Director of Financial Aid and Compliance

BERGEN COMM COLLEGE • Paramus, NJ

3d • $120,000 - $125,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Supervises and manages daily operations and staff within the Financial Aid department. Provides financial aid educational workshops and counseling to proactively mitigate the lack of understanding of current financial aid regulations. Keeps current with all federal and state guidelines for financial aid. Ensures effective use of financial aid technology in all office procedures. The position involves monitoring regulatory and administrative requirements for Title IV federal student aid programs, identifying regulatory changes and systematic problems, and briefing department administration on recently adopted regulations. It also includes creating and coordinating an internal policies and procedures manual, working with department administration to ensure the student information system is compliant, conducting audits, and serving as a central contact for technology and operational issues. The role establishes monitoring and reviewing controls, develops compliant content for the financial aid website, and provides staff with professional development and training. Responsibilities also include resolving reporting discrepancies, analyzing data, assisting with quality control mechanisms, ensuring effective use of external systems, participating in professional organizations, addressing student concerns, ensuring proper use of technology, continuous assessment of services, timely packaging and disbursement of student aid, counseling students and parents, performing federal need analysis and verification, calculating Return of Title IV, assisting with default prevention programs, developing and tracking unit outcomes, preparing and monitoring the departmental budget, gathering data for reports like FISAP, participating in financial aid audits, and establishing communication with various stakeholders. The Director acts as a performance manager for direct reports and has the authority to hire, fire, discipline, and promote employees, subject to senior management review and board approval. The role also involves representing the office on college committees and professional meetings, and performing additional assigned tasks.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or a higher degree in business administration, higher education, finance, counseling or related areas.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressively managerial experience within an institution of higher education.
• Full knowledge and understanding of FERPA
• Full understanding of and ability to apply state and federal guidelines/regulations and institutional financial aid programs
• Understanding of the community college mission and open door access policy
• Excellent customer service skills and a pleasant professional demeanor at all times.
• Demonstrates expertise in the use of technology through financial aid software applications.
• Has basic proficiency in the use of the Microsoft Office suite.

Nice To Haves

• Leadership
• Managing People
• Communication
• Customer and Student Focus
• Building Relationships
• Organizing
• Planning

Responsibilities

• Monitors regulatory and administrative requirements for Title IV federal student aid programs; identifies regulatory changes and systematic problems and briefs department administration of recently adopted regulations with respect to Title IV and state aid programs; proposes solutions to changes in regulations and systematic issues and develops plans, recommendations, and timetables for effectively implementing changes appropriately both for compliance and administrative effectiveness; alerts staff of proposed changes.
• Creates and coordinates an internal policies and procedures manual for each function within the Financial Aid Department. Updates and communicates changes to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements for federal and state aid programs.
• Works with department administration to ensure the student information system is configured in a manner that is compliant with federal, state and institutional regulations. Conducts audits of data and systems to ensure the integrity of information. Serves as the central contact in trouble-shooting technology and operational issues that hinder the flow of applicants through the financial aid process.
• Establishes monitoring and reviewing controls to ensure adherence by staff to the code of federal regulations with respect to Title IV federal student aid and state regulations regarding state financial aid programs.
• Develops and ensures federal and state compliant content for our financial aid website and assists in the coordination of the relevancy, usefulness, and accuracy of information on College websites related to financial aid and ensures overall compliance with federal consumer protection and disclosure requirements.
• Responsible for providing staff with professional development opportunities, in addition to providing staff training on state and federal financial aid regulations.
• Resolves reporting discrepancies, analyzes data sets, and provides analytical/operational reports to improve efficiencies.
• Assists with developing, implementing, and maintaining multiple levels of proactive internal quality control mechanisms to ensure compliance with all federal, state and institutional policies and/or regulations. Develops action plans to remedy any violations or deficiencies noted.
• Ensures that the multitude of external and auxiliary systems used by financial aid in the administration of aid are set-up and used effectively in daily operations (COD, CPS, SAIG, NSLDS, as well as ELM online services).
• Participates in professional organizations and collaborates with state affinity groups, regional and national organizations to stay abreast of all regulatory changes.
• Ensures student concerns pertaining to the Financial Aid Office are promptly and fully addressed and documented.
• Ensures staff adheres to proper use of technology when communicating with students and documenting student interaction.
• Engages in continuous assessment and improvement of services provided by the Financial Aid Office.
• Ensures the timely and accurate packaging and disbursement of student aid; the effective flow of information and documentation throughout the process; the full implementation of all institutional aid programs.
• Counsels students and parents regarding college financial aid opportunities; participates in workshops, open houses, both on and off campus, promoting financial aid materials and information. Educates students on the information required for completing financial aid applications and assists them with accurate data input as required by Federal and State financial aid websites.
• Performs federal need analysis, verification, and determines student award eligibility for Title IV, state, and/or institutional aid programs, in compliance with relevant regulations and policies.
• Calculates and processes Return of Title IV for all students.
• Assists in the development and execution of the College’s default prevention program.
• Develops a set of core outcomes for unit and measures and tracks annual performance against objectives.
• Prepares and monitors the annual departmental budget which includes technological needs, personnel expenditures, professional development needs and administrative expenses.
• Gathers and analyzes data and produces reports as needed for FISAP and other mandatory state reports.
• Participates in the data gathering and coordination for annual financial aid audits, may serve as the lead representative for the FAQs during reviews and assists in post-audit responses.
• Establishes and maintains communication and cooperative working relationships with college administrators, faculty, staff, students and student organizations, government and private agencies and/or the public in order to accomplish the objectives of the sections supervised.
• Acts as performance manager for all direct reports including managing day to day performance, scheduling, producing and communicating written performance evaluations, approving requested time off, and other points of compliance with HR rules, regulations and unit collective bargaining agreements.
• Subject to senior management review and final board approval, has the responsibility, power and authority to hire, fire, discipline and promote full and part-time employees.
• Represents the office, as appropriate, on college committees and professional meetings.
• Performs additional tasks or duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Annual Salary is $120,000-$125,000
• NJ Educator's Health Plan with Free Dental and Vision.
• NJ State Pension Plan.
• 23 vacation days, 16 sick days, 5 personal days, 2 floating holidays, 5 Partial Sick Days, all designated holidays and 5 non-designated holidays a year.

What This Job Offers

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