Asst. Director of Processing and Verification

About the Job

The Assistant Director of Processing and Verification in the Office of Student Finance has the primary role to oversee the federal verification and related processes along with professional judgment appeals. This individual is also responsible for functional processing of Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) for the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Rochester. This person will supervise the staff that implement these processes. Additionally, this position analyzes federal regulations related to areas of responsibility and ensures that the University remains in compliance in our financial aid processes. Reporting to the Associate Director of Undergraduate Aid and Loans, this position monitors the lifecycle of the ISIR as it relates to a student’s financial aid record. Academic Support Resources supports hybrid and flexible working arrangements. Work arrangements are determined in coordination with supervisors depending on the nature of the unit and position. The arrangement for this position will be determined upon hire between employee and supervisor.

Essential Job Functions

Federal Verification and SAI (Student Aid Index) Oversight (25%)

• Serve as the lead and functional expert for creating and implementing verification procedures to comply with federal regulations. Includes but not limited to, policy, forms, communications.
• Revise procedures and implement new policies and procedures as federal requirements change.
• Maintain a fundamental understanding of federal tax forms, the FAFSA formula, and how tax data impacts the calculation for federal financial aid.
• Review foreign tax returns and determine the U.S. dollar value based on corresponding fields on the U.S. federal tax return.
• Responsible for the Identity Verification process, including collecting, reviewing, and verifying documentation, updating related communications, and completing the federal process confirming a student’s identification.
• Ensure the verification and SAI change teams have current training and proper tools to analyze documents, review for conflicting information, and determine whether additional information is required to complete verification or confirm the accuracy of SAI changes.
• Conduct mid-year updates as needed based on federal changes.
• Conduct training sessions for OSF staff and One Stop Student Services counselors on verification updates based on changes in federal regulations and University procedures.
• Maintain responsibility for communicating language updates to the Associate Director and ASR UX related to communications, forms, and checklists.
• Ensure that Federal Tax Information (FTI) regulations are followed when teams are communicating with students and/or parents regarding FAFSA data.
• Manage and resolve escalated cases from students, parents, and One Stop Student Services.
• Run daily queries to monitor the verification process and to detect anomalies or situations that require a resolution.

Professional Judgment Appeals (20%)

• Serve as the lead and functional expert for professional judgment appeals and committees related to the FAFSA, including but not limited to, the Special Circumstance Appeal committee.
• Develop and maintain a standardized process for committees in order to evaluate appeals and invoke professional judgment to determine if exceptions can be made in re-evaluating a student’s financial aid record.
• Ensure that appeal committees are following current federal regulations and notifying the committee when regulations change.
• Oversee the updating of forms for parents and students and ensure that electronic versions function.
• Use professional judgment and individual discretion in both simple and complex issues throughout the entire appeal process. Assist committee members with decision-making where applicable.
• Analyze and manage a large volume of records quickly and accurately.
• Thoroughly investigate appeals as well as supporting documentation to make decisions; contact appropriate parties for further information when needed.
• Accurately counsel students on the impact to their record based on the type of appeal submitted.
• Manage escalated appeals and determine an outcome.
• Understand and utilize financial aid professional judgment guidelines to recalculate student eligibility for financial aid; award additional aid according to all state, federal, and University regulations.
• Communicate results of appeal to students and parents in a professional manner.

FAFSA Processing

• Functional expert for checklist assignment for verification, identity verification, and SAI changes, and other post-ISIR processing.
• Work directly with FA-IT by communicating needs and changes as directed by Federal Student Aid and assignment of comment and processing codes.
• Consult with the Associate Director on Federal Student Aid changes that impact OSF processes.

Supervision (20%)

• Responsible for the direct supervision of 3-5 professional staff members including hiring, training, performance management, and coaching.
• Ensure staff are making decisions and completing tasks that meet federal, state, and institutional compliance requirements.
• Continually self-assess to ensure in-depth knowledge and technical expertise of financial aid processes.
• Establish work priorities, assignments, and deadlines for staff.
• Communicate with staff to ensure they have the tools necessary to perform their jobs.
• Assist staff with complex issues that heavily utilize professional judgment.
• Demonstrate and promote a high level of customer service for internal and external customers at the University.
• Solve escalated, complex issues using professional judgment and individual discretion.
• Conduct high-level policy decisions regarding financial aid.
• Provide advising to students and parents with in-depth financial aid questions concerning financial aid applications, financial aid eligibility, verification, professional judgment appeals, different aid types, loan comparisons, and the student aid index (SAI).
• Identify inefficiencies to promote operational excellence and coordinate process improvements of service to students, staff, and the University community.

Technical System Partnerships (10%)

• Collaborate with the Office of Admissions and the Net Price Calculator (NPC) vendor to maintain the University of Minnesota’s (NPC) tool.
• Provide annual updates to the NPC tool regarding University and State financial aid and cost of attendance changes.
• Review and test federal, institutional, and state calculations in the NPC.
• Communicate errors and successes to College Raptor.
• Engage the ASR UX team to provide NPC language review to financial aid sections.
• Serve as the ASR electronic forms liaison for OSF.
• Assist with basic electronic form updates or enhancements for production.
• Communicate and troubleshoot with the electronic forms team when forms are not functioning.

Attend and participate in meetings and OSF committee work as assigned: (5%)

• Regularly attend scheduled meetings.
• Participate in unit and OSF committee activities.
• Update unit colleagues with regard to new knowledge; initiate and distribute information to colleagues that may affect and enhance their work.
• Implement new information into job functions where appropriate.
• Identify and attend training sessions needed to ensure knowledgeable and accurate job performance.
• Provide input in a positive manner.

Due to the requirement for on-site collaboration, the successful candidate must live within the immediate area of the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area

Please note, this position is not eligible for H-1B or Green Card sponsorship. This position does not offer a STEM OPT training program.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• BA/BS with at least six years of full-time work experience or a Master’s degree with at least four years of full-time work experience in financial aid or compliance in a University setting.
• Demonstrated increasing responsibilities in financial aid or other compliance-related fields.
• A minimum of 3 years of supervisory experience with multiple reports.
• Ability to analyze and interpret federal and state regulations.
• Demonstrated experience and understanding of student financial aid, University, and/or regulatory compliance.

Preferred Qualifications (Core Competencies)

• Master’s degree.
• Experience with Federal, State, University, and Private financial aid processing.
• PeopleSoft Campus Solutions experience.
• Experience with Google/Microsoft suite (specifically spreadsheets) and CRM platforms.

About the Department

The mission of Academic Support Resources (ASR) is to make a positive difference in students’ lives. This mission includes the entire UMN system, of which ASR provides significant support to each campus and values their collaboration to improve the student experience. ASR is committed to cultivating and sustaining an environment that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We are better able to serve and represent our University community by ensuring we value differences and individuality. The knowledge, skills, and abilities of all ASR employees include job knowledge, communication, problem solving/analysis, development, leadership, teamwork, and customer service.

The Office of Student Finance (OSF) manages the initial components of the student finance lifecycle for all University of Minnesota students. OSF calculates financial aid eligibility and manages the awarding, origination, disbursement, recalculation, and return of financial aid. This compliance-forward unit also manages the student finance portion of internal and external audits and partners closely with other Academic Support Resources (ASR) units with billing, accounts receivable, and loan/account collections work

Pay and Benefits

Pay Range: $72,000 - $78,000 ; depending on education/qualifications/experience

Time Appointment: 100% Appointment

Position Type: Faculty and P&A Staff

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

How To Apply

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.