Senior Advisor, Seaver Student Accounts

The Senior Advisor for Seaver Student Accounts maintains student accounts, assists students and parents with any questions or payments, and collaborates with departments to ensure that the appropriate charges are posted or credited. Additionally, the Senior Advisor ensures that University-established policies and federal regulations are followed. The Senior Advisor treats students and parents with courtesy and respect, always striving to provide the best customer service possible by offering accurate information. The Senior Advisor will serve as primary on specific areas/projects within the Student Accounts Office such as VA Benefits, Athletic stipends, Collections, and mass communications, while also working with the Assistant Director to identify areas, make suggestions, and implement proposals for improvement & efficiency. The Senior Advisor's goal is to assist students and parents through the financial portion of their education with understanding, concern, and guidance.

Duties

Advising and Student Support:

• Interact with students in a professional manner and maintain confidentiality of student accounts information.
• Meet with students in-person to advise and answer questions about tuition charges, payment arrangements and policies.
• Respond promptly to student inquiries i.e. telephone calls, e-mails, letters, and walk-ins.
• Respond promptly and work proactively with the Financial Assistance Office and Student Services Team to resolve student accounts issues and problems.
• Conduct research on students' account problems and maintain communication related to them with all involved parties. Present introductory information to new students and represent the department at orientations.
• Support Military-Connected School Certifying Official for students receiving VA benefits by managing contracts, invoicing for payment, adjusting accounts, and communication with counselors, students, military representatives, etc.
• Support Athletics Department for students receiving Athletic stipends by refunding credits, adjusting accounts, and coordinating with the Athletics and Financial Assistance Departments as needed.
• Assist Assistant Director with handling and resolving student grievances and appeals. 

Student Accounts Management:

• Maintain student accounts data for Seaver students, which includes all school charges such as tuition & fees, payments, credited financial aid, and refunds.
• Establish appropriate payment plans for students per University policy.
• Maintain correspondence and documentation regarding students accounts statements/invoices upon request.
• Apply/update service indicators (holds), including registration holds on students' accounts per University policy.
• Conduct audits and reviews to student accounts, payment plans, company reimbursement, hours enrolled vs. tuition charges. Receive and process payments from students.
• Process student refunds in a timely manner.
• Run refund reports to review larger refunds, special billing, athlete accounts, and manually post and reverse fees as necessary.
• Apply late fees and withdrawal fees as soon as they are applicable.
• Run tuition calculations when necessary to update students' accounts.
• Create, update, audit, and manage documents/sheets for VA Benefits, Athletic stipends, and Collections.
• Create and send mass communications to students related to Seaver Student Accounts matters and notifications.
• Update and manage Seaver Student Accounts website to ensure public information is correct and up to date.

Team Support:

• Provide daily support and assistance as needed to all members of the Seaver Student Accounts team (Assistant Director, Advisor, and student workers).
• Assist Student Accounts Office with effectively communicating policies and procedures and responding to email inquiries accurately.
• Serve as the point of contact for Advisor and student workers when escalated situations occur with students over the phone and/or in-person.
• Assist team with account adjustments such as reversals, manually posting fees, Special Billing adjustments, and difficult accounts.
• Assist Assistant Director with training new team members and staff on Student Accounts policies and procedures.

Collaboration and Relationship Building: 

• Collaborate with departments within the Office of the Registrar (Academic Advising, OneStop, VA Benefits, Records), internal Pepperdine departments (Admissions, Financial Assistance, Athletics, Housing, International Programs, etc), and other external stakeholders (VA, CA Dept. of Rehab., etc) to ensure appropriate handling of University policies and processes. 
• Leadership and Strategy: Attend meetings with the Assistant Director of