Summary:

• The Financial Aid Specialist will be involved in multiple aspects of financial aid administration and the main responsibility is to complete non-student-facing processing for either the Disbursement & Exceptions team or the Refund Team.
• Areas of responsibility include complex and heavily regulated processing which requires specialized knowledge of financial aid regulations.
• Further, duties will vary based on team assignment but include from conducting file reviews, ISIR reviews, approving financial aid awards, managing state-based funds such as Cal Grant, completing tuition obligation and R2T4 calculations, processing stipends, monitoring, and resolving title IV credit balances, processing refunds, NSLDS reporting, import/export file processing, resolving disbursement and origination errors, evaluating, and approving institutional aid, SEOG and private loan batches, completing various reports as direct.
• While this position is not student-facing, customer service is a critical aspect of this role as it supports all WCU and/or ACC campuses and works closely with various internal departments for resolution of issues and completion of multi-step processes.

Responsibilities:

• All Financial Aid Specialists are responsible for:
  • Managing their assigned activity queue to ensure all activities are completed accurately and on time.
  • Completing required reporting each week as prescribed by their leader. This includes reconciliation reporting, productivity reporting and assigned reports.
  • Review ISIRs where appropriate as a part of their assigned processes.
  • Document activities, action taken, and guidance to campus as necessary in the Student Information System.
  • Adheres to College/University policies and procedures and conducts job responsibilities in accordance with the standards set out in the College/University’s policies and procedures, applicable federal and state laws, and applicable professional standards.
  • Other duties as assigned.
• Based on team assignment, the Financial Aid Specialist will have the following responsibilities: 
  • Refund Team
    • Complete tuition obligations and R2T4 calculations for all students that drop or take a leave of absence. 
    • Process refunds
    • Process campus stipend requests
    • Process Title IV credit balances
    • Process NSLDS (SSCR) reports

• • Disbursement & Exceptions:
    • Resolve or re-assign origination and disbursement errors. 
    • Review manual batches to ensure criteria met for all batches; prepare batches for approval. 
    • Evaluate and initiate appropriate action to resolve, or override exceptions. 
    • Resolve or adjust rejected disbursements in Anthology.
    • Reverse or adjust refunds in COD.
    • Proficient reviewing the cash flow, past due, and exception reports.
    • Import/Export files through the Mailbox Manager.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited College or University is preferred.
  • Experienced candidates will be considered without a degree provided they have more than 5 years of financial aid experience and a combination of experience and education comparable to a bachelor’s degree.
• Requires proficient knowledge of standards and processes within financial aid, plus experience supporting campus operations in an educational setting.
• Three (3) years of financial aid experience with campus support/customer service experience required.
• May not be in default on a federal student loan or owe repayment on a federal grant.
• Demonstrates highest level of integrity, professional ethics, and confidentiality in all interactions.
• Higher than average computer skills and strong time management skills.
• Ability to meet strict deadlines and complete work on time, ability to adapt to a changing fast-paced environment, and ability to manage multiple, varied tasks with accuracy.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• This is an onsite position where you will work in our administrative office in Irvine on a daily basis.

Compensation:

• $31.36 - $42.34/hour
• Great Benefits Package

#LI-CM1

#HEJ

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) match, paid time off, holidays, parental leave, tuition reimbursement, adoption assistance, health savings accounts, employee discounts, commuter benefits, and company paid life, AD&D and LTD insurance