Associate Director, Student Account Services

Adelphi University•Village of Garden City, NY

11d•$70,000 - $75,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Director, Student Account Services provides operational oversight of the University’s student billing and accounts receivable functions, ensuring the accurate assessment, billing, collection, and reconciliation of tuition, fees, housing, and other student charges. This position is responsible for safeguarding tuition revenue through strong internal controls, compliance with institutional policy and accounting standards, and the effective use of automated billing systems. The role serves as the functional/transactional owner of student billing operations within the student information system, partnering closely with Finance, Information Technology to support system configuration, testing, enhancements, and issue resolution related to tuition calculation, refunds, late fee assessments, financial registration blocks, and statement generation. This position plays a critical role in financial tracking and reporting, audit preparation, reconciliation, website/publication accuracy and data integrity, supporting both internal and external audits. Through collaboration with One-Stop partners, Finance, IT, and external stakeholders, the Associate Director, Student Account Services ensures timely, accurate billing and clear communication while continuously improving the student financial experience and protecting institutional revenue.

Requirements

Strong knowledge of accounting principles, accounts receivable, and internal controls.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex billing operations and multiple deadlines.
High level of analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across departments.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust and influence stakeholders.
Demonstrated leadership, coaching, and process-improvement capabilities.
High level of integrity, confidentiality, and ethical standards.
Advanced computer proficiency, including Microsoft Excel, Word, Google Suite, email, and student information systems.
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field is required.
Three to five years of progressively responsible accounting or accounts receivable experience is required.

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education, nonprofit, or governmental accounting is strongly preferred.
Experience with student information systems and automated billing platforms is preferred.

Responsibilities

Oversee the end-to-end student billing lifecycle, including tuition and fee assessment, billing statement generation, accounts receivable tracking, late fee processing, and balance resolution.
Partner with Finance in creating/organizing the annual tuition and fee rate sheet.
Review contracts/MOUs (special programs/reduced rate programs) to ensure tuition and fee rates are up to date to build tuition and fee tables in SAAS.
Work with the Financial Aid unit to ensure tuition freeze in place for eligible programs, including the NY State Enhanced Tuition Assistance (ETA) recipients.
Develop and maintain semester-based billing calendars and schedules in coordination with One-Stop partners, Finance, and IT to ensure timely and accurate billing.
Review, update, and generate, weekly and monthly student billing statements, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and compliance with institutional policies.
Monitor accounts receivable activity daily, analyzing payment trends, aging, and variances with year-over-year comparisons.
Post, review, and reconcile late fees according to approved schedules, documenting trends and prior-year comparisons.
Serve as the primary functional lead for student billing system configuration, maintenance, testing, and enhancements. Update SAAS tables with all new tuition, fee, course fee, insurance, dorm rates, etc. for each academic year.
Partner with Information Technology on system programming, testing, and implementation of updates related to billing, refunds, registration blocks, and fee assessments.
Establish and maintain strong internal controls to ensure data accuracy, system integrity, and compliance with accounting and audit standards.
Document billing procedures, system processes, and control activities to support continuity and audit readiness.
Create, implement, generate and monitor financial registration blocks related to outstanding balances.
Analyze and track blocked student populations and balances on a weekly basis with year-over-year reporting.
Develop, schedule and generate pre-registration and billing-related communications to students, ensuring timely, clear, and compliant messaging.
Prepare enrollment, billing, financial block, and related lists/reports to support proactive student outreach and decision-making.
Prepare reconciliations and reports related to tuition revenue, accounts receivable, and student billing activity. Oversee, maintain and monitor student AR charge and revenue recording programs on a daily basis (Calc Reports).
Provide supporting documentation, schedules, disclosures, and footnotes for internal and external tuition revenue audits.
Collaborate with Finance and auditors to resolve discrepancies and ensure audit findings are addressed promptly.
Maintain tuition and fee data across University publications, websites, bulletins, surveys, and official reporting sources to ensure consistency and accuracy.
Serve as financial liaison with Nassau Community College (NCC) on the Gateway program. Generate bills, ensure student accounts are accurate, balance and payment amounts discussed/reconciled along with NCC liaison.
Work with Finance and respective units to assist with ancillary programs, such as, tuition refund insurance, eBundle, Dine + Connect, etc.
Work closely with Residential Life to coordinate housing rate import information, coordinate multi year housing agreement costs, create semester housing porations and etc.
Work with campus partners, such as, the Nursing department, Learning Resource Program and Pre-College program as it pertains to coding and billing.
Partner with One-Stop Student Services colleagues, Finance, IT, and external vendors to improve billing processes and the student financial experience.
Serve as a subject-matter expert for student billing and accounts receivable questions, supporting staff and assisting with complex student inquiries.
Identify opportunities for process improvements, automation, transparency and risk reduction within billing operations.
Demonstrate leadership through coaching, collaboration, and accountability, supporting team effectiveness even without direct supervisory responsibility.
Stay informed of best practices, regulatory changes, and emerging trends in higher education student billing and accounts receivable.
Perform other related duties and projects as assigned.