Assistant Director of Financial Aid Client Services

The Assistant Director of Financial Aid Client Services assists the Executive Director Financial Aid in the operation of the Financial Aid Department. This position may serve as Acting Director of Financial Aid when the Executive Director is absent. Primary duties include chairing and providing strategic and ongoing leadership for the Financial Aid Counseling Team; supervising one Office Support Supervisor 2 and five Financial Aid Counselors; providing administrative oversight for the Financial Aid Services Center; updating publications forms and the departmental website; auditing Counselor file review and awarding; serving as a member of the administrative team; completing a portion of student file load; and other duties as assigned.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

25 Provides strategic leadership for the Financial Aid Counseling Team

• Chairing weekly Counseling Team meetings among approximately 12 Counseling Team members to address regulatory guidance and interpretations monitoring individual and team productivity on a weekly basis strategizing better ways to communicate with award and advise students recommending file load changes through preparation of written rationale to the Executive Director serving as a resource to handle unusual student cases leading Counselors in the timely resolution of specific recurring tasks including but not limited to addressing lagging workflows tuition overaward and quarterly meal card shutoff reports.
• Responsible for file review procedure desk reference maintenance policy guidance via OneNote maintenance ensuring timely and consistent review of verification (student/parent FAFSA and WASFA audit) and other requirements of aid applications and attending materials.
• Addresses student and family issues that require higherlevel responses often in collaboration with the Executive Director.

25 Supervisory

• Supervises the following five positions: one Office Support Supervisor 2 and five Financial Aid Counselors.
• Sets goals for performance and deadlines in accordance with departmental plans and vision.
• Organizes workflow and ensures that employees understand their duties and delegated tasks.
• Monitors employee productivity; providing constructive feedback coaching and performance evaluations.
• Responsible for developing and administrating training and onboarding program for new Counselors.

15 Oversees Financial Aid Services Center (primary Financial Aid Lobby)

• Collaborates with direct reports and others to operationalize and adjust strategies as needed to successfully serve students family members University departments and others through the FASC (Financial Aid Services Center). Entails planning organizing staffing leading controlling and assessing all activities within the Center including oversight of the following: staffing appointments dropin advising email responses phone calls creation of phone hotlines when existing resources prove insufficient during especially busy times use of Twitter and all aspects of customer service.
• The FASC serves approximately 10650 enrolled students per year. To provide a sense of scope between the approximate 5 week period from Aug. to Sept. of last year FASC handled 7696 contacts: responded to 4303 emails advised 1159 students and family members answered 1974 phone calls set up 127 appointments between students and aid counselors assisted 119 families during movein weekend and processed 14 emergency loans.
• Collaborates with direct reports and others within the department to create and operationalize strategies to successfully serve students family members and others; assesses the effectiveness of strategies effects change as warranted.

10 Responsible for creating and maintaining departmental publications forms the departmental website; oversees use of social media by the department.

• Writes and collaborates with others as appropriate to update publications forms the departmental website and manages use of social media by the department.

5 Audits Counselor File Review and Awarding

• Collaborating with Counseling Team members and others to audit file review and awarding performed by Counseling Team members to assess accuracy and consistency identify errors or other problems and implement corrective action.

5 May serve as Acting Executive Director Financial Aid for purposes of administering student financial aid when the Executive Director is absent; represents Financial Aid as liaison to other departments on campus including but not limited to the Student Business Office Woodring College of Education Disability Access Center International Programs and Exchanges the Graduate School and Veterans Services Office

• Operations of the Financial Aid Department in the Executive Directors absence include but are not limited to such tasks as ultimately serving as supervisor of the Financial Aid Department awarding financial aid interpreting regulations communicating interpretations to appropriate staff members making funding decisions between and among financial aid programs engaging in meetings the Executive Director would ordinarily attend ensuring that fiscal reports are filed in an accurate and timely manner writing reports responding to reporters and handling escalated grievances in a timely sensitive and accurate manner.
• Maintains contact with the Student Business Office Woodring College of Education Disability Access Center International Programs and Exchanges the Graduate School and Veterans Services Office to address ongoing aidrelated issues.

5 Serves on Executive Directors Administrative Team

• Strategic planning departmental teambuilding identifying and recommending higherlevel issues that have departmentwide implications for the administrative team to address working with other team members to successfully resolve issues in a manner that fosters mutual cooperation and respect.

5 Responsible for a portion of student financial aid file load.

5 Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelors degree
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible financial aid work experience at a college or university administering federal state and institutional aid
• Demonstrated ability to accurately interpret and comply with student aid regulations
• Excellent communication skills
• Minimum of 2 years of supervisory experience
• Demonstrated experience providing training and writing training materials
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting accessibility diversity equity and inclusion within higher education

• Masters degree
• Experience with Washington State financial aid programs
• Experience using Banner Financial Aid software
• Experience using imaging software

A cover letter and resume are required and should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications. Please include the names and contact information of three professional references. References will only be contacted if necessary with notice provided beforehand.