"Financial Aid Officer - Merritt"

Job Description Summary

Under general direction of the Dean of Enrollment Services, supervise and coordinate the operation of a comprehensive financial aid at an assigned campus; coordinate assigned activities with other divisions, outside agencies, and the general public; and provide highly responsible and complex program assistance to the Dean.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Function as the College’s financial aid lead to Federal Department of Education and California Community College Chancellor’s Office.
• Ensure that the college implement all federal and state programs in accordance with the policy and procedural guidelines.
• Provide ongoing training to financial aid staff and its student workers in order to efficiently process and facilitate the awarding of students’ financial aid based on their qualifications.
• Support college’s compliance with financial aid related state initiatives. Examples may include homeless and foster youth initiatives, AB 540/ Dream Act, AB 19, scholarships, etc.
• Support staff in developing and monitoring contracts with external community partners for compliance with the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program.
• Ensure all federal and state student aid programs are reconciled.
• Manage and oversee Merritt’s student financial aid program budgets.
• Recommend and lead college’s financial aid department operational budget. This includes monitoring regular budget expenditures, income, transfer, journal, and financial records, and making recommendations for changes to staffing and discretionary budgets.
• Serve as lead liaison to various college and district level offices including: Business, Admissions & Records, Counseling, Finance, special programs, etc.
• Develop financial aid initiatives to respond to the needs of the college’s financial aid office and students. Examples may include Loan Default Prevention, GET SAP, FATV, etc.
• Handle all college, state, federal financial student grievance claims regarding their financial aid issues. This includes research and investigating the case and writing a report to document findings and actions taken responding to complaints filed with the Federal Department of Education.
• Lead compliance with the institution’s Program Participation Agreement (PPA), collaborate with various departments and individuals such as college and District Admissions and Records offices, college instruction offices, District Finance Office, District Financial Aid, Curriculum and System Technology Analyst, and external agencies to maintain the Participation of Federal Student Financial Aid Program.
• Manage federal and state grant programs including maintaining awareness of changes in regulations that govern these programs. Develop and implement new procedures as needed.
• Develop and update communications in relation to financial aid programs and services in accordance with federal consumer information laws, publications and procedures.
• Plan and implement college Financial Aid in-reach and outreach efforts. This includes responding to internal/external requests for presentations; managing state-mandated Initiative I Can Afford College outreach effort; training financial aid staff to effectively outreach and promote financial aid programs.
• Ensure the college responds in a timely manner to changes in federal and state student aid programs by recommending and developing processes for administering new and expanded financial aid programs such as CCPG, CCCG, FTSSG, Dreamer Emergency Grant, Year-Round Pell.
• Assist with resolving first-level conflicts among financial aid staff and with staff outside the department, insofar as it relates to financial aid matters.
• Provide trainings and updates to financial aid staff, business department, and college counselors.
• Coordinate and serve on the college committees such as Appeals Committee, CCPG (formerly known as BOFW), Petition Committees, and Student Success Committee.
• Manage and perform calculation for the return of Title IV funds in cases where students have withdrawn or earned unsatisfactory grades.
• Lead for reporting the students’ overpayments to “borrower services collections” in an effort to decrease the financial debt for the institution.
• Manages all students’ stale check (returned check) disbursements through reviewing students’ financial aid eligibility. If necessary, contact and remove students’ awards from PeopleSoft and Common Origination & Disbursement Web Site (COD).
• Develop, supervise, and implement the daily operation of the college’s financial aid program in compliance with the federal, state and applicable laws, policies and regulations.
• Assign and supervise the work of the College’s financial aid staff and its student workers.
• Determine student eligibility for all federal, state, and private financial aid programs.
• Interpret federal, state, and district rules, regulations, policies and procedures related to student aid. Manage and updates office procedures and inform staff of changes in district, state and federal rules and regulations.
• Accurately complete federal and state financial aid reports in a timely manner. Examples may include BFAP, FISAP, FTSSG, SSCG, and student enrollment reports.
• Identify financial aid system improvements and provide input to the district data center.
• Work with the Director of Financial Aid to write financial aid procedure manual and handbook.
• Effectively and proactively work with the District Director and other Peralta Colleges’ financial aid supervisors to provide leadership, develop operational policies and procedures in accordance with local, federal, and state mandate requirements.
• Draft letters for the financial aid department (i.e., Appeal letters, Overpayment letters, R2T4 letters, Eligibility letters, etc.)
• Work with other colleges outside PCCD to resolve Title IV issues.
• Serve as College lead in preparing all federal and state financial aid audit reports in consultation with the District Financial Aid Director.
• Develop and implement measurement tools for program evaluation including SLOs/ SAOs.
• Evaluate and recommend improvements to the college’s financial aid using annual program reviews and updates.
• Develop content and manage updates to the Financial Aid webpage, delegate and dispense work as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

1. A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in business administration, public administration, counseling, or a related field AND/OR any combination of training and experience that could likely provide the desired knowledge and abilities.

2. Five years of responsible experience in a financial aid office including one year of administrative and/or lead supervisory experience.

3. Knowledge and proficiency in the operation and use of personal computers utilizing word processing, spreadsheet and database management software programs (e.g., MS Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint) and knowledge of standard office equipment.

4. Applicant must have demonstrated cultural competency, sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and ethnic backgrounds of community college staff, faculty, and students.