Financial Aid Specialist

Position Details

The Financial Aid Specialist will report to the Director of Financial Aid. In addition to the CUNY Title Overview, the Financial Aid Specialist will be responsible for the following duties:

• Provide oversight and reconciliation support for the Federal Work-Study and SEEK programs, ensuring accuracy and compliance with federal and institutional policies.
• Assist with the management of the awarding and processing of Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), and the TEACH Grant Program.
• Identify and troubleshoot issues related to the awarding and disbursement of Work-Study, SEEK, and Pell Grant funds.
• Assist in the development, documentation, and implementation of policies and procedures for Federal Work-Study and SEEK programs.
• Train staff on the Federal Work-Study placement process to ensure effective support for student participants.
• Assist with the administration of all aspects of Next Gen Web Solutions platforms, including JobX and TimesheetX, for job posting, hiring, and time tracking.
• Support the administration of Federal Work-Study placements, including experimental initiatives, on-campus jobs, and off-campus community service positions.
• Conduct intake, evaluation, processing, awarding, and verification of student eligibility for federal and state financial aid programs.
• Supervise a team of professional staff and College Assistants, providing guidance, training, and performance oversight.
• Provide comprehensive advising and support in the areas of financial aid application, eligibility, awarding, disbursement, and reconciliation for all Hunter College students.

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree and four years' related experience required.

Preferred Qualifications

• A demonstrated commitment to delivering high-quality, student-centered service within a diverse and inclusive academic environment is expected.
• Strong working knowledge of federal and New York State financial aid regulations, programs, policies, and procedures preferred.
• Experience using financial aid systems and tools, particularly PeopleSoft, CUNYfirst, and related platforms such as NSLDS, is highly desirable.
• Experience processing and reviewing students selected for the federal verification process, including the usage of professional judgement to update student FAFSA records.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills, along with strong interpersonal abilities to effectively support students and collaborate with colleagues is a must.
• Willingness and ability to work a flexible schedule during peak periods, including occasional evenings and weekends as needed.

CUNY Title Overview

Administers and supervises financial aid programs and operations.

• Reviews contracts, disbursements, tuition and fees; validates student eligibility for various programs
• Administers, monitors and troubleshoots CUNY financial aid systems as well as Federal and NY State systems in order to ensure integrity of student databases and timely and accurate delivery of funds
• Assists CUNY staff, applicants, and students/families with advice on financial aid issues and eligibility
• May review and reconcile student payroll processing
• Represents the Financial Aid function at Admissions events; works with academic departments as well as Bursar, Registrar, Admissions and Computing offices to assure staff understand and implement financial aid processes correctly
• Assists in the development and evaluation of Admissions processes
• Prepares documentation, instructions, and materials in various media to support financial aid activities
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Job Title Name

Financial Aid Specialist

CUNY Title

Higher Education Assistant

FLSA

Exempt

Compensation and Benefits

$66,212 - $77,092, Salary commensurate with education and experience.

CUNY's benefits contribute significantly to total compensation, supporting health and wellness, financial well-being, and professional development. We offer a range of health plans, competitive retirement/pension benefits and savings plans, tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study and generous paid time off. Our staff also benefits from the extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on our campuses and the opportunity to participate in a lively, diverse academic community in one of the greatest cities in the world.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online by accessing the CUNY Portal on City University of New York job website www.cuny.edu/employment or https://cuny.jobs/ and following the CUNYfirst Job System Instructions. To search for this vacancy, click on Search Job Listings, select More Options To Search For CUNY Jobs and enter the Job Opening ID number 30887.

Click on the "Apply Now" button and follow the application instructions. Current users of the site should access their established accounts; new users should follow the instructions to set up an account.

Please have your documents available to attach into the application before you begin. Please note that the required material must be uploaded as ONE document under CV/ Resume (do not upload individual files for a cover letter, references, etc.). The document must be in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, or text format and name of file should not exceed ten (10) characters – also DO NOT USE SYMBOLS (such as accents (é, è, (â, î or ô), ñ, ü, ï, –, _ or ç)).

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please include:

• Cover Letter or Statement of scholarly interests
• Curriculum Vitae/ Resume
• Names and contact information of 3 references

Upload all documents as ONE single file-- PDF format preferred.

Closing Date

The committee will begin reviewing complete applications on 09/17/2025. The search will remain open, and screening and review of applications will be ongoing-- until the position is filled. Applications submitted after the deadline will only be considered if the position(s) remain open after initial round.