Assistant Director of Financial Aid

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

Must be a Christian who is a member of a church that holds Jesus Christ to be their Savior and Lord, and who holds solely the Old Testament and the New Testament as sacred Scriptures.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES:

To assist the Director of Financial Aid in providing daily and ongoing direction and management to the overall operation of the financial aid office by overseeing the application, awarding, and disbursement processes for all federal, state, institutional and private financial aid. The assistant director will assist the director in interpreting, implementing, and maintaining up-to-date knowledge of Federal and State guidelines governing financial aid programs by participating in workshops, attending seminars and reading current publications. It is also the responsibility of this position to ensure that students of the university have adequate counseling resources related to their financial situation and their application for financial aid.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree with 3-5 years financial aid experience, including at least 2 years’ experience managing other staff.
• Understands and agrees with the mission of DBU and the financial aid department.
• Is able to lead a small office staff to ensure the timely, accurate and legal delivery of financial aid to the students of the university.
• Has an eye for detail and follow through.
• Works well with people in completing team projects.
• Is customer service oriented and understands the value of the student to the university.
• Excellent skills in communicating with students and families and handling and resolving conflict.
• Able to serve difficult people and bring resolve to problem situations.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Able to follow through with a project to its completion.
• Able to work under stressful situations, handle multiple projects at one time, and meet multiple deadlines.
• Strong information technology experience and knowledge is required. Colleague, Microsoft Office, and some database experience preferred.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the direct supervision of the Director of Financial Aid:

• Oversee the daily processing functions of the Office of Financial Aid to ensure timeliness of file completion and awarding.
• Develop, implement, and annually update the policies and procedures for verification, packaging, awarding, and refunding of aid. Audit student files on a regular basis to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Oversee the processing of Return to Title IV refunds when students withdraw from the University.
• Oversee the processing of credit balance refunds to make sure these are processed in a timely manner according to federal and state guidelines.
• Oversee federal and state work study programs to make sure all funds are used efficiently and within work study guidelines.
• Oversee the student workers in the Office of Financial Aid regarding hiring, scheduling, and recording of time worked.
• Oversee the awarding, disbursing and reporting of state grants funds.
• Oversee the marketing and social media presence of the office to make sure office information is being disseminated in a timely and accurate manner.
• Work with the business office staff to balance aid posting to student accounts receivable.
• Assist with the review and timely distribution of financial aid application materials to all current and prospective students.
• Ensure that all federal, state, institutional and private aid guidelines are being followed in the awarding and disbursing of aid.
• Assist in overseeing the timely and accurate completion of all financial aid reports and surveys.
• Assist in reviewing Change in Circumstance applications and Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals.
• Assist in overseeing the accurate allocation of all funding to the appropriate award accounts, with appropriate institutional matches where applicable.
• Assist with the accurate and efficient use and implementation of the Ellucian Colleague financial aid module.
• Assist in providing excellent customer service by resolving various student problem situations as they arise.
• Assist in keeping all online financial aid resources up to date and accurate, including the financial aid website, applications, Financial Aid TV service, and other online media, as requested.
• Make financial aid presentations to prospects, students, and parents, as requested.
• Assist in awarding institutional scholarships to deserving students in a timely manner in preparation for the Honor’s Day Chapel held each May.
• Assist in ensuring compliance with NCAA regulations.
• Maintain absolute confidentiality of all student information.
• Assist with the management and oversight of the office, assuming responsibilities of directing the office when the director is out of the office.
• Assist with other projects as requested by the President, Vice President for Administration and Enrollment, or Director of Financial Aid, as needed.