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Associate Director, Financial Aid Scholarships and Aid Programs

Wayne State University is searching for an experiencedAssociate Director, Financial Aid Scholarships and Aid Programsat its Detroit campus location.

Wayne State is a premier, public, urban research university located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education. Our deep-rooted commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion creates exceptional educational opportunities which prepare students for success in a global society.

Essential functions (job duties):

JOB PURPOSE

The Associate Director, Financial Aid Scholarships and Aid Programs oversees the financial aid scholarship and fiscal operations within the Office of Student Financial Aid. Reporting to the Senior Associate Director, Financial Aid Compliance and Training, this position ensures financial stewardship, regulatory compliance, and accurate delivery of aid.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

(Essential functions are the primary duties/major job responsibilities that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. The essential functions are listed in order of importance.)

Essential Function

% Time

Demonstrates administrative capability as a financial aid administrator by ensuring practices, policies, and procedures follow Federal and State regulations. Maintains a thorough working knowledge of financial aid rules and regulations and keeps abreast of current trends and practices in higher education. Manage and execute more complex and complicated financial aid issues. Ensures all policies, practices, and procedures comply with federal and state regulations.

25%

Oversee the delivery, accountability, reporting, and reconciliation of institutional, state, private, and special aid programs. Manage comprehensive institutional scholarships and awards budget, monitoring, and forecasting fund balances to ensure all expenditures and disbursements align with budget guidelines.

25%

Develops, forecasts, and manages the comprehensive institutional financial aid fund budget. Ensures the timely reporting of all required fiscal reports. This includes preparing detailed statistical analyses and reports on scholarship and award activity, providing timely data to inform decision-making.

20%

Oversee the management of the scholarship platform and the awarding/distribution of private scholarships. Directs the implementation and maintenance of the University’s scholarship application and awarding system, ensuring effective monitoring and management of scholarship funds. Provides regular analysis and strategies to enhance resource utilization. This includes leading a team that manages the scholarship platform and oversees the awarding of endowed, institutional, state, and private scholarships, ensuring the timely and accurate distribution of funds.

20%

Contributes to the strategic direction of the office by serving as a functional and project leader on key initiatives. Supports staff development by providing guidance and fostering a collaborative environment. This position collaborates closely with Enrollment Management units to advance division-wide goals, particularly those related to enrollment, retention, and graduation. Represents the Senior Director on committees, task forces, and work groups within Enrollment Management and across the University to advance institutional priorities. Serves as a Liaison and resource to University personnel and/or external clients. Participates in University wide task forces and committee.

5%

Performs other related duties as assigned.

5%

WORK CONTEXT

This grid characterizes the position scope.

Job Reports to:

Senior Director/Chair

Leadership Accountability:

Develops strategic plans and interprets policy

Supervisory Accountability:

Supervises through management personnel

Organizational Accountability:

Manages sub-unit of a department

Financial Accountability:

Manages operating budget

Customer Accountability:

Interfaces with officials and executives

Freedom to Act:

Operates with significant autonomy

Unique duties:

Qualifications:

Education Bachelor's degree

- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required.

Master’s degree from an accredited college or university is preferred.

Experience Specialist (minimum 5 years of job-related experience)

- Experience in a leadership role in higher education and five (5) or more years in financial aid required.

- The successful candidate will have significant, proven leadership experience in financial aid.

- Demonstrated working knowledge of Financial Aid policies and business procedures/practices.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Communications Skills : Interpersonal skills, resolving conflicts, promoting cooperation, administering contracts, and providing outstanding customer service. Ability to create written reports and deliver oral presentations.

Technical Knowledge: Thorough knowledge of the theory and principles of financial aid rules and regulations along with understanding and ability to apply the rules and regulations in practice. Forecast industry changes to keep WSU competitive in recruitment and retention of students.

Interpersonal Skills: Effective interpersonal and customer service skills. Ability to manage pressure situations, including dealing with sensitive and confidential human relations situations. Ability to exercise professional judgment when financial aid program guidelines do not seem to adequately address a specific situation is also essential

Supervisory Skills : Ability to delegate work, set clear direction and manage workflow. Skill and experience in mentoring and coaching personnel. Ability to train, develop, assess, and offer feedback to staff members. Skill in development of teamwork among staff members.

Analytical Skills : Ability to compare, contrast and quality check work with attention to detail. Strong analytical skills including critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Ability to forecast resource needs and project processing deliverables.

Computer Skills: Proficient in the use of Banner and Microsoft Office tools, including Excel. Project Management/SMARTSHEETS, Salesforce, or other CRM systems. Statistical analysis including SPSS. Experience with database query and table design. Cognos report writer.

Organizational Improvement Skills: Must possess skill in developing new policies and procedures, identifying methods to anticipate student needs, developing ways to address and implement changing regulations, and working on committees as well as with other University departments to improve services.

Preferred qualifications:

School/College/Division:

H92 - VP Student Affairs

Primary department:

H9247

Employment type:

+ Regular Employee

+ Job type: Full Time

+ Job category: Staff/Administrative

Funding/salary information:

+ Compensation type: Annual Salary

+ Hourly rate:

+ Salary minimum:

+ Salary hire maximum: $92,947

Working conditions:

Normal office environment.

Job openings:

+ Number of openings: 1

+ Reposted position: No

+ Reposted reason: None (New Requisition)

+ Prior posting/requisition number:

Background check requirements:

University policy requires certain persons who are offered employment to undergo a background check, including a criminal history check, before starting work. If you are offered employment, the university will inform you if a background check is required.

The university welcomes applications from persons with disabilities and veterans. Wayne State is an equal opportunity employer.