Director Of Student Financial Services - Colby College

Colby College is seeking a Director of Student Financial Services to help advance its no-student-debt model in Waterville, Maine. With $60 million secured and a $200 million goal in sight, this is a unique opportunity to shape financial aid strategy at a forward-thinking institution committed to removing financial barriers and ensuring students graduate without loans to repay. Leading a team of 8 full-time staff and 5-6 student employees, you'll oversee financial transactions, aid processing, billing, and compliance while collaborating across campus to support student success. With relocation assistance available, this role offers the chance to make a lasting impact in a vibrant, welcoming community.

Another Source's client, Colby College, is recruiting a Director of Student Financial Services to join their team on-site in Waterville, Maine.

Here's a little about Colby College and the position they are recruiting for:

Founded in 1813, Colby is one of America's most selective colleges. Serving only undergraduates, Colby's rigorous academic program is rooted in deep exploration of ideas and close interaction with world-class faculty scholars. Students pursue intellectual passions, choosing among 58 majors or developing their own. Independent and collaborative research, study abroad, and internships offer robust opportunities to prepare students for postgraduate success. Colby is home to a community of 2,000 dedicated and diverse students from around the globe. Its Maine location provides easy access to world-class research institutions and civic engagement experiences.

Learn more about Colby College here: https://www.colby.edu/academics/course-catalogue/admission-fees-about-colby/about-colby/

About the role:

The Director of Student Financial Services oversees all financial services supporting enrolled students, including financial aid administration and student billing, while supervising a team of eight full-time employees and 5-6 student workers. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Finance and Controller, this role ensures high-quality, personalized customer service for students, parents, and internal and external constituents. Key responsibilities include managing all financial transactions affecting student records, billing and reconciling semester charges, overseeing financial aid processing for both federal and institutional methodologies, and handling the full scope of the annual Student Federal Aid audit. Additionally, the Director collaborates with campus partners to align policies with college initiatives and ensures compliance with external entities such as the Department of Education, the Internal Revenue Service, the State of Maine, and states participating in grant reciprocity agreements.

What you will be doing:

Customer Service and SFS Communication Responsibilities

Establishing and overseeing procedures and guidelines for all services provided to Colby's enrolled students and their parents, working closely with Admissions, Student Affairs, and other campus partners to align financial information with College initiatives and meet high expectations.

• Providing guidance on internal and external requirements to ensure compliance, and ensuring timely, accurate communication of financial policies for billing and financial aid.

• Exemplifying exceptional customer service and coaching the SFS staff to follow suit, assisting students and parents in meeting all financial obligations for a Colby degree, and gathering additional information when necessary.

Financial Aid Responsibilities

• Overseeing all aspects of financial aid administration, from application review to determining family financial strength, packaging, disbursing aid, managing student employment, and ensuring compliance with federal aid programs.

• Coaching SFS staff through all stages of aid administration to maintain high-quality customer service and extending services to fulfill all financial obligations.

• Providing senior administrators with financial aid information while ensuring compliance with FERPA.

• Monitoring institutional aid grants, preparing quarterly reports, and packaging student awards in compliance with federal and state regulations.

• Implementing internal controls to verify compliance and confirming adherence by senior staff handling federal aid tracking, awarding, verification, and disbursements.

• Managing aid processing for students studying on Colby-approved programs, overseeing non-citizen aid awards, and collaborating with AFA on new initiatives.

Student Account Responsibilities

• Overseeing student billing from enrollment projections to collection efforts, ensuring outstanding customer service in both aid and billing matters, and ensuring timely accounting of payments, disbursements, and adjustments.

• Coordinating with Admissions, Registrar, and Student Affairs to ensure the accuracy of enrollment projections and posted charges.

• Hiring and training full-time staff responsible for student financial systems setup, collaborating with campus departments to ensure accurate charges and housing/board options.

• Managing Jan Plan trips, funding from multiple departments supporting student internships and non-classroom experiences, and preparing audit financial statements for bad debts.

Collaboration

• Collaborating with internal departments to meet College initiatives and notifying senior administration of anomalies, seeking guidance from outside auditors and consultants on compliance or regulatory changes.

• Working closely with HR to manage student employment and ensure compliance with FISAP, adjusting federal work accounts for earnings exceeding work awards.

Compliance

• Overseeing senior staff executing daily federal aid procedures, ensuring timely federal aid training for staff, and leading the annual Student Federal Aid audit.

• Monitoring state and national regulations to ensure policy application and ensuring students complete necessary steps for Pell grant and loan disbursements.

• Ensuring student employment earnings are adjusted before FISAP reporting and proper coding of federal professional judgment cases.

Systems/Technical

• Collaborating with ITS to manage financial aid software systems and implementing new systems, participating in PowerFAIDS software implementation and annual maintenance.

• Supporting the management of Sprintax data for non-resident students and creating reports in PowerFAIDS to assist daily operations. Updating the PowerFAIDS scheduler annually.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree.

• 5 to 7 years of financial aid experience at least at the Associate Director level.

• Federal and State financial aid regulations.

• Institutional policies and procedures.

• Student billing practices.

• College academic regulations.

• Maintains expertise in all aspects of federal (FM) and institutional methodologies (IM) to assist students and parents, and train and guide staff.

• Technical Knowledge of PowerFaids setup and function.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in private higher education financial aid.

What's in it for you:

Colby College offers a comprehensive benefits package for fulltime. Learn more about the benefits here: https://www.colby.edu/humanresources/benefits/

Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination:

Colby is a private, coeducational liberal arts college that admits students and makes employment decisions on the basis of the individual's qualifications to contribute to Colby's educational objectives and institutional needs. Colby College does not discriminate in its educational programs or employment on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, or military or veteran's status. Colby is an equal opportunity employer and operates in accordance with federal and state laws regarding non-discrimination. Colby complies with Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in an institution's education programs and activities. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to Colby's Title IX coordinator or to the federal Office of Civil Rights. We encourage inquiries from candidates who will contribute to the diversity of our College, including its cultural and ethnic diversity

Another Source works with their clients, on a retained project basis. We are committed to building inclusive candidate pools as we partner with hiring teams. Veterans, women, people of color, LGBTQIA , and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. As you read through the job posting and review the list of qualifications (required and/or preferred), please do not self-select out if you feel you do not meet every qualification. No one is 100% qualified. We encourage you to apply and share your story with us.

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