FT Financial Aid Specialist

Equity and Diversity
The District is strongly committed to achieving staff diversity and the principles of equal opportunity employment. The District encourages a diverse pool of applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of race color national origin ancestry sex age religion marital status disability or sexual orientation in any of its policies procedures or fact the college encourages applications from all segments of qualified people.

Closing Date
This position will close on October 31st 2025 at 11:59 PM (or when 150 applications are received whichever occurs sooner).

College Profile
Cerritos College is ranked 14th among the top 100 schools with the highest Hispanic enrollment in the United States by the United States Department of Education. Cerritos College serves as a comprehensive community college for southeastern Los Angeles County. Communities within the colleges district include Artesia Bellflower Cerritos Downey Hawaiian Gardens La Mirada Norwalk and portions of Bell Gardens Lakewood Long Beach Santa Fe Springs and South Gate. Cerritos College offers degrees and certificates in more than 180 areas of study in nine divisions. Enrollment currently averages 23000 students. Visit Cerritos College online at

Department Profile
The Enrollment Services division consists of Admissions & Records Financial Aid and School Relations programs and services that meet the needs of a diverse student population. The division offers high touch services and is primarily responsible for providing outreach in the community applications for admissions and financial aid placement registering students disbursing financial aid collecting payments processing grades evaluating records for graduation certificates and transfer and providing official transcripts. Under the supervision of the Financial Aid Assistant Director the Financial Aid Specialist will determine eligibility and ensure accuracy of financial aid awards and disbursements. They will reconcile state and federal programs with the Department of Education the California Student Aid Commission scholarship donors and the Fiscal Services department. The Financial Aid Specialist provides one-on-one advising for students parents or others regarding financial aid issues procedures to award reasons for denial or lack of eligibility petition processes and other relevant issues.

Summary
Performs a variety of office leadership and technical duties related to advising on assisting with and packaging student loans and other financial aid programs for final approval. Organizes and prioritizes workload. Analyzes researches and resolves problems connected with financial aid. Coordinates data transmission to and from funding agencies.

Distinguishing Career Features
The Financial Aid Specialist requires in-depth knowledge of financial aid programs to determine student eligibility the ability to determine and package loan amounts and advanced knowledge of the operating characteristics and features of federal state and internal computer programs used for financial aid and student information.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Organizes prioritizes and assigns work and projects to team members within Financial Aid. Trains and provides quality reviews of work performed in the department.
• Monitors Federal and State accounts in accordance with regulations to ensure financial aid funds are accurately drawn and deposited into accounts and to prevent excess awards. Monitors program fund accounts to ensure students are not awarded more than their allocation.
• Transmits Federal individual payment summaries to the U.S. Department of Education in accordance with mandated Federal deadlines.
• Establishes processes for student applications including arrangements for transcripts and other information. Orients and advises students and prospective students concerning the financial aid programs. Explains complex policies and procedures.
• Reviews and evaluates financial aid applications to determine accuracy completeness and financial need level. Uses Federal Methodology need-analysis criteria for review. Performs any required follow-up procedures to get additional information correct errors or elicit more in-depth data from applicants.
• Researches and resolves identified conflicts by utilizing various external databases to review prior loan histories and financial information.
• Verifies application data for accuracy. Compares FAFSA data with verification documents (104B Worksheets W-2s etc.). Corrects information on a financial or student database performs needs analysis and prepares computer files for processing.
• Sets up financial aid packaging parameters that other staff members can follow to establish award levels. Packages and determines award levels within established guidelines. Communicates award levels to students sets up accounts along with disbursement and payment dates and receives and allocates award funds from grantors.
• Grants financial aid awards including determining levels confirming resources and awarding funds within pre-existing parameters. Certifies and signs loan promissory notes and send to appropriate bank for processing. For FFELP creates loan origination records for eligible students enters information into databases and monitors responses and data from Federal loan origination centers.
• Ensures departmental fund accountability and integrity for audit purposes that contributes to the District having continuing eligibility to participate in Federal and State programs.
• Provides one-on-one advising for students parents or others regarding financial aid issues procedures to award reasons for denial or lack of eligibility deadlines petition processes and other relevant issues.
• May provide partial leadership over certain aspects of the day-to-day office operations by organizing and prioritizing workload reviewing applications and awards for accuracy and compliance and reviewing financial aid budget projections.
• Assists applicants in accurately completing the various forms required for financial aid. Resolves problems with applications and/or financial aid checks.
• Troubleshoots and resolves problems associated with financial aid application status award levels student information communications among separate computer systems and data integrity. Updates data rate and award tables.
• Administers delinquent and default loan procedures. Receives information from the Department of Education and other sources including internal reports verifies account balances and student status and initiates written contact with students. Works with students to restore current account status.
• Maintains financial aid records to support preparation of financial aid reports for various grant and loan disbursements. Monitors and revises budgets and awards as necessary to prevent over spending of awards.
• Extracts and imports information from financial aid databases to support reporting and auditing. Updates tables in databases to reflect current rates and schedules.
• Troubleshoots problems accessing storing manipulating remitting and extracting data to and from financial aid and student databases.
• Maintains currency of knowledge and skills related to the duties and responsibilities.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience
The position requires an Associates degree and three years of progressively responsible student financial aid experience. Comparable related work experience may substitute for some post-secondary education.

Knowledge and Skills
Requires in-depth knowledge of the regulations rules and institutional policies and processes relating to financial aid and the connections to admissions registration and accounting. Requires in-depth knowledge of federal and institutional satisfactory academic progress policies. Requires in-depth knowledge of Federal and State regulations policies and procedures relating to awarding and administering financial aid. Requires knowledge of and skills with office policies procedures and equipment including the use of personal computers to access student information databases word processing and spreadsheet applications. Requires a working knowledge of transcripts and satisfactory academic progress. Requires advanced skill at working with specialized databases used in financial aid. Requires well-developed human relation skills to convey technical concepts to customers in individual and workshop settings and exercise sensitivity. Requires sufficient language skills to prepare written correspondence used in external communications. Requires sufficient math skills to compute principal interest sums percents and ratios.

Abilities
Requires the ability to access and enter import and export data to and from computer-aided student financial aid applications including the ability to update special tables. Requires the ability to apply financial needs analysis methodology. Requires the ability to analyze technical and complex information and documents and make assessments according to complex policies procedures and mandated regulations. Requires the ability to impart technical and detailed information through one-on-one or group presentations. Requires the ability to perform data entry and database management duties and other general record keeping and file maintenance duties. Requires the ability to communicate both formally and informally with a wide range of contacts both inside and outside the College setting. Requires the ability to maintain productive and cooperative working relationships with others.

Physical Abilities
Incumbent performs work of predominately a sedentary nature. Requires ambulatory ability to sit in front of a computer screen for extended periods of time to move about between work station and customer service counters and to reach for work materials and files. Requires sufficient hand arm and finger dexterity to operate computer keyboard typewriter or other office equipment. Requires visual acuity to read words and numbers. Requires speaking and hearing ability sufficient to hear over phone and carry on routine conversations.

Licenses and Certificates
Requires a valid Drivers License.

Working Conditions
Work is performed indoors where minimal safety considerations exist.

Salary/Fringe Benefits

Grade 36 on District Classified Salary Schedule ($5887.18 - $7080.16 /month).

Health and welfare benefits include District contribution for medical/dental/vision benefits and employee life insurance ($50000). (Cash in lieu option available on medical insurance.) Participation in the Public Employees Retirement System that is also integrated with Social Security.