Financial Aid Advisor I

Title: Financial Aid Advisor I

Salary Range: 37,000

Contract Term Length: 12 Months

Standard Hours: 37.5

Work Location: Discretionary Hybrid

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

College: Gateway Community & Technical College

Campus Location: Gateway Edgewood Campus

Department: Financial Aid

Total Rewards

Gateway Community & Technical College offers a competitive benefits package and an attractive work environment that supports excellence, innovation, and creativity, including:

• Exceptional health care, vision, and dental coverage for you and your family
• Tuition reimbursement/waiver for you, your spouse, and dependents
• 403(b) retirement plan: a 5% employee contribution receives a 10% employer match
• Vacation/Sick Time
• Work-Life Balance
• 9.5 Paid Holidays
• 2 Weeks Institutional Closing Pay (Last 2 weeks of December) for qualifying positions
• Employee Assistance Program

Job Summary

This position serves as initial contact for students and their families, utilizing broad-based knowledge of financial aid regulations and processes. In addition to heavy student contact, this position manages document scanning and retention for the office. Recognizes and escalates unusual situations or problems. Identifies opportunities to improve daily work outcomes.

Job Duties:

• Counsels students on the financial aid process, evaluates financial circumstances of students and families to better explain options available to them, and assists with reporting as needed to facilitate the awarding of financial aid to qualifying students.
• Provides assistance to students and parents in person, by phone, virtual meetings, email, tickets, or texts. This would include assistance with FAFSA completion in individual appointments or in a group.
• Assist with both on and off-campus enrollment activities as needed.
  
• Office lead in collecting financial aid data.
• Processes, scans, and determines retention needs of financial aid documents with the assistance of student employees.
• Ensures quality assurance and coordinates records destruction in compliance with the records retention schedule and established policies and procedures.
• Trains and mentors student workers and new team members.
  
• Assists faculty and staff in supporting students with financial aid inquiries.
• Communicates effectively with peers and supervisors by exchanging standard information and applying strong listening skills and clear written and verbal communication.
  
• Runs and manipulates reports in Excel and uses results to send targeted emails to students.
• Runs and reviews Pell reports daily to assist with Pell Grant reconciliation.
  
• Hires and supervises student employees working in financial aid department; provides training in financial aid tasks; reviews and signs time sheets to ensure accuracy in work hours and payment.
  
• Contact students whose financial aid refund checks have been returned as non-deliverable. If no contact is able to be made and required updates made by the student, inform Financial Aid Coordinators of the need to return funds to the appropriate program.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent, entry level to 2 years experience
  
• Professional and courteous communication at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Self-discipline, decision making skills, empathy and compassion for those requesting assistance, and ability to work early evenings.
  
• In order to perform all job responsibilities, applicants may not be in default on a federal student loan
  
• Detail-oriented, self-motivated, ability to work independently and adapt seamlessly to fast-paced, dynamic environments.
• Skilled in engaging and supporting students from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities effectively and meet tight deadlines.
  
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Forms, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Word)
   

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct experience in financial aid operation in a higher education setting.
  

Additional Skills Requested:

• Position requires independent decisions and recommendations regarding identification of individuals requiring manual intervention when situations do not conform to system protocol.
• Strong customer service and communication abilities
  
• Knowledge of financial aid regulations and processes
  
• Proficiency with student information systems and document management tools
  
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
  
• Ability to prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment
  
• Problem-solving and conflict resolution skills
• Understanding of FERPA and confidentiality standards