs in collaboration with the Senior Director and Director of Financial Aid Services.
Contribute to the implementation of Financial Aid and university policies and procedures for the office.
Other duties and special projects as assigned.
This role will work at several events each aid year to assist students and families in understanding the financial aid process, their individual aid offer, veteran benefit options, and enrollment next steps.