"One Stop Counselor - Student Services Center, Division of Finance"

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

One Stop Counselor - Student Services Center, Division of Finance

Job Profile Title

Coordinator B

Job Description Summary

Reporting to the Assistant Director of the Student Services One Stop Center, and under general supervision, the One Stop Counselor is responsible for providing a comprehensive suite of services to students and their families in the areas of registration, billing, and financial aid in a call center environment utilizing various software systems and technical programs.

The One Stop Counselor creates a positive and quality experience at every encounter including walk-in visits, phone calls/phone conferences, onsite meetings, as well as through email and other written communications. The counselor provides an outstanding experience for the diverse customers and stakeholders at Penn by providing care and service that support Penn's mission of innovation, inclusion, and impact.

The One Stop Counselor is expected to be adaptable, flexible, versatile, understanding, calm, and caring while exhibiting competency to navigate and utilize Salesforce, Zoom, Banner, Microsoft Teams, automated call distribution systems, and a variety of other tools supported by Penn.

Drawing on an in-depth understanding of both Penn systems and institutional, federal, and state policies and regulations, the One Stop Counselor will identify problem(s) and provide students and families with accurate counseling and information in order to resolve issues/inquiries as they relate to academic records, billing, student accounting, loans, financial aid applications, payment methods, dining, registration, housing, and other related University matters.

The One Stop Counselor will evaluate both common and high-impact student requests and appeals, and will apply critical analysis and professional judgment in investigating these situations and rendering decisions in partnership with their direct supervisor/manager and other departments across Penn. The One Stop Counselor is expected to engage in continuous professional development, committee work, and special projects to improve service delivery and process management at the One Stop Student Center. On occasion, will serve as a mentor to work-study staff.

The role will work a weekly schedule of approximately 40 hours. However, this may fluctuate due to operational needs and business needs in the academic year. Work activity is cyclical, with peak volume in July- September (Summer billing cycles and Fall term activity). Occasional evening and weekend hours will be required during peak volume as part of normal business operations.

In the Division of Finance, we recognize diversity and inclusion is paramount to a positive and thriving work environment; it is a business imperative. We are committed to actively fostering diversity, inclusion and cultural competency throughout our operational efforts in the Division of Finance. This role will be critical in supporting those efforts and demonstrating behaviors and competencies that reflect Penn's values.

We take pride in the myriad ways that diversity enriches our curriculum, and the cultural and social life of our campus. Penn's commitment to achieving eminence through diversity is ultimately a commitment to creating a more vibrant university so that our graduates will be both stimulated and empowered to shape a better world.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities:

• With the goal of ensuring student success at Penn, provide a holistic service experience to students and their families in the areas of academic records, registration, loans, financial aid, billing, and payment.
• Gather information and documentation from students, families, faculty, staff, and alumni in order to understand, investigate, and critically analyze both common and high-impact questions, issues, and appeals in the above areas, as well as in regard to waivers, certifications, and petitions.
• Use professional judgment to independently render decisions, ensuring outcomes are communicated clearly and effectively. Escalate highest-level issues and actions to functional area specialist as needed.
• Demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of individual circumstances and needs, and adhering to all regulatory and compliance guidelines, independently interpret and apply relevant policies, procedures, and guidelines to identify and explain the steps required to enable students and their families to navigate the college experience.
• Takes responsibility for all work activities and personal actions; follows through on commitments; implements decisions that have been agreed upon; maintains confidentiality with sensitive information; acknowledges and learns from mistakes without blaming others; recognizes the impact of one's behavior on others.
• Acts professionally and calmly when interacting with others; consistently demonstrates concern and courtesy towards colleagues and customers; treats all people respectfully; takes personal responsibility for correcting problems; follows up with individuals to ensure satisfaction with the level of service they have received.
• Works well with members of the University community (e.g., students, faculty, staff). Remains calm in stressful situations. Demonstrates pleasant disposition that puts people at ease.
• As an ambassador of the One-Stop Center to students, families, and the University as a whole, manage a high volume of face-to-face interactions, telephone calls, and email and other online and onsite communications.
• Cultivate student and third-party trust in the Center by ensuring the delivery of services in a warm and welcoming environment; identifying and addressing confidential and sensitive matters with courtesy, understanding, and responsiveness; and demonstrating knowledge of the assigned functions. Using critical thinking, resourcefulness, and analytic skills, independently follow through on all issues until resolved, identifying and connecting students with cross-University partners and services as needed.
• Treat people with fairness, respect, and consideration without regard for their position, status or background; respect different values and viewpoints. Consistently look at issues from multiple perspectives, respecting the viewpoints and values of others.
• Exhibit competency to navigate and utilize various programs and tools like Salesforce, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and automated call distribution systems supported by Penn. Support occasional evening and weekend hours as part of business operations.
• Engage in continuous professional growth and development: Maintain up-to-date knowledge of financial aid regulations, FERPA, and other changing policies and procedures at the University, state, and federal levels; look for ways to improve service quality and efficiency; support the development and implementation of new One-Stop initiatives; participate in SRFS projects, initiatives, and committees that have One Stop involvement; contribute to the development and updating of curriculum and documentation for new hires; attend ongoing training for One Stop staff.
• Express oneself clearly and effectively when speaking and/or writing to individuals or groups; listen attentively; ensure that information is understood by all parties; share information in a timely manner using the most appropriate method; present well-organized information in a group setting.
• Generates creative approaches to addressing problems and opportunities; identifies and weighs options, makes sound decisions after reviewing all relevant information; anticipates and plans for potential problems; takes calculated risks; recognizes impact of solutions.
• Seeks out relevant information before making decisions. Anticipates problems and thinks ahead about next steps. Serve as a general knowledge base and mentor for work-study staff, ensuring they are adhering to institutional, federal and state regulations; and providing the expected level of customer service.
• Work collegially with others, cooperating in both interpersonal and team relationships; fosters enthusiasm and maintains mutual trust, candor and respect.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

A Bachelor's degree and 2 to 3 years of experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience, are required.

Required Competencies/Skills:

• Customer service affinity and skills, and a minimum of 3 years of professional customer service experience; and the ability and desire to: provide high-quality customer service to students and their families in an effective and responsible manner; help students and families resolve questions and issues; learn and retain a large volume of information and correctly relay this information to students and families; work in an environment that deals with sensitive family financial matters.
• A minimum of two years of experience working under limited supervision; and demonstrated experience in understanding, explaining, and applying the laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, specifications, standards, and guidelines governing assigned unit activities.
• Effective oral, written, listening, and communication skills; multilingual a plus.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills; ability to make independent decisions and to work collaboratively and productively under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Dependability, reliability, promptness, and professional etiquette; and the ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with University stakeholders and customers in a multi-cultural environment.
• Knowledge of/experience with computer applications and systems, including the Microsoft suite of products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook) Salesforce Case Management, as well as core University systems for financial aid and academic records; ability and willingness to learn new programs, applications, systems, tools, etc.
• Knowledge of data-processing techniques and the application of such techniques to record-keeping.
• A willingness and ability to be cross-trained in a variety of skills and functions and to take part in the overall mission of One Stop SRFS services.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented and accurate. Able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Demonstrated organizational and prioritization skills, along with the ability to work within tight and often conflicting deadlines.
• Must be flexible, show effective judgement, discretion and have the ability to handle confidential financial matters.
• Work effectively in a highly matrixed and decentralized environment with the ability to navigate through ambiguity and demonstrate appreciation and support for diversity, inclusion and belonging in a constantly evolving academic/higher education environment.