Financial Aid Counselor & Compliance Support Coordinator

Job Description:

Financial Aid Counselor & Compliance Support Coordinator

Description

Salary and Benefits

Salary Range: $4,841.00 per month to $6,884.00 per month. PLEASE NOTE: The starting salary placement depends on qualifications and experience and is anticipated to be in the range of $5,083.00 per month to $5,400.00 per month.

Cal State East Bay offers a broad range of benefits that includes medical, dental, vision, retirement (CalPERS), 401k, 457, 403(b), dependent and health care reimbursement accounts, life insurance, vacation and sick leave, 14 paid holidays, one personal holiday and tuition fee waiver.

For more information on the benefits program, please visit our benefits website. The CSU Total Compensation Calculator demonstrates the significance of our benefits package.

This position may be eligible to participate in the Cal State East Bay hybrid telecommute program subject to management approval.

Classification

Student Services Professional II, Exempt

About Cal State East Bay

Cal State East Bay's beautiful main campus is located in the Hayward hills with panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay shoreline. Situated above the city of Hayward, the campus offers an ideal setting for teaching and learning and yet easy access to the many cities along the bay. The University has a satellite campus in Concord, a professional development center in Oakland and a significant presence online. Founded in 1957, Cal State East Bay is one of 23 universities of the California State University system (CSU). Cal State East Bay is recognized as a regionally engaged and globally oriented university with a strong commitment to academic innovation, student success, engaged and service learning, diversity, and sustainability.

About the Position

The Financial Aid Program Support Coordinator is responsible for helping students and families navigate the financial aid process. This position will help review students aid eligibility, make updates to student awards, and will counsel students and their families regarding financial aid related matters. This position will also work on verification, appeals, and coordinate administration of program compliance including but not limited to: Credential/Certificate/Non-Degree program review and awarding, Compliance Reviews as it pertains to over- awards, aggregate limits, and other administration of checks and balances.

The Financial Aid Counselor provides excellent service and guidance to prospective, new and current students and their families throughout the financial aid application process and determines eligibility within the parameters of institutional, state and federal requirements. This position requires the ability to exercise independent judgment in the management of operational details of the financial aid process and maintain knowledge of policies of other departments (registrar, student accounts, human resources, athletics, etc), understanding the impact of them on a student’s financial aid eligibility. The Financial Aid Counselor oversees the administration of both the federal and private loans for CPS. This include but is not limited to: certification of all Parent PLUS and private education loans, resolving issues between the university’s system and the Department of Educations, participating in state, regional and national professional development activities to ensure a complete understanding of federal and state regulations and remaining current on changes to the federal and state aid programs. This position requires the ability to utilize conflict resolution skills to help students and parents to understand challenges and identify potential solutions, all while maintaining student confidentiality in accordance with FERPA regulations.

Responsibilities

Compliance Support Coordinator:

• Coordinate administration of aid for special programs including, but not limited to: PHAP, Teaching Credential, and other non-degree programs.
• Conduct review and resolve backend control system reports that include, but are not limited to: over awards, aggregate issues, dual enrollments, C flags, and Pell Pop, and other discrepancies that cannot be resolved through batch/system processing.
• Ensure timely administration and coordination of Private and Plus Loans.
• Support timely administration and coordination of Special Circumstance Appeals as well as verifications.
• Support timely administration and coordination of aid for remote learning programs such as study abroad and institutional partnerships through cross-registration.
• Ensure checks and balances as it pertains to verifications, appeals, and Return to Title IV reviews.

Financial Aid Counselor:

• Provide advising throughout the financial aid process to prospective, new and current students and their families.
• Must have a thorough knowledge of available types of financial aid, scholarships and general student eligibility criteria.
• Exercise good judgment in the management administration and operational details of the financial aid process including but not limited to:
  • Verification: Review incoming financial aid applications and any supporting documentation needed to determine the accuracy of the financial and household information reported on the FAFSA - this requires knowledge of not only federal financial aid regulations but also IRS tax laws and how they relate to federal financial aid.
  • Complete assigned duties with a high degree of accuracy to ensure compliance while experiencing multiple interruptions.
  • Exercise great attention to detail when completing assignments as errors in judgment or calculations could result in unintended consequences for the student and/or the institution such as under or over funding of a student, loss of student eligibility, audit findings, fines, damage to school’s reputation or loss of institutional eligibility.
  • Professional Judgment- Review and make decisions on Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals and special circumstances appeals. Update the student ISIR data with approved changes. Has the authority to recalculate and make changes to financial aid awards when students' eligibility changes.
  • Review subsequent ISIRs received after initial ISIR to determine if we need to request additional information and reprocess.
  • Review C Flags on ISIRs.
• Review applications (FAFSA and CADAA) and awards for students' federal, state, and institutional aid.
• Maintain knowledge of other departments' policies (Registrar, Student Accounts, Housing, Athletics, Study Abroad, etc.) and understand the impact of them on a students' financial eligibility.
• Utilize conflict resolution skills to help students and parents to understand challenges and identify solutions.
• Maintain students' confidentiality in accordance with FERPA regulations.
• Perform need assessments and examine verification documents to ensure compliance with Federal and State awarding regulations.
• Maintain knowledge base and understanding of all regulations and policies to the administration of Federal, State, and Institutional aid programs.
• As assigned by the Director/Associate Director, conduct Financial Aid presentations and various workshops on and off campus.
• Respond to emails and phone calls from students and collaborate with the enrollment information center regarding students.
• Assist in awarding and coordinating athletic aid, graduate/parent plus, and institutional aid programs.
• Assist in awarding and coordinating Alternative Loans through Scholarnet.
• Assist with Return to Title IV calculations.
• Participate in state, regional, and national professional development activities to ensure a complete understanding of federal and state regulations and remain current on changes to the Federal and State aid programs.
• Other duties as assigned by the Director and Associate Director of Financial Aid.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience:

