Associate Director of Financial Aid

ABOUT SIMMONS

Located in Boston’s historic Fenway area, Simmons has a strong tradition of empowering women and challenging traditional gender roles. Simmons University was one of the first higher education institutions to prepare women to become leaders and has evolved to become a university offering a women’s undergraduate program and graduate programs open to all.

You’re joining our community at an especially exciting time as one of our strategic goals is to become the most inclusive campus in New England. You’ll find that people who work here are truly committed to our mission of preparing students to become champions of social justice and leaders in their professions and their communities. This commitment and pride make for a dynamic workplace. Simmons University is committed to inclusive excellence in all aspects of an individual’s community experience.

As a university committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.

JOB SUMMARY

The Associate Director of Financial Aid oversees and manages the day-to-day operations of the financial aid counseling staff. They will maintain oversight of a small caseload of students, compliance and oversight of the Return of Title IV funds and verification processes, and is responsible for the accurate and timely disbursement of all Institutional financial aid funds. This position is a senior member of the financial aid leadership team and will help support management with oversight, compliance and improving processes focused on enhancing the student experience.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

The Associate Director will be responsible for a small caseload of students and for the training, oversight, and management of the counseling staff. Further, they will ensure compliance with federal regulations around Return of Title IV funds processing as well as running and disseminating various compliance reports needed prior to fund disbursement.

1. Manage a team of four Financial Aid Counselors. They will be responsible for all aspects of training for the counseling staff on processes and policies, customer service, and compliance. The Associate Director will also provide leadership and work closely with the other Associate Director, and in conjunction with the Director to develop and implement strategy and maintain vision for the office.
2. Manage a smaller caseload of students in order to best help their staff with understanding and performing their duties. As this is a smaller caseload, it is with the understanding that when a counselor is out for an extended period (illness or vacation) they will be covering that counselor's caseload.
3. Responsible for federal Title IV application and compliance specifically within the areas of Return of Title IV funds. This includes, but is not limited to, training of staff and review and signature to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations for federal and state funds.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Represent the Office of Financial Aid at undergraduate and graduate admission events. They must be able to effectively communicate the federal, state and institutional financial aid processes and philosophies to prospective students and their families as well as work individually with current students. The Associate Director will also work closely with the academic deans and student life to deal with challenging situations.
2. Other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

1. Bachelor’s degree required;
2. Ability to perform complex calculations; analyze situations accurately, be able to solve problems and offer solutions in order to adopt an effective course of action;
3. Demonstrated ability to clearly interpret, apply and convey rules, regulations, policies and procedures while maintaining a high level of professional courtesy;
4. Experience providing excellent customer service to a diverse constituency while maintaining successful performance in a high-volume, fast pace, and confidential service environment;
5. Previous experience managing people.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

1. Minimum three years work experience in a Financial Aid office having solid knowledge of federal and state financial regulation principles is strongly preferred;
2. Experience with Powerfaids, Workday, preferred.

COMPETENCIES

1. Problem Solving
2. Analytical and Strategic
3. Customer Service Oriented
4. Communication (Written, Verbal, Presentation)
5. Teamwork

WORK ENVIRONMENT & CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS

1. Hybrid eligible
2. Year round position within an office environment
3. 40 Hours / week
4. Requires some nights and weekends and/or other local travel during peak season.

Instructions to Applicants : Please upload all applicable application materials (e.g. resume/cv, cover letter, writing sample, teaching philosophy, etc.) in the Application Materials box on page 2 ("My Experience") of this application. Documents can be uploaded individually or as a combined document (e.g. PDF).