Associate Director, Customer Service

Texas A&M University System•San Antonio, TX

43d

About The Position

The Associate Director, under the supervision of the Director, acts as the primary agent in the development and coordination of student communication, customer service, default management, and outreach efforts for the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. This position has direct oversight of the Assistant Director of Customer Service and collaborates with the Enrollment Service Center. This position is responsible for the development and assessment of a comprehensive financial aid information communication system, monitoring the institution’s default rate, and developing a consumer information plan. The position oversees all outreach efforts of the office while assisting with students and other customer contacts during peak periods and/or the absence of other assigned staff.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher in related field.
Eight (8) years of related experience.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree.
Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in a student financial aid office, including supervisory experience.
Experience managing customer service teams and default management programs strongly preferred.
Strong working knowledge of industry policies and regulations.
NASFAA Certifications are preferred.
Proficiency with financial aid management software such as Banner or People Soft.

Responsibilities

Provides leadership, guidance, supervision, and instruction for scholarships, customer service, and student workers that ensure a student-centered approach to financial aid administration.
Maintain professional knowledge of all federal and state financial aid regulations and reporting requirements; assist in policy adaptation and managing the office in compliance with all such regulations and policies.
Oversee the daily operations of the financial aid advisors, ensuring the best customer service is provided.
Oversees all communication efforts of the office and ensures the timely execution of developed communications schedules, including customer satisfaction surveys, focus groups, FAFSA workshops, outreach, and other projects as assigned.
Responsible for funds management and working with Advancement and Budget Services staff on forecasting expenditures and managing reconciliations for scholarship programs.
Maintains effective working relationships with appropriate personnel in each academic unit and administrative/academic support offices (e.g., Admissions, Registrar, Student Business Services, etc.)
Analyze financial aid statistics and management reports related to student communication (phone calls, e-mails, walk-in customers, Jira tickets, etc.), including preparation & distribution of weekly processing data.
Oversee the management of the Scholarship program to include policy and procedures and Campus logic's Scholarship Universe, which includes but is not limited to creating new scholarships and criteria, assigning the specified criteria as outlined in the donor MOU or dictated by institutional policy.
Review and match students to scholarships to meet donor expectations.
Create new committees and ranking profiles when appropriate.
Oversee the new aid year roll of SU.
Utilize the internal reporting in SU to run queries and garner relevant statistics.
Oversee the management of the budget for new and existing endowments and expendable funds for these programs. This includes the setup of the new fund and detail codes within Banner and regularly monitoring all scholarship accounts within Canopy.
Develop and implement strategies to reduce student loan default rates in compliance with federal regulations.
Monitor default rates and trends, prepare reports for senior leadership and regulatory systems.
Oversee default prevention initiatives, including borrower outreach, education, and counseling programs.