Financial Aid Counselor

About The Job

Please note, this position is not eligible for H-1B or Green Card sponsorship. This position does not offer a STEM OPT training program.

This Financial Aid Counselor position reports to the Assistant Director of Processing and Verification. This position will be a functional expert for Professional Judgement appeals, Citizenship issues and Verification of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to comply with regulations mandated by the U.S. Department of Education.

This position is responsible for understanding and applying complex annual updates and changes to federal methodology and requirements to ensure continued compliance with regulations. They also assist with setting Verification and Citizenship policy and procedures. The individual consults with the Assistant Director on federal, state, or institutional changes as it pertains to job functions.

Additionally, this individual evaluates a high volume of confidential tax and citizenship documents, applies professional judgment to appeals per federal regulations. They work directly with students, families, and other departments on campus to resolve issues in addition to providing training to OSF and One Stop Student Services related to job functions. They may also assist system campus financial aid staff regarding regulatory changes, policy changes and requirements.

Academic Support Resources supports hybrid and flexible working arrangements. Work arrangements are determined in coordination with supervisors depending on the nature of the unit and position. The arrangement for this position will be determined upon hire between employee and supervisor.

• As the functional expert, assist in creating, implementing, and revising verification procedures to comply with federal regulations. Includes but not limited to, policy, forms, communications.
• Maintain a fundamental understanding of federal tax forms, the FAFSA formula, and how tax data impacts the calculation for federal financial aid.
• Review foreign tax returns and determine the U.S. dollar value based on corresponding fields on the U.S. federal tax return.
• Functional expert on the Identity Verification process, including collecting, reviewing, and verifying documentation, and completing the federal process confirming a student’s identification.
• Assist with setting up training for the verification and SAI change teams and review tools they need to analyze documents, review for conflicting information, and determine whether additional information is required to complete verification or confirm the accuracy of SAI changes.
• Assist with training sessions for OSF staff and One Stop Student Services counselors on verification updates based on changes in federal regulations and University procedures.
• Assist in reviewing checklist assignment for verification, identity verification, and SAI changes, and other post-ISIR processing.
• Assist with ensuring that Federal Tax Information (FTI) regulations are followed when teams are communicating with students and/or parents regarding FAFSA data.
• Run daily queries to monitor the verification process and to detect anomalies or situations that require a resolution.

• Serve as a functional expert for professional judgment appeals and committees related to the FAFSA, including but not limited to, the Special Circumstance Appeal committee.
• Assist in the development of a standardized process for committees in order to evaluate appeals and invoke professional judgment to determine if exceptions can be made in re‑evaluating a student’s financial aid record.
• Assist in ensuring that appeal committees are following current federal regulations and notifying the committee when regulations change.
• Assist with updating forms for parents and students and ensure that electronic versions function.
• Use professional judgment and individual discretion in both simple and complex issues throughout the entire appeal process. Assist committee members with decision‑making where applicable.
• Analyze and manage a large volume of…