"Financial Aid Officer - Financial Aid"

This position provides excellent customer service and guidance to financial aid applicants and their families throughout the financial aid application process; completes review and verification of financial aid applications; determines financial aid eligibility within the parameters of federal, state, and institutional policies; and is responsible for the oversight of one or more financial aid programs.

Job Duties:

• 30% Counsel students and their families regarding the availability of, eligibility for, and application process for financial aid funds.
  • Responsible for advising in person, via phone, and email for an assigned subset of students, equating to between 15 and 25 percent of financial aid applicants/student population.
  • Each work week, serve as the walk-in counselor for half-day shift(s).
  • Develop and conduct financial aid presentations for various prospective and current student groups.
• 20% Complete review and verification of financial aid applications and award federal, state, and institutional financial aid.
  • Review verification worksheets, tax documents, and other forms to perform federally-regulated verification.
  • Review various documents for student eligibility, including marriage certificates, birth certificates, selective service registration confirmations, etc.
  • Review reports regarding various aspects of student eligibility, including students close to loan limits, one semester only students, changes to residency status, and others.
  • Exercise sound professional judgement, within federal guidelines, when processing extenuating circumstance requests, dependency overrides, and other professional judgement requests.
  • Revise financial aid when students receive outside funding.
  • Process various reports to monitor financial aid eligibility and make appropriate adjustments to financial aid. These include changes to loan eligibility, enrollment changes, etc.
• 25% Manage the Return to Title IV Funds (R2T4).
  • For each student who withdraws from the university after the term has begun, calculate the amount of aid the student earned and the amount to be returned, and process according to federal regulations.
  • For students who have withdrawn and whose aid has not yet disbursed, calculate and monitor post-withdrawal disbursements according to federal regulations.
  • Monitor students dropping courses offered in modules to determine if an R2T4 calculation needs to be completed.
  • At the end of each term, review students who do not receive any passing grades to determine if an R2T4 calculation needs to be completed.
  • Counsel students on the financial aid implications of withdrawing from courses.
  • Report any grant overpayments to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).
  • Monitor Federal Pell Grant recipients when they withdraw from courses to ensure the students started the classes for which Pell funds were received, and process according to federal regulations.
• 10% Process institutional scholarships.
  • Review scholarship export reports from Admissions, query data for Academic Non-Resident Scholarships, and query data of UWW Foundation scholarships on a weekly basis.
  • Revise financial aid packages if necessary, and send communication to students.
  • Reconcile funds with Admissions, UWW Foundation, and Student Accounts.
  • Process AmeriCorps certification requests.
• 5% Research, interpret, and develop policies to ensure compliance with all federal, state, and institutional policies.
  • On an ongoing basis, remain abreast of regulations from the US Department of Education and through financial aid professional associations.
  • Document and/or update all processes and procedures used by the position.
• 10% Miscellaneous duties as assigned; may include but not limited to:
  • Prepare for and actively participate in staff meetings.
  • Participate in professional development opportunities to maintain professional knowledge and share this knowledge with the entire office staff.
  • Maintain operational knowledge of financial aid systems, including NSLDS, COD, FAA Access to CPS Online, etc.
  • Create, update, and maintain policies and procedures.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Assists in collecting, preparing, and analyzing financial aid data for stakeholders.
• Serves as a point of contact to third party stakeholders about financial aid information and processes.
• May hire, train, and supervise student employees.
• Audits financial aid applications for awarding financial aid to qualifying students according to established policies and in compliance with federal and state regulations.
• Awards financial aid to qualifying students.
• Triages processes or applications if issues arise.

Department: Financial Aid

Compensation: Well-qualified candidates can expect a starting annual salary of $47,940 commensurate with the candidate's education, related experience, and qualifications.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• At least one year of professional work experience in higher education student services.
• Knowledge of or ability to learn and understand Title IV federal financial aid regulations and related resources.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience processing Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculations with extensive knowledge of related R2T4 policies and procedures, including post-withdrawal disbursements and unofficial withdrawals.
• Two to five years in student financial aid administration.
• Experience with integrated student information systems, preferably PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, and ImageNow document imaging system.
• Master’s degree in higher education administration or related field.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent customer service and verbal/written communication skills, including the ability to exercise tact and discretion when dealing with students, families, and staff.
• Ability to work independently under moderate supervision, and also work cooperatively with others as an effective team member.
• Thorough attention to detail.
• Organized with good time management skills.
• Basic mathematical computation skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to interact respectfully and work collaboratively with people from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, including students, parents, staff, and faculty.
• Willingness and ability to be an active participant in following applicable safety rules and regulations, including necessary training and drills.

How to Apply: Only complete application packages will be considered. This includes online submission of the following documents: Cover Letter, Resume, Name and contact information for three professional references.