Financial Aid Specialist at West Coast University in Irvine, California

Job Description:

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:

• $27.48 - $37.09/hour


• Great Benefits Package

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