Director of Financial Aid

Lyon College•Batesville, AR

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Financial Aid is responsible for the strategic leadership, administration, and compliance oversight of the College's financial aid programs. This position oversees all aspects of federal, state, and institutional aid administration while ensuring compliance with applicable regulations and institutional policies. The Director manages reporting, audits, and financial aid operations and promotes a student-centered, responsive service environment. Reporting to the Vice President for Enrollment Management, the Director exercises authority over financial aid awarding policies, professional judgment decisions, operational procedures, and staff supervision.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree
5+ year's experience in financial aid, with at least 2 years in financial aid leadership positions such as Assistant Director, Associate Director, or Director.
Excellent communication, organizational, and multitasking skills

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree
7+ year's experience in higher education preferred.
Experience with Jenzabar Financial Aid or comparable higher education financial aid systems.
Proficiency with FSA Partner Connect and other Department of Education systems and platforms.

Responsibilities

In collaboration with senior Enrollment Management leadership, develop and implement financial aid strategies that attract, enroll, and retain students while optimizing net tuition revenue.
Design merit- and need-based packaging models and award policies informed by enrollment analytics and market trends.
Collaborate with admissions, marketing, institutional research & effectiveness, athletics, and any other campus partners on targeted aid programs and yield initiatives.
Manage daily operations: FAFSA processing, verification, awarding and disbursement, student counseling and appeals, SAP reviews, and R2T4 compliance.
Ensure federal, state, and institutional regulatory compliance; serve as the primary Title IV compliance officer for the institution; manage audits and required submissions (e.g. FISAP, Annual Independent SFA audits).
Lead financial aid budgeting, forecasting, and reconciliation processes in collaboration with the Finance Office and Student Accounts.
Supervise, train, evaluate, and assign responsibilities to financial aid staff.
Utilize the other Jenzabar systems (JRM and Jenzabar One) to better understand the information in Jenzabar Financial Aid, to ensure accurate information, and to recommend adjustments.
Oversees interfaces with Department of Education systems and other external platforms.
Supervises the development and delivery of financial aid programming (recruitment events, orientation sessions, and financial literacy workshops).
Prepare and align financial aid reports and benchmarking data with admissions and institutional research to inform recruitment and retention strategies.
Maintain professional expertise through conferences, training and membership in relevant organizations (AASFAA, SWASFAA, NASFAA).
Represent Lyon College's financial aid programs and processes both internally and externally.
Other duties as assigned.