Financial Aid Advisor II

About the position

Scholarships & Financial Aid is seeking a Financial Aid Advisor II to counsel and provide information on federal, state, and institutional scholarships, financial aid & military education benefits for currently enrolled and prospective Health Science Center students. We're looking for a passionate, critical thinking, and driven individual who has a student first mindset to assist and advise students on available aid to finance their education. The successful candidate provides great customer service, has the ability to meet deadlines, succeeds in a fast-paced environment, and maintains a high level of accuracy and professionalism. The Financial Aid Advisor II will learn to advise current and prospective students and their families both in one-on-one and group settings. The ideal candidate will have experience in financial aid, scholarships, student employment, student services, or in a related area. Detail-oriented, well-organized, customer service oriented, and the ability to work both individually and in a team setting is all crucial for success in this position.

Responsibilities

• Uses discretion and independent judgment to advise and counsel students and their families on financial aid and scholarships.
• Assists with reviews of student files and adjusts as needed.
• Understands the student financial aid/scholarship process and shadows team members for cross-training.
• Awards, revises and/or approves the disbursement of financial aid through the specific controls of program policy and guidelines.
• Communicates with students and their families via multiple methods (i.e. email, in-person, phone, etc.).
• Reviews application data against additional data received and resolves discrepancies or adjusts data in Banner/Compass as appropriate.
• Collaborates with on campus representatives regarding students’ financial aid concerns.
• May assist with resolving and responding to complex student cases regarding financial aid.
• Continues to learn, interpret, and maintain knowledge of current federal, state, and institutional policies, procedures, and regulations pertaining to financial aid.
• Interacts with students and assists with transition from prospective to currently enrolled students.
• Ensures that processing activities adhere to established policies and procedures while using critical thinking skills.
• May recommend revisions to established policies and procedures.
• May provide training and assistance to other financial aid staff on specialized processes.
• Participates in and assists in the planning and execution of events for departmental initiatives (e.g. financial aid awareness programs, Aggieland Saturday, New Student Conferences).
• Responds to varied questions that may require researching and consolidating data regarding financial aid and scholarships.
• Attends local, state, and national workshops, and conferences.
• May assist with presentations.
• Serves as a liaison for staff at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Health Science Center colleges.
• Provides group and one on one presentations annually for incoming and exiting students.
• Conducts presentations, seminars, and/or workshops for the College of Veterinary Medicine.
• Provides loan and indebtedness counseling to students on an individual and group basis.
• Conducts on and off-campus presentations, seminars, and/or workshops for students and possibly for professional development training.
• Collects supporting documentation and makes adjustments to financial aid data and packaging as needed.
• Makes adjustments if necessary for compliance issues.
• Works Summer Manual Awarding report to manually award spring HSC and Vet Med transfer students.
• Manually awards post baccalaureate students enrolled at HSC.
• Performs reviews for professional judgment of student files, making adjustments as needed.
• Reviews Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals and makes decisions regarding the validity of these appeals.
• Serves as financial aid counselor as well as walk-in counselor as needed for students of the Health Science Center programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• One year in financial aid, scholarships, student employment, student veteran’s services or related experience.
• Ability to meet deadlines and maintain a high level of accuracy, professionalism, and customer service.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office software.
• Ability to work individually or as a team in a dynamic organization.
• Good interpersonal communication skills.
• Must be literate in the English language and able to comprehend, give and follow both written and verbal instructions.
• Ability to organize and make decisions.
• Ability to work well under pressure.
• Ability to use tact, diplomacy, and judgment in dealing with all customers.
• Attention to detail.

Benefits

• Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life and AD&D, flexible spending accounts, and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums.
• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays.
• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month.
• Automatically enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
• Free exercise programs and release time.
• All employees have access to free LinkedIn Learning training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more.
• Educational release time and tuition assistance for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee.
• Living Well, a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees.