Financial Aid Administrator, Assistant Director of Graduate Financial Aid

Overview

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.

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.

• Analyze FAFSA (federal) data for graduate students to determine federal aid eligibility under federal methodology. Exercise discretion to invoke authority to deviate from federal methodology on a case-by-case basis, and advise academic programs if institutional funding results in an over-award or 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 affect participation in Federal Financial Aid Programs or result in fines from the U.S. Department of Education.
• Develop/enhance annual/quarterly federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) reports for federally mandated SAP reviews. Advise students and academic programs of SAP standards and provide non-federal funding options if standards are not met. Assist students in meeting financial responsibilities to Northwestern and provide documented SAP-related counseling for future reinstatement of federal aid.
• Oversee annual SES production setup processes and maintain a production setup testing calendar for the five academic careers served by the Evanston Office of Graduate Financial Aid. Analyze data and reports to ensure accurate information when awarding/processing financial aid. Monitor federal regulations and coordinate with IT to design, test, and troubleshoot system procedures. Ensure deadlines are met and work with external data systems (COD, FAA Access, NSLDS, SES) to troubleshoot and analyze federal loan portfolios.
  
  Oversee NSLDS transfer monitoring to avoid duplicate awards. Improper implementation of programs or funds could lead to audit findings 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 (70 primary programs across four Northwestern schools). Conduct webinars, group financial aid orientations, debt management sessions, and individual exit sessions for graduating students. Provide clear information about loan repayment plans. Failure to provide such information could result in student defaults and audit findings.

Performed other duties.

• Bachelor s Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or the equivalent education, training, and experience.
• 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 and excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent time management and ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to prioritize and be a team player.

• Bachelor s Degree with three to five years of financial aid experience.
• Ability to explain financial aid regulations to students and academic departments.
• Group presentation and webinar presentation experience.
• Web design communication and ability to work with federal methodology.
• Experience in packaging financial aid and creating data analysis reports.

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