Merritt College

College Director of Financial Aid Services

Salary Range: $117,793 – $143,969/yr. The maximum initial placement is Step 3 depending on experience.

Application Deadline Date: Open Until Filled. First Review Date: April 1st, 2023. In order to be considered for the first screening, application materials must be submitted no later than 11:59pm PST on March 31th, 2023.

Full job description and OFFICIAL application available ONLY at: https://peraltaccd.peopleadmin.com/postings/6725

Job Description Summary

Reporting to the Dean of Enrollment Services, the College Director of Financial Aid Services performs professional supervisory work involved in strategic planning, implementation, supervision and evaluation of financial aid and related programs, services and staffing for a community college.

Under direction, the employee is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive program of student financial aid services, and for assessing their effectiveness relative to the student population. Public contact is extensive and includes students, staff, other educational institutions, funding and governmental agencies, and the general public for the purpose of exchanging information related to College and District policies and related procedures. A high degree of independent judgment and creativity is required to interpret and adapt required regulations to District policies and procedures, and to develop, implement and evaluate a variety of student programs. The College Director of Financial Aid Services supervises and directs the work of staff at various levels, student assistants and volunteers as assigned.

Duties & Responsibilities

Any one position may not include all of the duties listed nor do listed examples include all tasks which may be found in positions of this class. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty of the position satisfactorily.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions required for the position.

• Exchanges information with funding sources, government agency representatives, students, staff, other educational institutions, and the general public regarding College and District financial aid and related program policies and procedures

• Serves as primary technical resource for the College and District regarding financial aid and various related student services

• Attends workshops, conferences, and other events to obtain current information related to financial aid and related student services

• Makes presentations to small and large groups to publicize and present information related to the services offered, eligibility and follow-up

• Participates in student recruitment teams

• Drives a motor vehicle to visit off-campus sites

• Trains, supervises and evaluates the work of staff

• Makes recommendations for the employment of new staff

• Confers with management and other staff regarding short and long-range service delivery, program planning, implementation, evaluation of program services and staff

• Implements a continuing education training program for staff to update employees on required program elements

• Sets up and maintains a database of student and funding agency records in conjunction with other College, information technology and other District staff; enters, modifies and retrieves confidential and other detailed online data regarding student participants and program services

• Directs and participates in the design of required College and District forms

• Provides input into the design and modification of various computer programs, screens and reports

• Uses a variety of computer software to research, compile data for, format and prepare financial, demographic, statistical and

other special and regular reports, correspondence, electronic communications and other materials

• Tracks and reports on trends in student population changes, economic status, college completion rates, student usage or related College services, and other data

• Researches data for and completes required funding agency and District reports and surveys

• Makes presentations to management and other groups about status of financial aid and other related student services

• Researches and initiates new funding resources of student financial aid; directs a student job placement program

• Serves as primary program director for new financial aid and related student services programs

• Composes and prepares reports, correspondence, memoranda, and other written materials

• Develops and maintains written documentation of financial and related student services policies and procedures, including desk

manuals and publicity materials

• Confers with students, staff and others, as applicable, to resolve complex application and eligibility issues; reviews funding and

other student applications, and issues final decisions regarding eligibility

• Confers with lead and other staff to evaluate student eligibility, program changes, enrollment trends, strategic plans for program

updates, improvements in customer services, timelines, required deadlines, and other logistical issues

• Weekend and evening hours may be required.

• Performs other related duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree in business administration or a closely related field.

2. Five years’ experience of increasing responsibility in financial assistance or related eligibility and client services that has included educational, governmental, private, and other agency financial donors.

3. One (1) year of experience training, directing, supervising, and evaluating the work of others.

4. Experience with the implementation and evaluation of detailed regulations.

5. Experience compiling statistical, financial, and other data and preparing a variety of reports.

6. Knowledge and proficiency in the use of spreadsheets and use of personal computers utilizing various software applications (i.e.,

work processing, spreadsheet and database management software)

7. Applicant must have demonstrated cultural competency, sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and ethnic backgrounds of community college staff, faculty, and students.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

1. Knowledge of the resources available for financial aid, such as loans, grants, vouchers and scholarships to California community

college districts.

2. Knowledge of the regulations, policies and required procedures of student financial aid funding resources.

3. Skill in strategic program planning, implementation, evaluation and modification.

4. Knowledge of management techniques related to budgeting, reporting, and record keeping of financial and other student data.

5. Skill in training, supervising and evaluating the work of staff.

6. Skill in planning, implementing and evaluating a program budget.

7. Skill in using a variety of computer software and a database to set up and track complex data, research, format, and prepare

statistical, financial and other reports, correspondence, and other materials.

8. Ability to communicate effectively with people at various levels within an organization who are diverse in their cultures, language

groups and abilities.

9. Skill in oral communication, including persuasive communication and public speaking.

10. Ability to establish and maintain an effective and efficient work team which promotes high-quality customer service

Environmental Demands

• Occasional work performed alone

• Constant work around and with people

Other Requirements

• Occasional standing, walking, stooping, kneeling, squatting, and climbing stairs

• Occasional lifting and carrying up to 15 lbs.

• Occasional pushing and pulling up to 20 lbs.

• Occasional twisting of body

• Occasional use of manual dexterity

• Occasional use of tactile acuity

• Occasional use of visual acuity from a distance, with depth, and for color

• Frequent work at a rapid pace

• Frequent reaching, high, low, and level

• Frequent audio acuity at all ranges, including speech

• Frequent visual acuity for reading

• Constant sitting

• Constant use of clear oral communication