Financial Aid Advising Manager

Financial Aid Advising Manager

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent work experience
• Minimum of 2 years in a Financial Aid management position is required
• Minimum 5 years of experience in higher education financial aid positions required, including administering Title IV, VA, private education financing, scholarships, and employer-sponsored funding
• Minimum 2 years of experience using enterprise CRM systems such as Salesforce, HubSpot, or Microsoft Dynamics
• Experience recommending financing options to students to help them meet their career goals
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to effectively convey information and interact with students, colleagues, and others
• Strong organizational skills to manage multiple and rapidly changing priorities to meet the needs and expectations of employees
• Self-motivated with a strong work ethic; dedicated to quality, quantity, and timeliness of results
• Able to handle sensitive information with a high degree of confidentiality
• Possess high ethical standards, being an example of professionalism to others
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs and exercise independent judgment
• Excellent analytical skills, problem-resolution skills, and general business acumen
• Proficient skills in MS Office software products, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and MS Project, and ability to learn additional software products
• Proficient in data analysis, reporting, and Microsoft Excel skills to present forecasting models, conversion rate analysis, benchmark performance metrics, and goal setting
• Exhibits a high degree of flexibility in adapting to a rapidly changing environment
• Position may require work responsibilities outside of normal business hours to accommodate business needs and deadlines
• A computer savvy and technical mindset willing to learn new systems that are deployed and build automated processes to streamline manual activities
• Strong presentation, public speaking, and writing skills
• Possess a sincere interest in helping others achieve life goals
• Takes a customer-service-oriented approach in collaboration with internal departments to support student recruitment and student retention goals
• Self-motivated, goal-oriented, assertive, results-driven, high energy, and highly ethical
• Team player with a positive, can-do attitude
• Must be able to embody CIAT’s mission, vision, purpose and values
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, academic departments, and administration to support student success, achieve institutional goals and contribute to a positive and inclusive culture

Responsibilities

• Recruit, coach, motivate, and supervise our growing team of Financial Aid Advisors
• Monitor and improve critical KPIs and performance metrics for each Financial Aid Advisor
• Support termly recruitment goals by ensuring Financial Aid Advisors provide expert guidance, communication, and motivation to students evaluating their education and financing options
• Coach Financial Aid Advisors on effective processes in helping students navigate the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process and interpret their financial aid awards
• Oversee the administration of financial aid programs, including federal, state, institutional, and private aid
• Support student escalations by handling student inquiries and complaints with care and a customer service approach
• Coach Financial Aid Advisors to effectively provide counseling on financial aid applications, deadlines, and award processes
• Assist students and families in understanding available financial aid and other funding options
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations such as Title IV, state-specific rules, and institutional policies
• Monitor and track financial aid enrollment and clearance
• Maintain current knowledge of all funding sources offered by the institution
• Provide ongoing training to team members on policy and process changes
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including Admissions, Student Services, and Career Services, to support student recruitment and retention goals
• Ensure that the institution follows federal, state, and institutional regulations
• Prepare for and manage financial aid audits and reviews
• Submit necessary reports required for various governing bodies, such as the Department of Education, and annual audits to the Financial Aid Director for final review and approval
• Adhere to compliance deadlines and perform periodic reviews to determine compliance status
• Work with the Financial Aid Director to develop and revise department policies and procedures
• Communicate policy updates to students and staff as needed
• Coach, and counsel employees, in partnership with HR
• Provide professional growth opportunities for employees
• Manage and enforce timekeeping policies to ensure accuracy and timely process of employee’s timecards
• Contribute to team effort by accomplishing results as needed
• Process timely, accurate, fair, without bias, performance reviews
• Embody CIAT’s mission, vision, purpose and values

Preferred Qualifications

• Passion for education
• Customer-service-oriented approach
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, academic departments, and administration to support student success, achieve institutional goals and contribute to a positive and inclusive culture