Accredited Financial Counselor

Job Title:  Accredited Financial Counselor

Summary

Accredited Financial Counselors provide one-on-one consultation, information and referral, classroom training, workshops, and seminars supporting the education and training.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain the highest ethical standards
• Coordinate, publicize, and provide a wide variety of Personal Financial Management classes/workshops, e.g., car buying, basic budgeting, managing credit, debt liquidation, consumer awareness, insurance, savings and investments, and retirement planning
• Respond to requests for age-appropriate classes or seminars for youths and teens as part of on-base education
• Provide initial and refresher Command Financial Specialist (CFS) training
• Assist Command Financial Specialists in developing General Military Training (GMT) on topics relating to Personal Financial Management
• Provide individualized financial counseling and assistance to Service members and families
• Assist Service members in establishing an extended absence financial plan
• Develop and make available informational financial materials to Service members and families
• Plan, organize and develop new curriculum to be delivered by staff providing basic Personal Financial Management Education and Training per client request, when not otherwise available in CNIC standardized PFM curricula
• Provide Service members and their families with consumer information and assistance in handling consumer complaints
• Ensure that all personal financial management group education, individual services delivered, and information and referral services are entered and counted in FFSMIS
• Ensure staff providing personal financial management group education and personal financial management counseling are accounting for all services scheduled and delivered in the automated Centralized Scheduling and Metrics system in use by the FFSP
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge in the fields of personal finance and financial counseling.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Required Education and/or Experience Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree OR a combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelor's degree equips the incumbent to serve as a personal financial management counselor
• Must possess and maintain national certification as an Accredited Financial Counselor
• Those who do not currently possess the Accredited Financial Counselor designation may be considered upon review of work experience, with the expectation to obtain the certification within a specified period
• This position requires access to U.S. Government facilities and systems, U.S. Citizenship, a valid driver's license, transportation, and auto insurance
• Knowledge of the formulation and execution of needs assessment tools
• Knowledge of the military and the challenges of the military lifestyle
• Skilled in providing one-on-one consultation and training
• Skilled in providing group facilitation and understanding of group dynamics
• Knowledge of the tenets of adult education and the development of training curricula based on the adult learning model
• Knowledge encompassing a wide range of financial areas, specifically those affecting the military and their families
• Ability to work productively with Command Financial Specialists
• Understanding of the personal financial management issues facing Service members and their families and the ability to support them with individual assistance or through training in seminars, workshops, or appropriate referral
• Ability to manage multiple priorities
• Ability to effectively use verbal and written communication skills effectively
• Ability to conduct program evaluations and use those evaluations to improve program effectiveness
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite software and demonstrated ability to use software to prepare management reports and provide information

Competencies 

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems promptly; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in group problem-solving situations; Uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics
• Customer Service - Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; Responds promptly to customer needs; Solicits customer feedback to improve service; Responds t