Financial Aid Specialist-Scholarships and Systems - UT Chattanooga

University of Tennessee•Chattanooga, TN

1d•$41,000 - $44,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Financial Aid Specialist Scholarships and Systems provides operational support for institutional scholarship administration, the University's One-Stop Scholarship Application, and financial aid technology processes. The position coordinates the annual One-Stop Scholarship Application cycle, maintains application information, works with academic departments and campus partners, monitors application activity, and supports scholarship review and awarding processes. The position also supports the day-to-day administration of Dynamic Forms and monitoring of Automic automated processing outputs. Duties include maintaining documentation, conducting routine reviews, identifying discrepancies, and referring technical issues to appropriate staff. The role follows established departmental policies and procedures and collaborates with the Associate Director of Scholarships, Financial Aid & Scholarships staff, academic departments, Information Technology, and other campus partners to support accurate, efficient, and student-centered processes.

Requirements

Associate degree.
Experience in administrative support, customer service, student services, business operations, or a related area.
Basic computer skills and ability to learn enterprise applications and electronic workflow systems.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Ability to maintain accurate records, follow established procedures, handle multiple assignments, and meet deadlines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive student information.
Ability to work collaboratively with students, faculty, staff, and campus partners.
Strong customer service and problem-solving skills.
Ability to coordinate recurring administrative processes and annual application cycles; clearly communicate deadlines, requirements, and procedures; review information for completeness and accuracy; recognize routine errors and follow troubleshooting procedures; maintain documentation and track outstanding assignments; learn new systems and business processes; protect confidential information; and recognize when an issue requires escalation.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree.
Experience in higher education, financial aid, or scholarship administration.
Experience with Banner, Oracle, or similar student information systems.
Experience with electronic forms, workflow applications, or scholarship management systems.
Experience with data entry, reporting, document management, or quality assurance.
Familiarity with institutional scholarship processes and student service operations.

Responsibilities

Coordinate the University's annual One-Stop Scholarship Application cycle, including preparation, opening, monitoring, closing, and reporting.
Serve as the primary operational contact for questions about the centralized scholarship application process.
Maintain application questions, deadlines, eligibility information, instructions, and supporting documentation.
Coordinate with academic colleges, departments, and scholarship committees to maintain accurate scholarship information.
Monitor application completion, reviewer assignments, outstanding requirements, and application activity.
Assist with routing applications to reviewers and committees; support scholarship selection, awarding, student notifications, and reconciliation.
Prepare routine reports about applicants, application completion, and scholarship activity.
Respond to student and campus inquiries, referring complex questions to appropriate staff.
Maintain application-process procedures, instructions, and records; assist with training campus partners on procedures and timelines.
Identify recurring questions or process concerns and communicate recommendations to the Associate Director of Scholarships.
Maintain standard operating procedures, process instructions, and reference materials for assigned duties.
Provide routine training and assistance to students, staff, and campus partners on scholarship application procedures.
Identify recurring operational issues and communicate potential improvements to departmental leadership.
Participate in departmental meetings, technology projects, and implementation activities as assigned.
Maintain assigned electronic forms and workflows, and assist with routine updates, configuration, testing, and implementation.
Review form submissions and workflow activity to identify incomplete submissions, routing issues, and processing errors; monitor outstanding forms and assist with follow-up communications.
Document form requirements, workflow steps, troubleshooting procedures, updates, and assigned workflow activities.
Coordinate with Information Technology, vendors, or system administrators when forms or workflow issues require additional technical assistance; refer complex configuration, access, security, or system design decisions to appropriate personnel.
Perform daily reviews of assigned Automic processing outputs and reports; check routine automated processes for completion and identify errors or exceptions.
Document unsuccessful processes, notify appropriate staff, track reported errors through resolution, and verify and document assigned follow-up activities.
Coordinate with Information Technology and Financial Aid & Scholarships staff as directed; escalate issues that may affect student records, financial aid awarding, disbursements, reporting, or compliance.
Assist with testing and validation following approved system changes.
Assist with processing and administration of federal, state, institutional, and scholarship programs.
Review student records and documentation for accuracy and completeness; assist with routine financial aid adjustments, corrections, and award processing.
Review assigned reports and exception lists, support scholarship reconciliation and quality-control activities, and validate system results to identify discrepancies.
Maintain appropriate records and documentation and provide supporting documentation for internal and external audits as requested.
Perform other duties as assigned.