"Assistant Director of Financial Aid Systems & State Programs"

Job Description

SUMMARY

Reporting to the Associate Director of Financial Aid Operations, the Assistant Director of Financial Aid Systems and State Programs serves as a leader within the Financial Aid Management team. This role manages state programs and day-to-day operations of the Student Information System (SIS) in collaboration with the Associate Director of Operations. This role ensures efficient, accurate, and compliant processing of financial aid data through system development, maintenance, and integration while serving as the institutional liaison for all state-funded aid programs.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure adherence to federal, state, and institutional financial aid regulations, policies, and procedures; lead internal/external audits, troubleshoot compliance issues, and ensure Title IV and NJ State financial aid program adherence; support Montclair staff in implementing and maintaining compliance and federal and state financial aid requirements.
• Assist with financial aid system operations (Banner/Workday), resolve system-related issues; serve as the back-up liaison within the IT department to ensure system efficiency; analyze financial aid data, resolve discrepancies, and develop strategic solutions; ensure that proper security roles and system access for staff for both the Montclair and Bloomfield campuses are in place for various federal, state, and institutional financial aid processing systems.
• Assist in the development and implementation of robust financial aid-related systems for data collection and weekly analysis reporting via knowledge of Banner or Workday, and writing reports via SQL with the use of COGNOS, as well as managing financial aid award years in Banner, writing/updating algorithms and reports.
• Serve as the primary contact for the state agency (HESAA).
• Oversee compliance, awarding, reconciliation, and reporting of all state-funded financial aid programs.
• Monitor state program budgets and prepare required reports for institutional and state use.
• Ensure accuracy of student data related to aid disbursement, enrollment reporting, and return of funds.
• Participate in the reconciliation process for state funds to ensure internal systems are consistent with external.
• Serve as backup for the import and export process (origination, disbursement and response files) of all programs. Federal and State Grants processing, along with the Private and Direct Loan processing in Banner or Workday, interacting with COD and NJFAMS to reconcile State grants.
• Assist in updating the Policy and Procedures Manual as it pertains to technical operations in the Financial Aid Office. Document step-by-step instructional guides for most procedures.
• Support the preparation and submission of mandatory state, federal, and athletic reporting.
• Coordinate system updates, patches, and testing cycles.
• Train financial aid staff on system changes and state program updates.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.
• Management retains the right to change or add job duties at any time.

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
• Minimum five years of experience working in operational support of financial aid processing, preferably with Banner or Workday.
• Experience with report generation, preferably in COGNOS.
• Knowledge of State and Federal regulations affecting financial aid.
• Experience supporting Federal grants, State grants, Private and Direct Lending process.

PREFERRED:

• Proficiency in SQL.
• Proficiency in Spanish.
• Experience with state grant systems.
• NASFAA credentials.

Salary Range

$83,000.00-$90,000.00 Annually

The position may also be eligible for comprehensive benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, and tuition assistance. For further details, please visit: https://www.montclair.edu/human-resources/benefits/

Montclair State University considers factors such as, but not limited to, scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s relevant work experience, education, skills, and internal equity, when extending an offer.

Salary offers for internal employees who are part of a collective bargaining unit (CBU) and are applying to a position that is within a CBU will be determined in accordance with contractual provisions.

Department

Financial Aid

Position Type

Administrative

IMPORTANT APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• Upload Resume or Curriculum Vitae for automatic population of information to the application.
• The contact information, work experience, and education listed on your Resume/CV will be parsed and input into your Montclair application.
• Review information and double-check all fields containing information that the system parsed – the software is intelligent, but you need to verify that the data is accurate.
• In the “My Experience” section, you will find a Resume/CV upload option where you can submit your cover letter and all other supporting documents.

Note: If you have an expansive CV, we recommend that you apply manually and only include the positions you have held in the last ten (10) years. You will then be able to attach your Resume/CV, as well as all other supporting documentation in the "My Experience" section of your application.