Senior Administrative Director, Student Financial Services

University of Southern California • Los Angeles, CA

3d • $160,000 - $165,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Capitalizing on over 140 years of history and tradition in downtown Los Angeles, the University of Southern California (USC) is looking for skilled, motivated professionals to help forge the future of higher education. The USC department of Financial Services – Student Financial Services is seeking a strategic leader to serve as Senior Administrative Director, Student Financial Services. This senior-level position provides vision, leadership, and operational oversight for all aspects of Student Financial Services, including University Collections and Student Account Services. The Director plays a critical role in supporting students while ensuring fiscal integrity and regulatory compliance. Key Accountabilities: The Senior Administrative Director of Student Financial Services is responsible for leading a team in all matters related to billing and collection of tuition and fees. This includes managing payment plans, disbursing loans, 3rd party billing, managing student refunds and the university departmental deposit functions. In addition, the role involves overseeing third-party providers, such as payment platforms and student loan servicers. Overview of Duties Directs administrative operations through subordinate managers, supervisors and professional staff. Develops new programs and processes to enhance operations, which may include developing short and long term plans, developing and managing electronic information systems, ensuring department's conformity to university policies, and resolving complex departmental problems referred by other managers. Manages program and project directors, overseeing the development and implementation of new services. Administers personnel functions for the division. Ensures security and confidentiality of staff records. Oversees staff recruitment, staff development, and career succession planning, as assigned. Reviews all proposed departmental staff changes and approves/denies or refers to senior leadership with recommendations for action. Oversees scheduling and coordination of meetings, planned events, travel arrangements and support services. Screens and engages outside vendors for services, prepares agendas, gathers and organizes supporting information, and oversees production and ensures the distribution of related materials. Oversees functions to ensure satisfactory outcome. Evaluates vendor/external service performance and makes recommendations or corrections, as necessary. Develops and oversees implementation of internal policies covering administration, finance, safety, etc., ensuring compatibility with university policies. Interprets applicable laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures. Ensures division compliance and approves all necessary exceptions. Strategic Leadership Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs 12–36 months in advance and align institutional resources accordingly. Long-Range Planning: Ability to develop and implement multi-year strategic plans aligned with senior leadership objectives and institutional initiatives (e.g., financial resiliency, use of automation tools for process improvement, and staffing optimization). Ability to analyze higher education and industry trends to inform and adjust long-term strategies. Proven experience leading organizations or departments through periods of transition, including restructuring and organizational change. Operational Excellence Demonstrated ability to execute strategic initiatives while ensuring long-term operational sustainability. Process Improvement: Expertise in evaluating and refining processes and workflows, removing bottlenecks, and implementing effective operational improvements. Resource Allocation: Ability to manage budgets effectively and optimize workforce deployment. Data-Driven Governance and Reporting Strong comfort working in data-driven environments to support decision-making. Experience defining, tracking, and analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify high-performing teams and guide underperforming areas toward achieving operational objectives. Reporting: Ability to translate complex data into clear, concise, high-level reports for senior and executive leadership. Proficient understanding of operational budgets and the impact of student financial operations on institutional cash flow. Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time. The work schedule for this position is Monday through Friday from 8:30am – 5:00pm however, work schedules may change at any time to accommodate business needs. This is primarily an onsite role, with the potential for a hybrid work arrangement after one year of employment, contingent upon business needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree.
• Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education.
• Five years of experience in Student Financial Services/Bursar Operations or a related area.
• Management experience in busy, multi-faceted department, preferably within a university setting.
• Ability to understand and leverage data to improve services, increase productivity, and drive meaningful change.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree.
• Seven years of experience in Student Financial Services/Bursar Operations or a related area.
• Demonstrated operational leadership experience, preferably in student services.
• Strong expertise in process mapping and continuous improvement.
• Proven ability to motivate teams and foster collaboration.
• Experience preparing and analyzing reports on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to keep leadership informed, engaged, and aligned.
• In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words, and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values of integrity, excellence, community, well-being, open communication, and accountability.

Responsibilities

• Directs administrative operations through subordinate managers, supervisors and professional staff.
• Develops new programs and processes to enhance operations, which may include developing short and long term plans, developing and managing electronic information systems, ensuring department's conformity to university policies, and resolving complex departmental problems referred by other managers.
• Manages program and project directors, overseeing the development and implementation of new services.
• Administers personnel functions for the division.
• Ensures security and confidentiality of staff records.
• Oversees staff recruitment, staff development, and career succession planning, as assigned.
• Reviews all proposed departmental staff changes and approves/denies or refers to senior leadership with recommendations for action.
• Oversees scheduling and coordination of meetings, planned events, travel arrangements and support services.
• Screens and engages outside vendors for services, prepares agendas, gathers and organizes supporting information, and oversees production and ensures the distribution of related materials.
• Oversees functions to ensure satisfactory outcome.
• Evaluates vendor/external service performance and makes recommendations or corrections, as necessary.
• Develops and oversees implementation of internal policies covering administration, finance, safety, etc., ensuring compatibility with university policies.
• Interprets applicable laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Ensures division compliance and approves all necessary exceptions.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs 12–36 months in advance and align institutional resources accordingly.
• Ability to develop and implement multi-year strategic plans aligned with senior leadership objectives and institutional initiatives (e.g., financial resiliency, use of automation tools for process improvement, and staffing optimization).
• Ability to analyze higher education and industry trends to inform and adjust long-term strategies.
• Proven experience leading organizations or departments through periods of transition, including restructuring and organizational change.
• Demonstrated ability to execute strategic initiatives while ensuring long-term operational sustainability.
• Expertise in evaluating and refining processes and workflows, removing bottlenecks, and implementing effective operational improvements.
• Ability to manage budgets effectively and optimize workforce deployment.
• Strong comfort working in data-driven environments to support decision-making.
• Experience defining, tracking, and analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify high-performing teams and guide underperforming areas toward achieving operational objectives.
• Ability to translate complex data into clear, concise, high-level reports for senior and executive leadership.
• Proficient understanding of operational budgets and the impact of student financial operations on institutional cash flow.
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested.

Benefits

• USC offers a wide variety of benefits and programs that support our staff and their families. This support advocates work-life balance and employee well-being.
• USC employees are connected by the traditions and history that make us proud to be Trojans and the work culture thrives on mutual respect, trust, and synergy amongst all its members.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees