"Associate Director of Financial Aid – College of Osteopathic Medicine"

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Duquesne University College of Osteopathic Medicine Associate Director of Financial Aid position directs the planning, operations, staffing, customer service, regulatory compliance, and daily operations of the Student Financial Aid Office for the College of Medicine, and will work cooperatively with the Duquesne University Office of Financial Aid.
The position reports to the Duquesne University Assistant Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Osteopathic Medicine.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work closely with the Assistant Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to develop strategies to manage, award, and enhance the COMs institutional scholarship program in support of institutional enrollment goals.
• Oversee the accurate, ethical, complete, and timely awarding and disbursing of loan and scholarship funds to financial aid-eligible students with available federal, state, and institutional funds.
• Oversee compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations including maintaining audit-ready files and staying abreast of all Title IV and VII updates and changes.
• Develop and oversee counseling for prospective, current, and graduating students on financial aid, financial planning, and debt management topics. Research and respond to internal and external financial aid and debt management inquiries, problems and issues.
• Monitor satisfactory academic progress (SAP) for all financial aid recipients. Communicate SAP policies clearly to students not in compliance, manage SAP appeals, chair the appeals committee, record and follow up on academic plans put in place to manage SAP, and communicate status and any status changes clearly to students who are in jeopardy of losing their financial aid eligibility.
• Ensure that financial aid processes are clear and consistent for all students.
• Establish COM annual cost of attendance in collaboration with the University Financial Aid Director. Establish guidelines for cost of attendance appeals, establishing professional judgment guidelines while establishing a transparent review process.
• Create, enhance, update and review all office communications to inform prospective and current students about financial aid policies and procedures, cost of attendance, loan options and terms, and scholarship opportunities and requirements. Ensure that all communications are up-to-date, complete, and understandable.
• Provide financial aid workshops and presentations for prospective and current students during college events including information sessions, orientation, graduation, and other community events.
• Develop, set up, and utilize Banner financial aid tracking, budgeting, and student group bundling processes to perform financial aid activities efficiently. Review and enhance processes annually to ensure system is providing optimal support.
• Complete annual and ad hoc financial aid reports needed by COM administration, for informational, accreditation, and compliance purposes. Ensure that office activities support compliance with applicable accreditation standards and elements.
• Hire, train, develop, supervise, and evaluate qualified staff to ensure timely processing and superior customer service is a hallmark of the office; ensure that the staff exists to award and counsel COM students efficiently and in the spirit of the University.
• Participate in management meetings with Duquesne University Director of Financial Aid and other DU and COM financial aid directors and leaders.
• Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.
• Completes other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS:

Minimum qualifications:

• A Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in business management, education, liberal arts, engineering, or related field.
• Minimum of three years’ experience in financial aid services at a medical school or other equivalent professional school.
• Minimum of three years’ supervisory/managerial experience.
• Demonstrated strong knowledge of federal, state, and institutional financial-aid regulations and policies in addition to federal, state, and institutional aid programs.
• Ability to assess and adapt to new regulations and policies.
• Advanced knowledge and conceptual understanding of technology systems for financial aid services.
• Ability to work effectively with IT systems personnel to identify and troubleshoot issues, and to design required changes in systems requirements, operating procedures, and data management.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and address problems and challenges as well as develop successful strategies and solutions utilizing organizational and process design.
• Appreciation for working in a diverse, dynamic community of professional and graduate students.
• High level of personal integrity. Strong commitment and work ethic and ability to motivate team members.
• Excellent communication, organization, presentation, analytical and computer skills, along with proficiency in Banner, Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access).
• Experience using federal online financial aid applications and the National Student Loan Data System.
• Experience with student financial aid software platforms.

Preferred qualifications:

• A master’s degree from an accredited institution in business management, education, engineering, or related field.
• Minimum of five years of related experience in university financial aid administration.

Alternately, the successful candidate may possess any equivalent combination of experience and training, which provides the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the essential job functions. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the University Community.
• Ability and willingness to contribute actively to the mission of the University and to respect the Spiritan Catholic identity of Duquesne University. The mission is implemented through a commitment to academic excellence, a spirit of service, moral and spiritual values, sensitivity to world concerns, and an ecumenical campus community.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Applicants are asked to submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references.

Duquesne University was founded in 1878 by its sponsoring religious community, the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Duquesne University is Catholic in mission and ecumenical in spirit. Motivated by its Catholic identity, Duquesne values equality of opportunity both as an educational institution and as an employer.

Salary: Commensurate with experience
Benefits: Generous benefits include paid time off including holidays and vacation, retirement match, and tuition remission for employee and dependents. Details at www.duq.edu/benefits
Location: College of Osteopathic Medicine
Position Status: Full-time
Hours: Varied
Position Number: 234806/10- 1080
FLSA Status: Exempt