What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Financial Aid Counselor position at Southern Wesleyan University?
- Job type
Full Time - Location
- Department
Financial Aid Office - Salary
TBD
Senior Financial Aid Counselor
Accepting applications
About this position
Senior Financial Aid Counselor
Position Description
LOCATION: Central, SC
CLASSIFICATION: Regular, full-time, non-exempt
REPORTS TO: Director of Financial Aid
Position Summary
The Senior Financial Aid Counselor serves as the lead counselor and primary subject matter expert within the Financial Aid Office. This position is responsible for advanced financial aid counseling, complex student eligibility reviews, training and mentoring staff, quality assurance, and compliance support. The Senior Financial Aid Counselor assists with the administration of federal, state, institutional, and private financial aid programs for undergraduate and graduate students while promoting exceptional customer service and student success.
The Senior Financial Aid Counselor serves as a resource for Financial Aid Counselors and other university departments, helping ensure consistent application of financial aid regulations, policies, and procedures. This position supports the University's Christian mission through servant leadership and a commitment to helping students achieve their educational goals.
Essential Responsibilities
Advanced Financial Aid Counseling (35%)
- Provide individualized financial aid counseling to prospective and continuing undergraduate and graduate students and their families.
- Assist students in understanding financial aid eligibility, award offers, financing options, borrowing responsibilities, and repayment obligations.
- Counsel students regarding financial aid appeals, special circumstances, unusual circumstances, and federal aid eligibility requirements.
- Resolve escalated student and parent concerns requiring advanced regulatory knowledge and problem-solving skills.
- Develop cost estimates and financing plans for students and families as needed.
- Participate in new student orientations, admissions events, financial aid workshops, and enrollment initiatives.
Complex File Review and Processing (30%)
- Review complex financial aid files and resolve conflicting information.
- Conduct advanced verification reviews and ensure compliance with federal requirements.
- Review and recommend action on professional judgment requests and special circumstance appeals.
- Assist with eligibility determinations involving unusual enrollment, aggregate loan limits, citizenship, dependency status, and other complex issues.
- Monitor student records to ensure accurate awarding and timely disbursement of financial aid funds.
- Serve as a secondary reviewer for high-risk or complex student files.
Compliance and Quality Assurance (15%)
- Conduct quality assurance reviews of awarded and processed student files.
- Assist with monitoring compliance related to verification, satisfactory academic progress (SAP), and Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4).
- Maintain a strong working knowledge of federal, state, institutional, and NCAA regulations where applicable.
- Identify compliance concerns and communicate recommendations to leadership.
- Assist with audit preparation and documentation review activities.
Staff Training and Leadership (10%)
- Serve as a mentor and lead resource for Financial Aid Counselors.
- Assist with onboarding and training of new staff members.
- Develop and maintain training resources, job aids, and procedural documentation.
- Provide guidance on regulatory interpretation and financial aid processing procedures.
- Support departmental cross-training initiatives.
Systems and Reporting Support (10%)
- Utilize PowerFAIDS and Jenzabar One (J1) to process, review, and maintain student records.
- Assist with system testing, quality control reviews, and annual processing implementation.
- Validate data integrity and identify process improvement opportunities.
- Generate reports and support departmental projects as assigned.
- Other duties as assigned.
Guidelines and supervision received to do this job, including independence and discretion:
Under the direction of the Associate Director of Financial Aid, works with limited discretion. Follows federal and state regulations and SWU policies and procedures.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
Serves as backup Supervisor for Federal Work-Study student employees, including hiring recommendations, onboarding, training, work assignments, and performance monitoring. In the Director's, Associate and/or Assistant Director's absence, oversees office operations and provides guidance to Financial Aid staff.
About our ideal candidate
QUALIFICATIONS:
A bachelor's degree is required, along with two to five years of progressively responsible experience in financial aid administration, higher education, enrollment services, or a related field.
Candidates must pass a background check. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required to ensure accurate, timely delivery of funds to students. Occasional travel to professional workshops may also be necessary.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:
- Demonstrated knowledge of, and ability to interpret, federal and state financial aid regulations, policies, and compliance requirements.
- Strong mathematical and analytical skills to calculate need and awards, reconcile complex data, and identify processing irregularities while minimizing technical and mathematical errors.
- Outstanding counseling, interpersonal, and communication skills, including strong writing and editorial skills and the ability to present financial aid workshops to campus and community audiences.
- Excellent problem-solving and organizational skills, familiarity with office management techniques, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple job demands effectively.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with faculty, staff, students, and parents.
- Confidentiality, integrity, and discretion are essential attributes.
- Ability to work with minimal supervision or instruction, willingness to collaborate in a team environment, and a strong commitment to customer service.
- Experience in a higher education environment is strongly preferred.
- SWU is committed to maximizing the use of technology in its daily operations. The ideal candidate will quickly learn new processing systems, be familiar with integrated database management systems and reporting, and be comfortable with web-based, mobile, and PC applications, including Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Preferred Qualifications:
Master's degree with accounting knowledge. Public speaking experience. Experience with PowerFAIDS and Jenzabar systems, R2T4 calculations, and a variety of personal computer software.
Mental Demands:
Confidentiality, Frequent Interruptions, Customer Interaction, Detailed Work, Mathematics, Reading, Reasoning, Stress Management, Verbal Communication, Written Communication. Requires comprehension of student financial aid forms, policies, and office procedures; strong organizational skills; ability to assimilate a large amount of detail.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
- Mission and Lifestyle Expectations. The University is a Christian liberal arts institution in the Wesleyan-Holiness theological tradition. Considering SWU’s unapologetically Christ-centered mission, all employees are expected to embrace the university’s Statement of Faith, respect its Wesleyan heritage, and adhere to its lifestyle expectations.
- Physical/Environmental Requirements
- Visual acuity is necessary – e.g., viewing a computer screen, proofreading, and managing documentation with attention to detail.
- Ability to sit for periods of time in an interior office environment. May require infrequent lifting of objects up to 20 pounds.
- May require the employee to infrequently work outside of the regular work schedule for special events.
- Pre-employment Screening. Employment is contingent on completing background screening and a credit check.
It is the policy of Southern Wesleyan University to provide and maintain equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions (including but not limited to lactation), disability, genetic information, veteran-status, age, or any other classification protected by state, federal, or local law, unless a bona fide occupational qualification applies. The University reserves its right to operate as a church-related institution and to develop policies consistent with the religious tenets of its sponsoring denomination, The Wesleyan Church, and is permitted and reserves the right to prefer employees on the basis of religion (Title VII, Section 702-703, United States Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended).
Southern Wesleyan University is a Christ-centered, student-focused learning community devoted to transforming lives by challenging students to be dedicated scholars and servant-leaders who impact the world for Christ. In addition to specific academic requirements, SWU provides quality undergraduate and graduate programs in a distinctively Christian environment that fosters the integration of faith, learning, and living. Candidates for employment must support the Christian mission of the university and give evidence of successful professional experience, mature faith, and consistent Christian lifestyle.
To view the university's profile, visit About SWU. To learn more about The Wesleyan Church-it's history, beliefs, and position on current issues-visit wesleyan.org/about. Applicants for employment are encouraged to view the following links providing additional information about how our campus community lives out these beliefs and practices.
Statement of Purpose
Doctrinal Statement
Community Expectations
Christ Centered: Purpose, Scholarship, Community, Transformation
- Purpose: A specific calling for a unique role in our world.
- Scholarship: Academic excellence in an innovative faith-centered environment.
- Community: Belonging to a connected and compassionate body of learners.
- Transformation: Christ’s redemptive work in individual and corporate life.
We believe that every individual has a God given purpose, brought to fruition by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit and the challenge of scholarship. As we participate in a consecrated community of learners we are continuously transformed into the image of Christ both individually and corporately.