Assistant Director, Financial Aid

About the job

Primary Purpose

The primary purpose of the Office of Student Financial Aid is to assist students and families in securing the financial resources necessary to attend college. This unit’s major activities include assisting students in completing required applications and meeting eligibility guidelines for various financial aid programs, evaluating all requests for eligibility, and administering all scholarships, grants, loans, and student work programs that are available to Appalachian students.

Minimum Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree is required from an accredited college or university, as well as one year of general administrative experience involving public contact in a higher education setting.

• Strong customer service skills, as well as excellent oral and written communication skills, are a must.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least one year of financial aid experience at the level of counselor or higher.

• Master’s degree, especially in a related area such as higher education administration/leadership.

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with best practices for serving diverse/underrepresented students.

• Experience with automated financial aid delivery systems (Banner/FAMS/SCT), as is familiarity with report writing tools, such as BRIO, PL/SQL, or Web Focus.

• A highly organized individual who is able to multitask and is detail-oriented is extremely desirable.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Assistant Director advises prospective and enrolled students, parents, and community members on all aspects of federal, state, institutional, and private financial aid.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Determines eligibility for and awards financial aid to students in accordance with federal, state, institutional, and private guidelines, policies, rules, and regulations.

• Perform administrative functions relating to awarding, certifying, and establishing eligibility for various federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs and will provide support for university-wide online initiatives.

• In carrying out the duties of this position, public speaking is often required in a variety of capacities.

• This position may involve supervision of permanent and/or temporary employees in one or more functional areas within the office.

• An additional requirement of this position may be to review and enhance both written and visual forms of office communications.

VISA Sponsorship?

VISA sponsorship is not available for this position. All candidates must be eligible to work and live in the U.S.

Work Schedule/Hours

Monday-Friday, 8:00-5:00pm; some night and weekend work required.

Physical Demands of Position

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Special Instructions to Applicants

For a complete application, please apply and submit all below-required documents electronically through Appalachian State University’s Job Board:

• Cover Letter

• Resume

• List of three professional references with contact information