SUMMARY OF POSITION:

The Senior Financial Aid Counselor & Veterans Services Coordinator will through a courteous, helpful, unbiased, and professional manner serve students, staff, parents, and community members through Student Financial Aid, working on a broad array of student service issues, including: student accounts, financial aid, veterans' benefits, loans, payment plans, orientation, admissions, and registration. The Senior Financial Aid Counselor works with prospects, students, and families to navigate the financial aid process each year from application to awarding to counseling and on financial literacy. The Senior Financial Aid Counselor works directly with the Associate Director of Financial Planning to provide support with office operations, policy, and procedure development, preparing reports, attending meetings, seminars, conferences, and other assigned by the Director.

The Senior Financial Aid Counselor will perform such duties as Federal Workstudy and Institutional employment program administration, assisting with the management of SC State financial aid programs to include evaluation of eligibility for SC residency, and the administration of the SC LIFE, Palmetto Fellows, Hope, and SC Tuition Grant programs, document review and processing, verification of eligibility for federal Title IV financial aid, and organization of the office's filing system. The Senior Financial Aid Counselor must remain up-to-date on federal and state regulations to ensure compliance and must be able to communicate well with students, faculty and staff, and outside agencies. The Senior Financial Aid Counselor must be able to organize, control, and follow through on major projects. Excellent computer skills are required and the candidate must perform complex computer operations and write reports. Oral and written communication skills are necessary.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• 30% - Provides applicants with information about aid sources, assists applicants by reviewing applications and other required documents for completeness and accuracy and communicates to applicants the items required to complete the file.
• 1% - Prepares and presents financial aid and financial literacy sessions to interested groups, students, parents, faculty and staff.
• 27% - Assists applicants with completion of the application and other required documents and promotes excellent customer service by assisting visitors to the office with various needs and answering telephone calls and emails according to an established schedule.
• 5% - Responsible for file processing and follow-up with students and parents on items needed and/or incomplete including award notification to students (letter and email).
• 5% - Coordinates and administers of all alternative loan programs utilizing the ELM platform
• 13% - Performs all duties related to the administration, documentation, review, awarding and reconciliation of the College's federal workstudy and institutional employment programs. Duties include:
  • Coordination with departmental supervisors concerning placement of student employees
  • Coordination with campus technology to ensure the online application process is functioning correctly and all available positions are being advertised.
  • Coordination with the payroll clerk to reconcile student employment records monthly.
  • Update PowerFAIDS student employment module to reflect monthly earnings.
  • Reconcile FWS program monthly between PowerFAIDS, payroll, and budget.
• 1% - Supervises the Student Financial Aid student employees
• 1% - Reviews all incoming documents (via mail, email, or other electronic medium) and performs the initial review of all financial aid applications selected for verification.
• 1% - Performs all duties related to the administration of the Federal Pell Grant Progam to include:
  • Student eligibility review
  • Pell grant record origination
  • Pell grant disbursement processing
  • Transmit and receive files from the Department of Educaiton via EdConnect
  • Monthly reconciliation of the program with a report to the Associate Vice President for Student Financial Services.
• 2% - Supervise the Financial Planning Office's student employees.
• 10% - Administers all aspects of the SC State Financial Aid Programs (SCTG, LIFE, HOPE, Palmetto Fellows) including student eligibility review (including ensuring awardees meet residency and program requirements), awarding, reporting to state agencies (includes invoices, returns, etc.), coordinating disbursements, and reconciliation of the programs.
• 1% - Maintains the office's filing system, ensuring files are kept up to date and accurate.
• 1% - Special projects and support work as assigned by the Associate Director of Financial Planning or the Associate Vice President for Student Financial Services
• Adheres to Converse College, Conference Carolinas, and NCAA policies and procedures
• 1% - Complete other duties as assigned
• 1% - Complete other duties as assigned

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

Minimum Qualifications:

• BA degree in business or related field and 2 years of experience in higher education and/or financial administration

Preferred Qualifications

• MA degree
• Knowledge of Title IV financial aid regulations, rules, policies, and procedures.
• Knowledge of SC state financial aid regulations, rules, policies, and procedures.
• Prior experience in higher education and/or financial aid administration

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Ability to speak publicly is a must.
• Excellent customer service and telephone skills are required.
• Computer proficiency required.
• Must have good attention to detail.
• Ability to work flexible hours.
• Openness to work with all Converse administrative and academic departments.
• Ability to perform multiple tasks.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills are required.
• Ability to exercise good judgment and handle confidential information in a discrete and professional manner.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and other Microsoft office products.
• Organizational skills and ability to prioritize tasks
• Ability to work independently or as a part of a team
• Well-grounded philosophy of honesty, integrity, and respect
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with various constituents including both internal to the organization and with the public
• Ability to work with and engage a diverse group of people
• Ability to work independently yet value and support a team-based environment
• Demonstrated professionalism and positive attitude

Work Schedule:

Monday through Thursday - 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Friday - 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Licenses:

Valid SC Driver's License

DISCLAIMER: The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this classification. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to do this job.

We believe that a diverse faculty and staff are essential to achieving academic excellence; thus, we strongly encourage applications from candidates from all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.