• The equivalent of two (2) years of professional experience in one of the student services program areas or in a related field.
• Experience should give evidence of competence and indicate the potential for further growth.
• A Master’s degree in a job-related field may be substituted for one year of professional experience.

Education:

• Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university in one of the behavioral sciences, public or business administration or a job-related field.
• Additional specialized experience during which the applicant has acquired and successfully applied the knowledge and abilities shown above may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.

Knowledge and Abilities:

• Working knowledge of the practices, procedures and activities of the program to which assigned; general knowledge of the methods and problems of organizational and program management.
• General knowledge of research and interview techniques; and of the principles of individual and group behavior.
• Ability to interpret and apply program rules and regulations.
• Use initiative and resourcefulness in planning work assignments and in implementing long-range program improvements.
• Obtain factual and interpretive information through interviews.
• Reason logically; collect, compile, analyze and evaluate data and make verbal or written presentations based on these data.
• Advise students individually and in groups on routine matters where required.
• Recognize multicultural, multi-sexed and multi-aged value systems and work accordingly.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with faculty, CSU administrators, student organizations, private and public agencies and others in committee work, and student advising and community contacts; and, rapidly acquire a general knowledge of the overall operation, functions and programs of the campus to which assigned.
• Demonstrated ability to make decisions and carry through actions having implications with regard to other program or service areas Services Office.
• Possession of these knowledge and abilities typically is demonstrated through the Experience requirements below.

Required Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s Degree.
• One year of Student Services Professional Experience.
• Ability to quickly grasp Federal, State, and Institutional Regulations.
• Understand FERPA and maintain confidentiality.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to conduct financial aid workshops/presentations as needed.
• Maintain a professional demeanor and empathize with students.
• Ability to work independently in scheduling opportunities and continuing training.
• Attend workshops sponsored by the Department of Education and State affiliates.
• Proficient in MS Excel, MS Word, MS PowerPoint.

Preferred Skills and Knowledge

• Experience with PeopleSoft Student Information System.
• Experience with CampusLogic.
• Proficiency in another modern language.
• Experience in Financial Aid Administration.
• Customer service experience with the ability to provide advice and guidance on difficult issues/regulations.

Condition(s) of Employment

Satisfactory completion of a background check (including LiveScan, as appropriate), that may include, but is not limited to: criminal records check, verification of academic credentials, licenses, certificates, credit history, professional references and/or verification of work history is required for employment. Cal State East Bay will issue a conditional offer of employment to the selected candidate, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Unsatisfactory results may also affect the continued employment of current Cal State East Bay employees who were conditionally offered the position.

All background checks are conducted through the university's third party vendor, Accurate. LiveScan is conducted through the University Police Department.

EEO Statement

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Cal State East Bay does not discriminate on the basis of any protected categories: age, ancestry, citizenship, color, disability, gender, immigration status, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran's status. The University is committed to the principles of diversity in employment and to creating a stimulating learning environment for its diverse student body.

Other Information

All California State University campuses, including Cal State East Bay, are smoke and tobacco-free. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.csueastbay.edu/smokeandtobaccofree/

In compliance with state and federal crime awareness and campus security legislation, including The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, the Cal State East Bay Annual Campus Security Report is available at: http://www.csueastbay.edu/upd/safety-and-security-reports.html

Sponsorship

Cal State East Bay is not a sponsoring agency for Staff or Management positions and we are not an E-Verify employer.

Mandated Reporter

The person holding this position is considered a ‘mandated reporter’ under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive order 1083 revised July 21, 2017 as a condition of employment.

Advertised: Nov 22 2024 Pacific Standard Time
Applications close: Mar 24 2025 Pacific Daylight Time

Closing Date/Time: