Sr. Associate Director of Scholarship & Financial Aid - (STA009157)

Reports to the Executive Director of Scholarships and Financial Aid, the Senior Associate Director joins a dynamic team responsible for managing financial aid, educational financing, and other related services and programs for 37,000 students at the University of Houston. The Senior Associate Director serves in a leadership role and is responsible for administrative and operational support to fulfill the department's mission of serving students, particularly through oversight of the Scholarships and State Grant Programs functional area. In addition, the Senior Associate Director coordinates work with the Director of SFA Operations, including assisting with the annual packaging process for all students. This position supervises and trains a staff of exempt and non-exempt employees.

1. Plans, directs, and coordinates departmental operations to ensure departmental goals and objectives are met, which includes supervision of both hourly and exempt staff.
2. Reviews complex issues and concerns, and makes recommendations to SFA staff, departments and colleges regarding federal, state and institutional financial aid programs and eligibility.
3. Works with Institutional Research and Information Management to provide information necessary for reporting.
4. Responsible for effective staff management of the Scholarships and State Grants Functional Area; participates in the implementation and functional analysis of the Scholarship Universe system.
5. Assists SFA Director of Operations with testing, evaluation, and execution of packaging philosophy.
6. Collaborates with leadership team to evaluate and continuously improve financial aid policies and processes to improve delivery of aid to students.
7. Works to capitalize on the use of technology to support and enhance the business functions of SFA, as well as to support and enhance the objectives of the University's enrollment management plans.
8. Oversees the scholarship awarding/posting process for departmental and institutional scholarships, as well as accurately reporting SFA's endowed and direct gift scholarship funds in coordination with the Office of Advancement; oversees adjustment of students institutional scholarships to ensure the maximization of need-based, set-aside funds.
9. Works closely with Executive Director to carry out Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services annual assessments; leads department goal setting, planning, and process development; assists in producing annual reports for divisional review.
10. Ensures compliance with federal, state, and institutional financial aid requirements and auditing standards; assists in the testing of PeopleSoft modifications to ensure SFA remains compliant with federal and state regulations, as well as University policies and procedures. Collaborates with other student services to ensure the success of the overall student experience; maintain effective, collaborative working relationships with internal and external colleagues and constituents; may serve on division and campus-wide committees. Uses institutional reporting software and data analytic tools to create, maintain, and publish queries, reports, visualizations, dashboards, and metrics for use internally and externally as appropriate to support planning, assessment, and operational needs. Maintains a library of all electronic processes and procedures to be used as a reference for annual updates, staff training and continuous operations during times of absence. Participates in industry training and professional associations to remain current on policy, practice, and related regulations. Performs other job-related duties as required.

EEO/AA

Qualifications :

Bachelors and 5 years experience

Education: Requires a thorough understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects of an analytical, technical or professional discipline; or the basic knowledge of more than one professional discipline. Knowledge of the discipline is normally obtained through a formal, directly job-related 4 year degree from a college or university or an equivalent in-depth specialized training program that is directly related to the type of work being performed.Preferred: Master's degree.Experience: Requires a minimum of five (5) years of directly job-related experience.Preferred: 7+ years of experience & supervisory experience. Experience working with PeopleSoft, Scholarship Universe and Campus Labs.Certification/Licensing: None.Preferred: NASFAA accredited Certified Financial Aid Administration designation.