University Reconnect Financial Aid Specialist

The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) at The City University of New York (CUNY), located at the Central Office, serves as the central administrative hub for financial aid operations and provides guidance to financial aid offices across CUNY's 26 colleges and institutions throughout New York City. As a mission‑critical department fundamental to delivering financial assistance, maintaining regulatory compliance, and ensuring uninterrupted student financial support, OSFA provides strategic oversight and administration of Federal, State, City, and institutional funding in compliance with government and institutional requirements, enabling access to higher education for over 219,000 students, and administers disbursements of over $1 billion in aid annually.

Beyond the standard multi‑academic year processing of Title IV, NYS/NYC, and Institutional Aid, OSFA spearheads the implementation of evolving federal, state and city regulations, manages new awards and programs, and leads university‑wide initiatives and technology implementations that directly impact student access and success across one of the nation’s largest urban public university systems.

Reporting to the Director of Program Services, the Reconnect Financial Aid Specialist serves as a subject matter expert, providing operational and administrative guidance to CUNY campus financial aid offices such as financial aid procedures and processing, use of the financial aid module within CUNY's student information system CUNYfirst, and regulatory compliance related to the Reconnect program. As part of a centralized support team, the Reconnect Financial Aid Specialist acts as a key liaison between the Central Office and campus financial aid staff by addressing day‑to‑day inquiries, reviewing data, assisting with the troubleshooting of system‑related issues, and helping to ensure accurate and timely financial aid processing in accordance with Federal, State, City, and University requirements.

In addition to the job summary above and CUNY Title Overview below, other key duties include, but will not be limited to the following:

• Serve as a primary point of contact and functional subject matter expert for CUNY colleges on routine financial aid processing questions, providing guidance in accordance with established policies and procedures related to Reconnect program.
• Provide programmatic support for the Reconnect and New York State Opportunity Programs, including maintaining tracking, documentation requirements, and facilitating communications with campus financial aid offices.
• Review financial aid data in CUNYfirst to identify discrepancies and provide expert support in resolving inconsistencies, escalating complex or systemic issues, as appropriate.
• Update and maintain accurate biographical and demographic data for Federal Work‑Study students in Workday, CUNY's new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
• Monitor updates to federal, state, and city financial aid regulations, and assist in interpretation and communicating changes to campus staff, as directed.
• Respond to inquiries from campus financial aid offices regarding student financial aid system issues, serving as an initial escalation point and referring complex matters to senior staff or management, as needed.
• Conduct training activities by preparing materials, supporting workshops, and working with campus staff to reinforce proper system usage and compliance.
• Provide administrative and functional support for financial aid system updates, including assisting with testing, validation, and documentation of system changes.
• Work collaboratively with OSFA staff and other Central Office units, including Enrollment Management, Office of Applied Research, Evaluation, and Data Analytics (OAREDA), and the University Budget Office, to support effective financial aid operations.
• Assist in the preparation and delivery of informational workshops related to financial aid programs and application processes.
• Participate in special projects and perform related duties as assigned.

NOTE:

Until further notice, this position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule.

Bachelor's degree and four…