Senior Financial Aid Specialist

Financial Aid Specialist

Under the direction of the assigned manager, lead, oversee and participate in the more complex and difficult work of staff responsible for providing information to faculty, staff, parents and students regarding financial aid policies, procedures and programs; to perform a variety of professional and technical tasks involved in the daily operations of the Department; relative to assigned area of responsibility.

This is the advanced journey level class in the Financial Aid Specialist series. Positions at this level are distinguished from the Financial Aid Specialist classification by the level of responsibility assumed and the complexity of duties assigned including the provision of lead and oversight over lower level staff. Employees perform the most difficult and responsible types of duties assigned to classes within this series.

Employees at this level are required to be fully trained in all procedures related to assigned area of responsibility.

Essential functions include:

• Lead, plan, train and review the work of staff responsible for providing information to faculty, staff, parents, and students about financial aid policies, procedures, and programs; assist applicants in completing forms in areas of assignment.
• Plan, direct and participate in monitoring the daily operations and workflow of the department; ensure timely processing of documents and payments; schedule staff to maximize operational efficiency.
• Train staff regarding financial aid advising methods, procedures, regulations, and techniques.
• Complete Virtual student appointments using applicable systems
• Assist students via Live Chat.
• Perform in-person services at Delta Connect Center; perform program reconnections for assigned grants.
• Verify the work of staff for accuracy, proper work methods, techniques, and compliance with applicable standards and specifications. Determine student eligibility for financial aid; compile and analyze student financial aid data in preparation for awarding; review federal tax forms to verify income and assets; make any necessary adjustments to ensure compliance with Federal regulations. Review court and other highly confidential documents to verify reported data.
• Confer with various on-campus departments and personnel to exchange information and resolve issues and concerns.
• Perform and coordinate information exchange between the District and various governmental agencies, financial institutions, and other colleges.
• Coordinate with District information technology personnel to update the department website, resolve software issues, set up and troubleshoot system interfaces, provide advanced user support, administer the student portal, assign and administer user accounts; perform software upgrades. Create and maintain electronic applications and forms such as Online Scholarship Application and resulting databases.

Knowledge of:

• Financial problems faced by economically disadvantaged students.
• Principles of supervision and training.
• Office management practices; computer systems and applications related to financial aid, veterans and scholarship benefits regulations; operational characteristics, services and activities of financial aid.
• Various financial aid programs, policies, grants and systems.
• Principles and procedures of financial record keeping and reporting.
• Principles of business letter writing and basic report preparation; program administration and organizational methods and techniques.
• Methods and techniques of community outreach course curriculum development.
• Proper language usage, spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Principles and practices of marketing and promotion.
• Office procedures and equipment including computers.
• Pertinent Federal, State and local laws, codes and regulations.

Ability to:

• Coordinate the Financial Aid Outreach Program including materials development, facility assignment and presenter selection.
• Create effective community financial aid outreach and educational tools.
• Prepare appropriate materials and handouts for low-income, disadvantaged populations, including those where English is a second language.
• Monitor financial aid outreach program services and activities and make recommendations for improvement.
• Develop a variety of financial aid marketing and promotional material.
• Serve as representative for Financial Aid on the Outreach Advisory Council
• Prepare clear and concise reports.
• Interact successfully and cooperatively with students and families of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds.
• Make oral presentations to a wide variety of audiences.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with all employees and others encountered in the course of work.
• Demonstrate sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, linguistic, and ethnic backgrounds and disabilities of community college students and staff as demonstrated by skills…