Associate Director of Financial Aid

Pierce College • Puyallup, WA

12d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director of Financial Aid plays a key leadership role in supporting the Director of Financial Aid with the overall management of the Financial Aid Office and ensuring efficient, effective departmental operations. The Associate Director oversees daily operations and staff supervision, which includes managing and monitoring schedules, providing training and professional development, and fostering an environment that prioritizes excellent customer service. The Associate Director will assist in developing departmental policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations, performing internal audits, reconciliation of funds, and assisting in Federal Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP) and the Washington State Achievement Council Unit Record Report (URR) preparation. As a member of the Financial Aid Leadership Team, the Associate Director collaborates closely with the Director of Financial Aid and the Financial Aid Manager to set strategic vision for the department, establish goals, and drive initiatives to improve the financial aid experience for students and families. This position reports directly to the Director of Financial Aid. This position requires regular and consistent attendance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Education, or closely related field, from an accredited college or university.
• Three (3) or more years of experience administering financial aid in a higher education setting.
• Extensive knowledge of federal and state financial aid regulations and financial aid software systems.
• Supervisory experiencing including training others.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively to serve a diverse community of learners.
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Must not be in default on student loans.
• Demonstrated organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously while ensuring deadlines are met and priorities receive appropriate attention.
• Proficiency in using computer software to run reports, create spreadsheets, and track, organize, and interpret data to support informed decision-making and monitor progress.
• Demonstrated ability to think critically about how to serve minoritized and underserved students and implement targeted strategies to do so.
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities while maintaining high performance in stressful environments, including staying organized, focused, and adapting to changing circumstances to achieve desired outcomes.
• Ability to assess complex situations, identify problems, and develop effective solutions.
• Strong critical thinking skills and experience in consensus building and problem solving.
• Ability to effectively manage customer interactions by addressing concerns and complaints with empathy and resolving conflicts calmly.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a team environment, both in person and virtually, across multiple locations and sites, including sharing ideas and supporting team members to achieve common goals.

Responsibilities

• Assist with the administration, funding and reconciliation of financial aid including but not limited to, Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Loans, Work Study, Washington College Grant, Scholarships, and Pierce College Grant.
• Provide direct supervision to financial aid staff, including assigning responsibilities, evaluating performance, and ensuring staff are trained in accordance with state and federal regulations and guidelines.
• Serve as the Director of Financial Aid as needed in the absence of the Director.
• Assist with developing policies, guidelines, and procedures that ensure regulatory compliance are consistent with institutional goals and are responsive to student needs.
• Serve as a resource to assist staff with complex situations and questions by troubleshooting issues and directing staff to helpful resources and guides.
• Ensure confidentiality of student financial aid data and compliance with FERPA and financial aid regulations to uphold privacy and security standards.
• Develop training materials and implement training opportunities for staff to ensure professional development and thorough understanding of financial aid practices.
• Serve as a liaison between financial aid, enrollment services, student financials and fiscal services, collaborating on account management, billings, disbursement, reconciliation, reports, fraud, and related matters.
• Review, process, and determine eligibility and fund amounts among federal, state, and institutional funds by applying extensive knowledge of regulations governing aid programs.
• Analyze and evaluate files for eligibility based on application data, federal database matches, and academic progress requirements.
• Review for over-awards or discrepant file information.
• Process withdrawal and repayment calculations.
• Collaborate with the workforce education staff to enter funds for students funded with worker retraining, Opportunity Grant, Basic Food, Education, and Training (BFET) programs.
• Collaborate with basic needs staff to enter funds for students funded with SSEH and SEAG emergency grants.
• Exercise professional judgment in making financial aid decisions with supporting documentation.
• Assist in monitoring student enrollment levels and financial aid distribution to make data-driven decisions.
• Develop quarterly priority timelines to ensure students have funding plans to support their financial needs.
• Work collaboratively to evaluate academic progress and maximum timeframe appeals in line with institutional and office policies for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
• Provide quality assurance checks of files processed by other staff members within the department to ensure regulations are being appropriately applied and students are being awarded equitably.
• Assist the director in reconciling expenditures of financial aid and scholarship accounts.
• Assist in resolving discrepancies including daily error reports.
• Review and update financial aid consumer information, student forms and work study job descriptions on a yearly basis and work with other team members to ensure forms and the web pages are current.
• Work collaboratively with Finance on drawdown processes in G5 and WSAC to ensure funds are appropriately collected and reconciled for all expenditures.
• Assist with preparing and providing documentation to support reporting requirements to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Washington Student Achievement Council, and other agencies as required for participation in federal and state financial aid programs.
• Ensure technology platforms used to manage financial aid applications, awards, and disbursements are functional, effective, and maintain compliance with state and federal regulations.
• Improve technology processes by evaluating, automating, and streamlining procedures to improve efficiency and provide timely distribution of funds and customer service to students.
• Conduct workshops and other informational activities for prospective and current students on campus and within the community when information on financial aid is requested.
• Collaborate with community agencies to ensure that students have the support needed to successfully apply for financial aid by completing the FAFSA and WASFA.
• Participate in professional organizations at the local, state, and regional levels.
• Maintain positive and collaborative working relationships with departments and divisions within the college.
• Serve on designated college committees, task forces and teams.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health care benefits package for you and your dependents includes medical, dental and vision insurance.
• Life and long- term disability insurance plans
• Vacation, sick and personal leave
• Reduced tuition
• Retirement benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level