Financial Aid Counselor/Assistant Director

Financial Aid Counselor/Assistant Director

REPORTS TO: DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL AID

STATUS: FULL-TIME, EXEMPT, SALARIED

Lake Erie College, a small, co-educational, four-year, independent liberal arts college located in Painesville, OH, 30 miles east of Cleveland, invites applications for the full-time position of financial aid counselor. The financial aid counselor provides excellent customer service and guidance to financial aid applicants and their families throughout the financial aid application process and determines eligibility within the parameters of institutional, state, and federal requirements. The financial aid counselor must have a working knowledge of federal and state policies and regulations governing the various financial aid programs and will assist in administering programs to ensure federal regulations and institutional goals are met.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provides advising throughout the financial aid process to prospective, new, and current students and their families. 
• Exercises independent judgment in the management of operational details of the financial aid process, including but not limited to:
  • Reviewing incoming financial aid applications and any supporting documentation needed to determine the accuracy of information reported on the FAFSA. 
  • Performing verification and resolving C code issues.
  • Corresponding with students/parents for missing information.
• Completes assigned duties with a high degree of accuracy to ensure compliance while experiencing multiple interruptions.
• Recalculates and makes changes to financial aid awards when student eligibility changes.
• Manages data integration between the Department of Education and the College’s information systems.
• Maintains knowledge of policies of other departments (registrar, student accounts, human resources, athletics, etc.) and understands the impact of them on a student’s financial aid eligibility.
• Utilizes conflict resolution skill sets to address student and parent concerns, helping them to understand challenging issues and identify potential solutions.
• Assists in developing consumer information, including documents, forms, publications, and electronic media.
• Participates in state, regional and national professional development opportunities to ensure a complete understanding of federal and state regulations and remains current on changes to the federal and state aid programs.
• Maintains student confidentiality in accordance with FERPA regulations.
• Other duties as assigned by the Director of Financial Aid. (May include VA certification, review of credit balance refunds, electronic transfer of files between the College and ED.)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS & KEY COMPENTENCIES:

• Bachelor’s degree with at least two years of experience in a college financial aid office.
• Thorough knowledge of available types of financial aid, scholarships, loan programs and general student eligibility criteria.
• Knowledge of federal Title IV financial aid programs and of federal and state policies and regulations governing the various financial aid programs, to be compliant in awarding and advising students.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities, student-centered, creative and versed in cultural diversity. 
• Ability to work independently in a team environment.
• Proficiency in technology and the systems used to determine a student's eligibility and originate a financial aid award. (These may include: PowerFAIDS, Jenzabar-1, NSLDS, COD, CPS, MS Word, Excel, etc.).
• High attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and the ability to use sound judgment for decision-making.
• Growth and “doer” mindset and institutional teamwork ethic.
• Creative, strategic, thoughtful, and has a sense of humor.