Financial Assistance Advisor and Analyst

Financial Assistance Advisor and Analyst

At Oakton College, we know education changes lives - and that starts with the people who make it happen. For more than 50 years, we've built a welcoming and inclusive community where students from all backgrounds and experiences thrive.

We're looking for passionate educators, professionals and leaders to join our team. Whether in the classroom, student support, or behind the scenes, your talents and expertise will make a difference and shape the future.

We provide dynamic learning environments that empower students and employees alike with campuses in Des Plaines and Skokie and a Health Careers Education Center in Evanston.

As a proud institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, Oakton is more than a college - it's a place where innovation, equity and lifelong learning drive everything we do. We value diverse perspectives and embrace new ideas and are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and student-centered culture.

Basic Function and Responsibility:

Determine financial aid eligibility including general eligibility, verification, awarding, and disbursement in accordance with federal, state, and institutional regulations and guidelines. This position advises prospective students, current students, family members, and community members and analyzes data and documents to supply financial resources that support student success. Actions and decisions must be performed with a high level of integrity, compliance with law, and protection of student data.

Characteristic

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Inform students and others on the federal, state, and institutional financial aid and scholarship processes, educational costs, and funding options including veterans' benefits. Counsel families with complex, extenuating, or unusual circumstances. Advise on eligibility requirements, special circumstances, timelines, academic requirements, and rules for financial aid programs with professionalism and compassion. Create a welcoming environment for families from diverse backgrounds. As needed, deescalate financial concerns and anxiety to support enrollment and student success.
• Evaluate financial aid applications for accuracy and eligibility including financial needs analysis. Make independent decisions that align with regulations and guidance to ensure applications meet general eligibility, academic progress, residency, and verification rules. Employ professional judgment when making decisions regarding special circumstance and dependency override appeals. Interpret foreign income taxes and determine equivalencies in U.S. dollars. Ensure all conflicting data is identified, resolved, and documented.
  
  Identify, inform and support students and families who have not complied with IRS tax filing requirements or Homeland Security status requirements.
• Determine financial aid awards and make adjustments in alignment with federal, state, and institutional regulations. Update cost of attendance. Resolve awarding errors and rejections. Monitor and resolve issues of over payments, defaults, unusual enrollment and Pell and MAP grant limitations. Ensure applicants are evaluated objectively and consistently. Manage weekly processes to ensure accurate and timely awarding of financial aid funds by established deadlines.
• For students using veteran benefits, confirm, report, and monitor progress and enrollment, and ensure courses are necessary for Oakton degree program. Calculate educational costs based on state or federal veteran program rules. Monitor enrollment within established reporting deadlines and submit updates. Collaborate with academic advising on courses eligible for payment. Prepare college financing plan documents. Partner with the Bursar on…