DIRECTOR, FINANCIAL AID

Spoon River College • Canton, IL

33d • Onsite

About The Position

Spoon River College is a positive, team-oriented environment supportive of employee development. We are currently seeking a Financial Aid Director. This is a full time exempt position. PRIMARY FUNCTION: Provides leadership of student financial aid and veterans affairs services.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in a related field is required.
• Three to five years of recruiting, advising, or related experience is required, with community college attendance or work experience preferred.
• Broad-based financial aid experience demonstrating a wide range of skills and abilities is required, preferably in a community college setting.
• Must possess a high level of confidentiality.
• A valid and current Illinois State Driver's License is required.
• Excellent management and leadership skills are required.
• Must possess organizational abilities and superior interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
• The ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals and write routine correspondence is preferred.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists; ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form is preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple and competing priorities; deal with conflict appropriately; withstand pressure and remain calm in tense situations, accurate; flexible; dependable; responsible; promotes teamwork; demonstrates a positive attitude is preferred.

Nice To Haves

• A master's degree is preferred.
• community college attendance or work experience preferred.
• The ability to manage, lead, and influence a diverse dynamic student population and staff is preferred.
• The ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs is preferred.
• The ability to speak effectively before groups is preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple and competing priorities; deal with conflict appropriately; withstand pressure and remain calm in tense situations, accurate; flexible; dependable; responsible; promotes teamwork; demonstrates a positive attitude is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversees all functions at the College related to student financial aid.
• Develops, updates, and presents financial aid information using various modes of communication to students, parents, community members, and various members of the college community.
• Counsels and advises current, prospective, and SRC graduates and families regarding the availability of student financial aid.
• Administers, interprets and maintains financial aid policies and procedures to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulatory agencies.
• Maintains comprehensive student financial records according to rules, regulatory legislation, and institutional requirements, including notification to the Business Office of award recipients and amounts.
• Researches, analyzes, develops, and recommends departmental procedures to enhance operational efficiency and ensure administrative control to maintain regulatory compliance.
• Provides leadership in developing strategies to increase financial literacy.
• Coordinate educational activities related to loan default.
• Coordinates financial aid webpage.
• Maintains student information system for financial aid including table maintenance and award year set-up.
• Remains abreast of legislative and regulatory changes that may impact administering state and federal funds; communicates with various members of the college community to promote awareness.
• Processes return of funds calculations and facilitates the review of professional judgment requests including re-evaluation of need analysis in coordination with the Coordinator, Financial Aid.
• Develop and prepare proposals for student aid programs.
• Prepares budgets and controls expenditures for financial aid.
• Prepares financial reports, claims, and other data subject to audits for federal, state, private, and institutional offices.
• Monitors submission of financial aid attendance rosters and nonattendance confirmation to determine when aid adjustments will begin.
• Prepares annual Budget Packet for ISAC (Illinois Student Assistant Commission).
• Chairs the financial aid appeal committee and serves on the scholarship committee.
• Assistance with and attendance at commencement is required annually or at minimum on a pre-approved scheduled basis.
• Coordinates the College student work study program.
• Develop, in cooperation with the Assistant Dean, annual goals and objectives.
• Prepares and submits to the Assistant Dean an annual report summarizing accomplishments of the previous year.
• Performs supervisory responsibilities of the Financial Aid staff.
• Supervises the activities of the Office of Veterans Affairs.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Benefits

• Friday's Off: Enjoy a long weekend every week from the week after graduation through the end of July.
• Business Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Leave Benefits: 15 sick days (pro-rated based on start date) and 23 accruing vacation days per year.
• Holidays: 8 paid holidays plus a paid Winter Break of at least 10 working days.
• Tuition Waiver: Employees, their spouses, and qualified dependent children are eligible for tuition waivers on credit hour classes.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Industry: Educational Services
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees