Associate Director - Financial Aid & Scholarships

Job Summary

The Associate Director will be the visionary leader responsible for establishing the new centralized scholarship office at Sacramento State. The successful candidate will display exceptional attention to detail, strong organizational and interpersonal skills, and the ability to work collaboratively with and provide superior customer service to internal and external constituents. 
The incumbent will possess the proven ability to identify and establish a detailed project plan and successfully execute the implementation of the project plan; meeting established milestones set through the collaboration and planning with all involved key stakeholders. 
Through the continued close collaboration with campus partners the Associate Director will facilitate discussion, listen to issues and ideas brought forward and analyze required components necessary to establish policy, procedure and guidelines to be followed across campus. All established policy, procedure and guidelines will be monitored through the centralized scholarship office and under the general direction of the Associate Director. 
The Associate Director will oversee the campus efforts to move all scholarship opportunities to a single application for students followed by a standard review and selection procedure, creating a more streamlined and efficient process while also adhering to consistent policies and procedures for all campus stakeholders. This centralized process will facilitate the timely award and distribution of scholarship funds as well as facilitate the coordination of resources with other financial aid awards to the fullest extent possible. 
The incumbent will be outgoing and engaging, as they frequently interact with faculty, staff, advancement services and on occasion, scholarship donors. They will recognize the diversity on campus and the diverse needs of our students and possess the ability to respectfully navigate discussions among all constituents, hearing all viewpoints, providing guidance and establishing necessary direction. 
The Associate Director must remain knowledgeable of all rules and regulations governing scholarship administration; including but not limited to Title IV federal regulation, education code and rules such as; Title IX and Prop 209. They will recognize the importance of and be responsible for educating the campus community on rules and guidelines the campus must follow to remain compliant. They will be responsible for communicating updates and changes to any and all policies governing scholarship administration and will revisit all policy, procedures and guidelines, as a result of any regulatory change. 
The Associate Director will be held accountable to establish a strong team of future leaders through day to day mentorship and guidance. The team will identify their shared mission, vision and core values that will drive their success. As the office matures, the team will become self-sufficient in handling the day to day operations allowing the Associate Director to remain a strong campus partner and continue to facilitate discussion and listen to feedback in order for scholarship operations to continuously evolve to leverage new technologies, balance new regulations, and meet student and donor expectations; where reasonable. They will work closely with University Advancement Services as well as College and campus leadership to support the scholarship program, ensure scholarships are awarded per donor specifications and money is spent in a timely manner each academic year. The incumbent is the designated liaison to development directors, faculty, and all campus scholarship administrators for purpose of providing oversight for the selection and awarding of funds, ongoing administrator training and procedural direction, as needed.

Required Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree required and 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in leadership and change management 
2. Five (5) or more years of progressively responsible management experience with at least three (3) years of direct supervisory experience. 
3. Demonstrated project management experience in strategic planning, program development, and resource allocation with proven ability to track success toward key milestone dates and defined deliverables 
4. Knowledge of policies, regulations, and practices for awarding financial aid with advanced knowledge and experience with scholarship program(s) 
5. Foundational knowledge of student life cycle and financial aid awarding cycle 
6. Familiarity with donor databases, such as Advance, Engage, etc. 
7. Proficiency in technology and technology system solutions, such as PeopleSoft, OnBase Workflow, MS Office Suite, etc. And the critical role technology plays in planning, maintaining and assessing operations 
8. Experience reviewing, analyzing, and reconciling a large portfolio with multiple accounts; with expertise using electronic spreadsheets, such as Microsoft Excel 
9. Proven track record providing exemplary customer service to students, faculty, staff as well as external partners 
10. Clear communicator and collaborator with experience handling sensitive situations with care and compassion while also adhering to guidelines, as necessary 
11. Demonstrate attention to detail, strong analytical and problem-solving skills 
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT 
- Ability to pass background check post conditional offer.

Preferred Qualifications

12. Master’s Degree in related field with higher education experience and background in scholarship award management 
13. Experience with Scholarship Administration software, such as Blackbaud, Imaging & Workflow, Adobe sign or other similar tools 
14. Experience working with donors regarding scholarship gift agreements and scholarship specifications, including an understanding of limitations, such as Prop 209