Assistant Director of Financial Aid for Online Programs

The Talent Acquisition department hires qualified candidates to fill positions which contribute to the overall strategic success of Howard University. Hiring staff “for fit” makes significant contributions to Howard University’s overall mission.

At Howard University, we prioritize well-being and professional growth.

Here iswhat we offer:

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus mental health support
• Work-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangements
• Financial Wellness: Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match
• Professional Development: Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement paths
• Additional Perks: Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company culture

Join Howard University and thrive with us!

https://hr.howard.edu/benefits-wellness

BASICFUNCTION:

Develop financial aid packages for prospective and current students and exercise discretion in the review of confidential information. Train new counselors on packaging procedures. Assistswith the processing of SAP Appeals. Provide direction, as needed, to the Systems Management Team and Student Finance regardingcorrect tuition set-ups. Manage the financial aid process for allonline programsand 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 counseling to students.Assist theExecutive Director ofFinancial Aid and Office of Financial Aid Management Team as needed.

NATUREANDSCOPE:

The position reports to the Associate Director of Graduate and Professional Programs and has internal and external contact with students,faculty, staff, student advocates, and representatives of government agencies, community organizations,legislativerepresentatives,scholarshiporganizations, foundations, andthepublic.

PRINCIPALACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Analyze FAFSA (federal) data for graduate students to determine federal aid eligibility under federal methodology, by assisting the Associate Director of Graduate and Professional Programsin implementing and interpreting federal regulations and academic programs' terms of enrollment. Exercise discretion in determining when it may be appropriate to invoke authority to use professional, independent judgment to deviate from federal methodology, on a case-by-case basis, and when needed, to advise academic programs if institutional funding, in conjunction with federal aid, results is an over-award, or if the institutional funding type 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 lead to the loss of institutional participation in the Federal Financial Aid Programs or fines from the U.S. Department of Education.

• Manage the financial aid process for onlineprograms; keep pace with program growth and student progression between the full-time and part-time status; provide critical information about student issues and systems/IT problems with the Financial Aid Management team and senior leadership.

• Develop/enhance annual/quarterly federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) reports for federally mandated SAP reviews, working with the University Office of the Registrar, the Online program Directors/Chairs/Deansor Associate Deans, as needed. Advisestudents and academic programs of federal SAP standards and providenon-federal funding options to students if standards are not met. Work with academic programs to ensurestudents receive appropriate documentedSAP-related academic counseling for future reinstatement of federal aid. Incorrect SAP reports and failure to provide thorough explanations to affected students and academic programs could impactthe financial health of the University, resulting in audit or federal program review findings and/or fines from the Department of Education. Assiststudents in meeting their financial responsibilities to Howard University, thereby supporting the enrollment and retention goals of the University. In the course ofcounseling students, assess individual financial situations to determinewhether there exists sufficient change or an extenuating circumstance to justify a review and potential modification to initialeligibility determination.

• Assist the Director in analyzing a great deal of data and multiple reports so that accurate information is captured when awarding/processing financial aid. Monitor federal financial aid regulations and assist the Director in developing updates for students and staff to ensure University operations are in compliance withfederal regulations. Work closely with the Systems Teamto design, test and troubleshoot system procedures. Monitor system functions so that federal deadlines are met. Work with third-party, federal and University data systems (COD, FAA Access, NSLDS) to troubleshoot, analyze federal loan portfolios, complete federal refund/repayment documentation, analyze transaction reports and provide advice about Universitybilling/payment problems to students and staff. Oversee NSLDS transfer monitoring so mid-year transfer students do not receive duplicate awards. Failure to effectively implement programs properly, process federal funds, monitor federal loan portfolios, complete federal refunds correctly, could result in audit or federal program review findings and/or fines from the U.S. Department of Education.

• Conduct webinars, group financial aid orientations, group debt management sessions (for high-debt graduate programs) and individual exit sessions for all graduating graduate/professional students on both campuses. Clear and understandable information about very complex loan repayment plans must be provided. Failure to provide such information to exiting students could result in student defaults that must be reported to the U.S. Department of Education. Additionally, failure to conduct exits within the federal timeframe, could impact the financial health of the University, resulting in audit or federal program review findings and/or fines from the Department of Education.

• Works collaboratively with the offices of Financial Aid, Bursar, Registrar, Admissions andDevelopment, the academic colleges and schools, and the Scholarship Committee to select anddistributescholarships and other financial aid.

• Accurately and skillfully utilizesWorkday, SharePoint, U.S. Department of Education systems and databases/tools to monitor, process and adjust financial aid awards asrequired.

CORECOMPETENCIES AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Knowledge of financial aid legislation and internal and external reporting requirements andabilitytoobjectivelyevaluatestudentaideligibilityinaccordancewiththeapplicableguidelines.

• Experience with software which includes but is not limited to Peoplesoft, NationalStudentLoanDataSystem(NSLDS), ELM, FSA portal, NASFAA andCommonOriginationandDisbursement(COD).

• StrongskillsinMicrosoftOfficesoftware(Word,Excel,AccessandPowerPoint).

• Abilitytoworkunderpressureandmeetdeadlines.

• Abilitytosetprioritiesandmanage multiplehigh-prioritytaskssimultaneously.

• CompetenceinbothoralandwrittenEnglish.

• Excellentinterpersonal,communication,andorganizationalskillswithattentiontodetail.

• Abilitytomaintainconfidentialityofinformation.

• Abilitytoestablishandmaintainharmoniousandeffectiveworkrelationswithstudents,staff,faculty,andthepublic.

• Experience in highereducation/financial aidenvironment is highly desirable.

• Must be comfortable with large institutionfast-paced environments.

• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.

• Outstanding interpersonal abilities and a poised, professional demeanor are essential.

• Ability to exercise good judgment in maintainingconfidential data.

• Critical ability to multi-task, prioritize,and execute.

• Confidence to take initiative, ask questions and make recommendations with the end goal of process improvement and customer satisfaction.

• Assists in the daily operations of the Financial Aid office.

• Any additionalduties as assigned.

• May be required to work evenings and weekends.

• This is an on-campus position.

MINIMUMREQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor'sDegreeRequired;Master’sdegreepreferred.5yearsofexperienceinaccountingandfinancialaidor anequivalentcombinationof relevanteducationandexperience.

Note: This position description should not be construed to imply that these requirements are theexclusive standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform anyotherrelatedduties,asmayberequired. Theuniversityhastherighttorevisethispositiondescriptionatanytime.This positiondescriptionshouldnot beconstruedasacontractforemployment.

Compliance Salary Range Disclosure

Expected Pay Range: $80,000 to $85,000