Financial Aid Administrator, Assistant Director of Graduate Financial Aid

Department: Grad Financial Aid Evanston
Salary/Grade: EXS/6

The expected salary for this position is between $67,000 - $72,000 per year, in alignment with departmental equity and market data.

Job Summary:

Provide a brief description of the general nature of the position; an overview of why the job exists; and what the job is to accomplish.

Reporting to the Director of Evanston Graduate Financial Aid, the Assistant Director of Graduate Financial Aid develops financial aid packages for prospective and current students and exercises discretion in the review of confidential information. Train new counselors on packaging procedures. Head the financial aid appeals committee. Oversee the annual Cost of Attendance updates in SES that include an array of tuition structures from four Northwestern schools (careers). Provide direction, as needed, to the Budget Office and Student Finance regarding correct tuition set-ups. Manage the financial aid process for the online Master's Counseling Program and provide reporting strategies to keep up with the fluid nature of the program. Develop communication and presentation strategies for financial wellness group debt management sessions. Oversee the annual loan debt project and generate loan debt reports, by academic program, for data analysis. Provide thorough and nuanced counseling to students, alumni, and counselors. Assist the Director as needed. Manage the office in the absence of the Director.

*Note: Not all aspects of the job are covered by this job description.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Analyze FAFSA (federal) data for graduate students to determine federal aid eligibility under federal methodology, by assisting the Director in implementing and interpreting federal regulations and academic programs' terms of enrollment. Exercise discretion in determining when it may be appropriate to invoke authority to use professional, independent judgment to deviate from federal methodology, on a case by case basis, and when needed, to advise academic programs if institutional funding, in conjunction with federal aid, results is an over-award, or if the institutional funding type is inappropriate for the enrollment status. Use judgment when to implement and release federal funding holds. Monitor enrollment during drop/add; adjust aid budgets and financial aid, accordingly, to avoid over-awards. Failure to award federal funds correctly could lead to the loss of institutional participation in the Federal Financial Aid Programs or fines from the U.S. Department of Education.
• Develop/enhance annual/quarterly federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) reports for federally mandated SAP reviews, working with the University Office of the Registrar, The Graduate School and academic program Directors or Associate Deans, as needed. Advise students and academic programs of federal SAP standards and provide non-federal funding options to students if standards are not met. Work with academic programs to assure students receive appropriate documented SAP-related academic counseling for future reinstatement of federal aid. Incorrect SAP reports and failure to provide thorough explanations to affected students and academic programs could impact the financial health of the University, resulting in audit or federal program review findings and/or fines from the Department of Education. Assist students in meeting their financial responsibilities to Northwestern, thereby supporting the enrollment and retention goals of the University. In the course of counseling students, assess individual financial situations to determine whether there exists sufficient change or an extenuating circumstance to justify a review and potential modification to initial eligibility determination.
• Oversee annual SES production set-up processes and maintain a production set-up testing calendar for the five academic careers serviced by the Evanston Office of Graduate Financial Aid. Assist the Director in analyzing a great deal of data and multiple reports so that accurate information is captured when awarding/processing financial aid. Monitor federal financial aid regulations and assist the Director in developing updates for students and staff to ensure University operations are in compliance with federal regulations. Work closely with University information technology to design, test, and troubleshoot system procedures. Monitor system functions so that federal deadlines are met. Work with third-party, federal and University data systems (COD, FAA Access, NSLDS, SES) to troubleshoot, analyze federal loan portfolios, complete federal refund/repayment documentation, analyze SES transaction reports and provide advice about University billing/payment problems to students and staff. Oversee NSLDS transfer monitoring so mid-year transfer students do not receive duplicate awards. Failure to effectively implement programs properly, process federal funds, monitor federal loan portfolios, and complete federal refunds correctly could result in audit or federal program review findings and/or fines from the U.S. Department of Education.
• Develop/enhance/generate an annual loan debt report and analyze data for the annual loan debt study, which includes 70 primary academic programs, housed in four Northwestern schools. Doing so allows the Evanston Office of Graduate Financial Aid to plan effective student debt management strategies and to share information with academic administrators. Conduct webinars, group financial aid orientations, group debt management sessions (for high-debt graduate programs) and individual exit sessions for all graduating graduate/professional students on both campuses. Clear and understandable information about very complex loan repayment plans must be provided. Failure to provide such information to exiting students could result in student defaults that must be reported to the U.S. Department of Education. Additionally, failure to conduct exits within the federal timeframe, could impact the financial health of the University, resulting in audit or federal program review findings and/or fines from the Department of Education.

Miscellaneous

Performed other duties

Minimum Qualifications (Education, Experience, Certifications, Skills)

• Identify the minimum qualifications required to successfully perform the job. Qualifications include education, experience, specialized knowledge, and professional certification.
• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or the equivalent education, training, and experience from which comparable skills can be acquired.
• Two to three years of experience in a financial aid office, preferably at a private college or university.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• Mathematical competence.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent time management.
• Ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to prioritize.
• Team player.

Preferred Qualifications (Education, Experience, Certifications, Skills)

• Bachelor's Degree
• Three to five years of financial aid experience.
• Ability to explain financial aid regulations to students and academic departments.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• Group presentation experience.
• Webinar presentation experience.
• Web design communication.
• Ability to work with federal methodology.
• Experience in packaging financial aid.
• Ability to create reports for data analysis.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

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