Associate Director, Financial Aid Systems and Digital Strategy

General summary/purpose:

The University Student Services Financial Aid team of the Johns Hopkins University (JHU), one of the world’s premier research universities, is seeking an exceptional individual to join our team as the Associate Director of Financial Aid Systems and Digital Strategy. Reporting to the Director of University Financial Aid Operations, the Associate Director leads the team within Financial Aid Shared Services that has the primary responsibility for the management of PowerFAIDs, NetPartner, OnBase, Salesforce, and other auxiliary applications, as well as directing the overall use of technology for the university financial aid office. The Associate Director works closely with the Director of University Financial Aid Operations to design, implement, and integrate financial aid processes, workflows, technology, and reports which enhance operational efficiency and administrative decision-making. This position will serve a key leadership role in the planning and implementation of PowerFAIDS Cloud. The Associate Director also works closely with financial aid staff, University Information Systems (UIS), and University Data Warehouse (UDW) to ensure all processes function effectively to successfully meet University enrollment and student experience goals.

The ideal candidate must be committed to the principles of access and diversity, providing the best customer service and student support experience to our families, and thrive in a fast-paced environment where expectations for performance and productivity are high.

This position offers the option to work remotely, but the candidate must have the ability to participate in meetings, receive and make phone calls, and attend in person training and conferences, as needed.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities:

• Manage the overall administration of technology in the university financial aid office including, but not limited to, all systems processing and reporting aspects of PowerFAIDS, data and user security, data distribution, electronic file imports/exports (COD, CPS etc.), and ad hoc reports.
• Serve as the primary contact with College Board technical customer service representatives, and as the liaison between university financial aid services, divisional (campus based) staff, and UIS.
• Work closely with stakeholders to coordinate daily systems operations and batch production scheduling to enhance operational efficiency for consistent and timely service.
• Conduct PowerFAIDS configuration, maintenance, parameter roll forward, and testing of new releases.
• Serve as lead team member for the configuration, testing, integration and implementation of new systems and technology related to financial aid operations.
• Provide functional leadership on the PowerFAIDS Cloud implementation team.
• Prepare and lead meetings to notify staff of technology features and upgrades.
• Anticipate, evaluate, and troubleshoot errors and problems related to PowerFAIDS and OnBase, and liaise with UIS as needed to resolve system and data transfer/update issues, also notify staff in a timely manner of any issues and scheduled maintenance/downtime.
• Supervise, train, and evaluate the Assistant Director for Financial Aid Systems & Digital Strategy and two Financial Aid Operation Specialists
• Monitor systems functions and related reports to ensure process optimization between PowerFAIDS, Slate, SIS, OnBase etc.
• Manage the financial aid document processing team, ensuring that all financial aid application materials are processed in a timely, accurate and efficient manner for all 8 academic divisions.
• Regularly participate in on- and off-campus training to maintain expertise in all areas of financial aid and financial aid systems to ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations.
• Develop, document, maintain and monitor policies and procedures to ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations.
• Prepare and deliver training, including, but not limited to, technology and reporting, to financial aid staff.
• Develop and maintain procedures and reports related to annual federal, state and institutional audits; assist with compilation of this data.
• Participate in cross-functional working groups and committees.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
• Five years of related experience, including detailed knowledge and understanding of the Title IV student financial aid rules and regulations.
• Comprehensive knowledge of and technical ability to use databases and interfaces associated with the administration of federal, state, and institutional financial aid.
• Extensive knowledge of the PowerFAIDS financial aid management system, or other comparable financial aid systems, including setup, configuration, and maintenance.
• Experience with automating processes and technology/process implementation.
• Experience processing federal, state, institutional, and private financial aid.
• Excellent data analysis skills.
• Demonstrated resourcefulness and ability to work independently to problem-solve.
• Ability to translate functional requirements/needs into a set of instructions for programmers and system engineers.

JHU Equivalency Formula: 30 undergraduate degree credits (semester hours) or 18 graduate degree credits may substitute for one year of experience. Additional related experience may substitute for required education on the same basis. For jobs where equivalency is permitted, up to two years of non-related college course work may be applied towards the total minimum education/experience required for the respective job.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree preferred.
• Five or more years of experience with PowerFAIDS.
• Knowledge of OnBase, Slate, Salesforce.
• Understanding of and experience with relational databases.
• Ability to review, write and execute SQL queries.
• Supervisory experience.

Special Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Outstanding customer service and communication (both oral and written) skills.
• Ability to manage multiple work streams, ensuring that they are conducted within policy, procedural and compliance guidelines; that best practices are followed, and technology and automation are leveraged at every opportunity.
• Lead, mentor, and provide opportunities for professional growth to a team of three.
• Set team performance goals; make recommendations for training and development.
• Accuracy and attention to detail in all aspects of the position.
• Exceptional initiative, judgment, confidentiality, and discretion.
• Strong planning and organizational skills, and ability to manage competing priorities and work independently.
• Demonstrated ability to drive collaboration across the organization, including leading project teams that involve stakeholders from a variety of units and divisions.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, cultural responsiveness, and the ability to work in a diverse, matrixed organization; the ability to work independently and as a member of a team.
• Flexibility in dealing with a diverse culture, and commitment to diversity and to serving the needs of a diverse population.
• Proficiency in data management systems and computer applications.
• Experience with student financial aid data management systems and federal software (FAA Access, EDconnect, COD, NSLDS etc.), and knowledge of financial aid reporting requirements.

Classified Title: Associate Dir. Financial Aid Systems
Working Title: Associate Director, Financial Aid Systems and Digital Strategy
Role/Level/Range: ACRP/04/ME
Starting Salary Range: Commensurate With Experience
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: M - F / 8:30am - 5:00pm
Exempt Status: Exempt
Location: 01-MD:Homewood Campus
Department name: 60010802-Shared Services Organization (SSO)
Personnel area: University Student Services

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check.

If you are interested in applying for employment with The Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the HR Business Services Office atjhurecruitment@jhu.edu. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711.

The following additional provisions may apply depending on which campus you will work. Your recruiter will advise accordingly.

During the Influenza ("the flu") season, as a condition of employment, The Johns Hopkins Institutions require all employees who provide ongoing services to patients or work in patient care or clinical care areas to have an annual influenza vaccination or possess an approved medical or religious exception. Failure to meet this requirement may result in termination of employment.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.

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