Student Financial Aid Senior Specialist

Attain Partners is an innovative consulting firm dedicated to disrupting the status quo to change the world and improve the lives of those we touch. From strategy to technology and everywhere in between, our experts use their unique skills to advance the important missions of education, nonprofit, healthcare, and state and local government clients.  

People are at the center of all we do, and that’s why we empower career growth, provide industry-leading benefits packages, encourage a flexible work environment, and foster a culture of inclusion to support the needs of our team. We share a collective passion for our mission and our people. Guided by our seven core values, The Attain Way, our vision is the foundation of our culture—to be and attain the best. 

Job Description

As a Student Financial Aid Senior Specialist, you will be managing and overseeing the financial aid operations at our University client. The successful candidate will assist in analyzing and interpreting regulatory language and policy development in order to ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations. This position will maintain compliance by; analyzing data and preparing financial reports as necessary and regularly auditing financial aid procedures, practices, documents, and operations to best administer financial aid and assist in funds management.

 

Job Responsibilities

• Resolve day to day issues as they arise in the financial aid office
• Meet with all students and families as needed via teleconference, to provide financial aid counseling when front-line Financial Aid staff are unavailable or if escalation is needed
• Represent the financial aid office at department/division meetings, as needed
• Answer and return student/staff phone calls/emails during agreed upon hours
• Provide financial aid processing tasks, including:
  • Daily importing of Institutional Student Information Records (“ISIR”) into the Ellucian Colleague system
  • Manage importing/exporting of Common Origination and Disbursement (“COD”) files
  • Review student files for accuracy
  • Complete verification and C code resolution
• Manage ISIR corrections and exporting correction files
• Manage packaging/awarding and disbursement processes in Ellucian Colleague
• Manage direct loan processing
• Manage and create award letters and missing document notifications
• Manage and run all needed reports for the financial aid operations:
  • Over-award reports
  • Transfer monitoring reports
  • ISIR and subsequent ISIR reports
  • Verification reports
  • Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) reports
• Perform monthly Title IV reconciliation processes
• Manage and perform adjustments as needed to Title IV aid, due to changes in enrollment or other issues that impact awards
• Manage professional judgments and appeal processes as needed
• Assist with institutional scholarship awarding and state grants as needed and manage campus-based aid awarding (Federal Work Study, FSEOG)
• Manage Title IV Satisfactory Academic Progress (“SAP”) processes
• R2T4 processing:
  • Run weekly withdrawal reports and end of term unofficial withdrawal report
  • Review reports to determine if R2T4 calculations need to be performed; and if so
  • Perform the calculations and return funds to ED as needed
• Assist with updating financial aid policy and procedures, including desk top procedures
• Annual Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (“FISAP”) reporting and corrections if required
• Program Participation Agreement (“PPA”) and Eligibility and Certification Approval Report (“ECAR”) updates as needed
• Annual setup of Ellucian Colleague financial aid module

 

Years of Experience: 5+ years in a Higher Education Financial Aid environment     Minimum Education Required: Bachelor's degree

 

 

Additional Information