Director of the Student Financial Management Center

All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes: comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefit, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more. Learn more about VCU’s benefits here.

Position Summary: 

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Student Financial Services, the director of the Student Financial Management Center (SFMC) assists VCU in achieving its culture of care and responsive services that support student engagement, prosperity and a sense of belonging. The director is responsible for helping to increase student enrollment, retention and success through leadership and oversight of front-line services to answer financial aid questions, provide financial literacy, discuss how to pay for college, answer questions about tuition and fee payments, fee payment due dates, installment payment plan option for both prospective and current students. 

This position brings management expertise in creating partnerships and lasting relationships with other university offices such as academic advising, admissions, residence life, student affairs, university registrar, TRIO, transfer center and academic support units. This position will help eliminate administrative barriers by directing students to other campus-wide services or help resolve cross divisional account challenges students may experience.

Core Responsibilities:

• Maintains and develop policies for front-line staff and coordinates effective training, monitoring and internal controls to ensure customer care account resolution advice is accurate and timely. Information provided must be compliant with applicable federal, state, and institutional polices regarding all financial aid programs and VCU practices of tuition and fees remittance.
• Ensures support staff advise students correctly on financial aid eligibility, application procedures, verification selection procedures, satisfactory academic progress, educational costs, payment plans and billing procedures.
• Creates and monitors internal control data to validate customer service timelines and quality of service standards are being met. This includes case management, call back response rates, email submission turnaround times and sending targeted communications to students with outstanding paperwork items, satisfactory academic progress appeal reminders or to students who are late paying their bills and have not used all forms of financial aid offered, and updating the student information record with accurate information and notes. 
• Design and implement financial education and coaching programs such as financial literacy, budgeting, cost of attendance expenses, debt management, setting financial goals, income support benefits and resource utilization.
• Collaborates quickly with other Student Financial Services directors resolving cross-operational concerns into successful solutions.
• Shares outcomes, information, insights and recommendations with other members of the Student Financial Services leadership team.
• Seeks advice and feedback from students and other stakeholders connected to the Student Financial Management Center.
• Collaborates with external organizations and community partners to secure wellbeing opportunities and resources for VCU students.
• Develops, coordinates, and participates in recruitment outreach activities with campus partners such as Admissions, Transfer Center, TriO, Summer Scholars and Summer Orientation. Ensures recruitment presentations are of high caliber and content is relevant to the interest needs of the audience.
• Provides progress and service standard reports to the Associate Vice President for Student Financial Services to review.
• Provides timely updates and deletions of information within the call center knowledge base and chat bot to maintain effective communications. Responsible for accurate SFMC web-site information and publications while collaborating with the Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success communications team.
• Finds solutions for students expressing concerns with housing, food insecurities, class registration, late fee payment holds, admissions or personal well-being.

Work Characteristics:

• Integrity: Demonstrates accountability for doing the right thing by exercising good judgment and honesty. Provides an ability to create a safe environment for students, families and team members; including having emotional intelligence, self-awareness and thoughtful communication.
• Culture of care: Creates the best opportunities and experience possible for each person. Delivers service to others by being friendly, approachable and inclusive. Provides mentoring collaboration to support staff. Effective in working with a diverse group of people across a broad range of socioeconomic statuses, a variety of life-experiences, genuinely presenting oneself as having the persons best interest in mind.
• Intentionality: Demonstrates a positive work ethic that contributes to personal, divisional and institutional goals; self-motivated, and consistently meets deadlines. Anticipates, prepares and plans for what is needed next from a business process perspective.
• Innovation: Understands how all units within the Division of Strategic Enrollment Management directly impact the recruitment and retention of students. Displays an ability to research new technologies, methods of conducting business and finding best practices. Task 3: Include a specific task that falls under this responsibility.

Minimum Hiring Standards:

• Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Three to five years of increasing responsibility within a financial aid office environment.
• One year of supervisory experience.
• Knowledge of Federal Student Loan regulations, privacy regulations (FERPA), and collection regulations with the ability to establish and enforce internal controls.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Bilingual English; Spanish speaking preferred.
• Other relevant higher education experience related to recruitment and retention activities.

Other Position Details:

• Position is eligible for hybrid work environment with the possibility of up to 40% remote work.
• This posting will close on March 9th at 7PM.