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The primary location of this position is the Cullowhee, NC campus. This position is designated as being exempt from the State of North Carolina Human Resources Act (EHRA).
Western Carolina University, a constituent member of the University of North Carolina system, seeks an experienced financial aid professional to serve as the Associate Director of Financial Aid. The office administers over $95,000,000 of aid annually and has a student enrollment exceeding 11,000 students.
The Office of Financial Aid is housed in the Division of Student Affairs and reports to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Enrollment. The Associate Director of Financial Aid provides backup leadership and supervision of 10 full-time staff members as well as one part-time staff member.
The Associate Director will work closely with Undergraduate Enrollment (Undergraduate Enrollment includes the Offices of Financial Aid, New Student Orientation, Undergraduate Admission, and University Scholarships) and numerous campus partners and units (e.g., university registrar, director of admissions, bursar, dean of students, etc.).
The Associate Director will assist the Director of Financial Aid in establishing and implementing institutional policies and procedures to comply with Federal Title IV regulation and overseeing the administration of federal, state, institutional, and private financial aid programs. The Associate Director of Financial Aid is a deputy department head and supervises financial aid personnel and must possess a strong commitment to client service and a collaborative approach to problem solving.
The position assists in all aspects of processing undergraduate and graduate aid and must collaborate with other campus units to provide appropriate services to both currently enrolled students and prospective students. The Associate Director may serve as needed on other university committees or initiatives.
The ideal candidate should possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:
Leadership & Management
- Demonstrated skills in organizational leadership, supervision, and management.
- Ability to oversee and support financial aid staff, ensuring consistent service and operational efficiency.
- Experience monitoring productivity and implementing solutions to enhance team performance.
- Strong ability to identify and resolve operational challenges in a fast-paced environment.
Financial Aid Knowledge & Compliance
- Extensive knowledge of federal, state, institutional, and private financial aid programs.
- Expertise in Title IV regulations, financial aid policies, and compliance requirements.
- Strong familiarity with automated financial aid systems, including COD, FPS, and NSLDS.
- Ability to generate ad hoc reports using SQL and analyze financial aid data.
Student Services & Communication
- Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills for student and stakeholder engagement.
- Ability to work collaboratively with university departments and external partners.
- Experience coordinating and overseeing student communications, ensuring timely and accurate financial aid information.
- Commitment to exceptional customer service, including training and coaching staff to provide high-quality support.
Training & Policy Implementation
- Experience developing and updating training materials for financial aid staff.
- Ability to implement and enforce university policies and procedures related to financial aid.
- Strong attention to detail in maintaining proper documentation and compliance records.
Minimum Qualifications
- Candidates must be legally eligible to work in the United States of America without the need for any immigration-related employer sponsorship.
- Master’s degree from an accredited institution.
- Three to five years of demonstrated experience serving in roles with progressive responsibilities. Experience should demonstrate increasing responsibility in areas such as policy implementation, staff supervision, program management, and compliance with regulations or guidelines. Strong skills in process improvement, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration are highly valued.
Preferred Qualifications
- Three or more years of direct supervisory experience in a financial aid office.
- Experience with Banner or other student information systems.
- Proficiency with SQL-based reporting and financial aid data analysis.
- Experience managing financial aid reconciliation processes.
- Familiarity with Automic and TD Client or other automation tools used in financial aid processing.
- Experience working in a high-enrollment institution (10,000+ students).
- Demonstrated success in process improvement and policy development for financial aid administration.
- Active involvement in state or national financial aid organizations (e.g., NASFAA, SASFAA
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