Associate Director of Financial Aid – Advisement

Associate Director of Financial Aid – Advisement

The Associate Director of Financial Aid – Advisement is a senior leader within the Office of Financial Aid who serves as the primary representative and voice of financial aid for Rocky Vista University students. Reporting to the Executive Director of Financial Aid, this role is charged with advancing the student experience by providing comprehensive financial aid advisement, ensuring compliance with federal and institutional policies, and fostering collaboration across key university departments.

The Associate Director oversees financial aid counseling services, loan processing, and debt management initiatives, while also leading proactive engagement efforts to ensure students and families are fully informed and supported throughout their academic journey. As the face of Financial Aid, this role delivers presentations to RVU students at critical academic milestones, offers individualized counseling on borrowing and repayment, and manages the credit application and loan counseling process for federal and private loans.

In addition, the Associate Director plays a pivotal role in cross-departmental collaboration, maintaining strong partnerships with Admissions, Registrar, Bursar, and Clinical Education Operations to ensure financial aid processes are seamlessly integrated into the broader student lifecycle.

• Supervise, train, and evaluate counseling staff to ensure accurate, efficient, and student-centered advisement.
• Provide direct advisement to students regarding aid eligibility, award adjustments, loan options, repayment obligations, and debt management strategies.
• Serve as the primary financial aid representative at student-facing events (orientation, class meetings, information sessions, and workshops).
• Develop and deliver presentations to incoming, continuing, and graduating students on loan options, repayment, budgeting, and financial wellness.

• Oversee the credit application and loan counseling processes for federal and private loans, ensuring compliance with Title IV and institutional requirements.
• Manage loan entrance and exit counseling processes; ensure students understand borrowing responsibilities and repayment options.
• Certify/Manage Direct Loan applications and process loan returns, adjustments, and cancellations along with the Enrollment and Financial Aid Operations teams.
• Develop and implement debt management programs, including individual counseling, repayment planning, and post-graduation financial education.
• Review and approve complex loan adjustments, increases, and reductions in accordance with federal regulations.
• Oversight of the student facing VA benefits process. Ensure there are at least 3 certifying officials across the team including one on campus.

• Maintain active interaction with Admissions to ensure prospective and admitted students are fully informed about financial aid opportunities and requirements throughout the admissions process.
• Partner with the Registrar to ensure accurate enrollment data for aid packaging and compliance.
• Collaborate with the Bursar to support billing, payment, and aid disbursement processes.
• Coordinate with Clinical Education Operations to align aid processing with clinical placements and scheduling.
• Work across departments to streamline processes and provide holistic support for students.

• Use Jenzabar, PowerFAIDS, UC4, COD, and NSLDS extensively to process, monitor, and reconcile financial aid activity.
• Monitor reports to ensure timely and accurate packaging, awarding, disbursement, and loan certification.
• Oversee compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations, including FERPA, Title IV, COD, and NSLDS requirements.
• Maintain knowledge of federal regulations, lender policies, and institutional practices; recommend policy and process updates as needed.
• Collaborate with the Financial Aid leadership team on strategic planning, policy development, and operational improvements.
• Oversee FAFSA processing, ISIR review, need analysis, and verification, ensuring accuracy and timely completion.
• Collaborate with leadership on system testing, automation improvements, and operational planning.
• In conjunction with the Enrollment and Financial Aid Operations leadership, collaborate on Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) reviews and Title IV refund calculations.
• In conjunction with the Enrollment and Financial Aid Operations leadership, collaborate and coordinate all Enrollment and Financial Aid audits, including internal reviews, external audits, and accreditation reviews; ensure timely file retrieval, review, and submission.

• Deep knowledge of financial aid regulations, Title IV programs, and compliance requirements.
• Strong leadership and staff development skills with the ability to manage and inspire a counseling team.
• Expertise in loan counseling, credit…