Director of Financial Aid Payment Office (1837)

BAKERRIPLEY • Houston, TX

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Director of the Financial Aid Payment Office (FAPO) is responsible for the operational coordination, execution, oversight, and stabilization of financial aid payment services across the Gulf Coast Workforce Board’s service area. The role focuses on ensuring operational consistency, compliance, reporting discipline, process coordination, stakeholder responsiveness, and continuity of services across multiple workforce programs and payment functions. This position operates within a highly collaborative and compliance-driven environment requiring strong day-to-day operational management, cross-functional coordination, tactical execution, escalation management, and continuous follow-up on critical operational activities. The Director works closely with executive leadership, Board staff, internal departments, contractors, vendors, and operational managers to support timely payment processing, reporting accuracy, operational accountability, and service continuity. The role requires a highly organized, detail-oriented, execution-focused leader capable of managing operational complexity, coordinating multiple priorities simultaneously, and maintaining strong communication and follow-through in a fast-paced and highly visible environment.

Requirements

• Minimum of 7–10 years of progressive operational leadership experience in financial operations, workforce services, compliance-driven environments, government-funded programs, payment operations, vendor management, or related administrative functions.
• Experience managing multi-functional operational teams in fast-paced and high-volume environments.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating complex operational workflows, reporting processes, and cross-functional activities.
• Strong operational coordination and execution management
• High attention to detail and organizational discipline
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Strong follow-through and accountability orientation
• Ability to work effectively within structured governance environments
• Strong tactical problem-solving and issue resolution skills
• Escalation management and operational prioritization capabilities
• Ability to operate effectively under pressure and tight deadlines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Professional stakeholder management and coordination
• Ability to communicate clearly across operational and leadership levels
• Collaborative and team-oriented leadership approach
• Ability to facilitate alignment across multiple departments and stakeholders
• Experience with reporting processes, dashboards, spreadsheets, and operational tracking tools
• Ability to review operational metrics, reporting accuracy, and workflow performance
• Familiarity with compliance documentation, operational controls, and reporting standards
• Strong administrative and process management discipline
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Teams
• Bachelor’s degree required in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Public Administration, Operations Management, Management, Organizational Leadership, or related field.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working within regulated, compliance-focused, or government-funded environments preferred.
• Experience supporting operational stabilization, process improvement, reporting discipline, and service continuity initiatives preferred.
• Prior experience interacting with external stakeholders, contractors, vendors, auditors, oversight entities, or Board-related functions preferred.
• Experience working with operational systems, reporting tools, dashboards, or case/payment management platforms preferred.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Relevant certifications in project management, operational excellence, compliance, workforce programs, or process improvement are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate daily operations across Finance, Vendor Relations, Compliance, Operational Excellence, Systems, and Payment functions.
• Monitor operational workflows, deadlines, escalations, and reporting requirements to ensure timely execution and service continuity.
• Maintain structured operational cadence through regular follow-up meetings, action item tracking, and accountability processes.
• Support operational stabilization efforts and continuous process improvement initiatives.
• Escalate operational risks, delays, and compliance concerns appropriately and in a timely manner.
• Ensure timely preparation, review, coordination, and submission of recurring operational and financial reports.
• Coordinate responses to Board staff requests, operational inquiries, audits, monitoring activities, and reporting requirements.
• Maintain reporting calendars, operational checklists, and structured follow-up processes.
• Support data accuracy, reconciliation efforts, and reporting consistency across departments.
• Maintain collaborative working relationships with Board staff, internal departments, contractors, training providers, payroll vendors, and Workforce Solutions partners.
• Facilitate operational communication and coordination across departments to support issue resolution and service alignment.
• Participate in meetings, operational workgroups, and coordination sessions related to FAPO functions and Board priorities.
• Support leadership alignment and communication across operational areas.
• Support compliance with federal, state, local, Board, and contractual requirements.
• Coordinate operational monitoring activities, corrective actions, follow-up processes, and documentation efforts.
• Support operational readiness for audits, reviews, and compliance monitoring.
• Reinforce operational discipline, documentation standards, and process consistency across departments.
• Support operational oversight of FAMS, FACS, reporting tools, dashboards, and related operational systems.
• Coordinate system-related follow-up activities, issue tracking, user communication, training coordination, and process alignment efforts.
• Assist with implementation of operational controls, reporting improvements, and workflow standardization initiatives.
• Provide day-to-day operational direction, follow-up, coaching, and support to Assistant Directors, Managers, and operational teams.
• Reinforce accountability, responsiveness, prioritization, and execution discipline across departments.
• Support onboarding, operational training, knowledge transfer, and process documentation efforts.
• Promote collaboration, professionalism, responsiveness, and operational consistency within the team.

What This Job Offers

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