Financial Aid Counselor

Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination Statement

In addition to its commitment to a harassment-free educational and working environment, the College is an equal employment opportunity employer. The College is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable state and federal laws on the matter. The College does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including gender, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition or medical leave, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law. The College also prohibits the harassment of any employee on any of these bases.

Location:

Claremont, CA

Job Posting Title:

Financial Aid Counselor

Job Details and Requirement:

BASIC FUNCTION:

The Financial Aid Counselor is responsible as administrative support for a broad range of administrative services in the Office of Financial Aid and assisting in the federal and institutional financial aid programs and processes. This position is also responsible for advising and counseling prospective and current students and parents on all aspects of the financial aid process and financial literacy. Ideal candidates should be technologically savvy with great customer service skills and an interest in learning various federal and institutional financial aid programs.

The Financial Aid Counselor reports to the Director of Financial Aid and works independently and collaboratively to uphold the highest levels of customer service to all students and families representing a broad range of backgrounds as it relates to federal and institutional aid processes, timelines, and communications.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

The Financial Aid Counselor performs the following essential duties and responsibilities, but is not limited to the following and must perform other duties as assigned.

Counseling/Communications (60%)

• Counsel prospective and current students and their families in person, virtually, or by telephone on all aspects of financial aid application processing, need analysis, appeal processing, packaging, financing options and financial literacy, including information on institutional, federal, and state financial aid programs.
• Provide ongoing customer service to campus community, work-study employers, other College employees and outside services.
• Participate in crafting messages for effective and accurate communication with students and families.
• Maintain a positive, customer service-oriented office atmosphere while providing administrative support and oversight of daily operations.
• Respond to status check queries via email or phone and escalate calls and emails to the Senior Assistant Director as needed.
• Conduct verification of application data in adherence with U.S. Department of Education guidelines, including reviewing federal tax returns and other documentation to determine aid eligibility.
• Responsible for updating financial aid communications, including letters, messages, social media, Net Partner, as well as working with Web Communications team to update the financial aid website.

System Maintenance (25%)

• Maintain and control confidential student files and records. Track financial aid applications and review related paperwork for completeness and accuracy. Load necessary documents to the OnBase document imaging system.
• Regularly review applicant documents/application submissions on the College Board’s IDOC document imaging system and the U.S. Department of Education’s Central Processing System (CPS) and Common Origination and Disbursement System (COD) to ensure that documents and applications submitted are appropriately tracked in the PowerFAIDS financial aid management system.
• Maintain applicant records by removing duplicate records between admission systems, financial aid systems, and document imaging systems.
• Monitor all student address change records from the Office of the Registrar. Ensure that all address changes are appropriately updated in PowerFAIDS, COD, and National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) as needed.
• Assist with daily batch processes, including ISIR and PROFILE data downloads, as well as data transfer to and from other systems on campus (i.e., Slate, Jenzabar, etc.).
• Assist with online queries, corrections, and updates to Department of Education Systems including COD, National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and the Federal Central Processing System (CPS).

Oversight of CMC Office of Financial Aid Student Workers (10%)

• Monitor the recruitment, onboarding, training, feedback and evaluation process for the office’s Undergraduate and Graduate Financial Aid Assistants.
• Oversee Financial Aid Assistants as they represent the Office of Financial Aid in the social media space, promoting engagements through individual appointments, group sessions, and other services for prospective and enrolled students and their parents.
• Update the Undergraduate/Graduate Financial Aid Assistant training binder with morning and evening shift duties, punctuality, CMC policies and practices, and proper phone and email etiquette. Maintain and build the standard email (or canned) messages guide.
• Design, customize and maintain social media Instagram account and profiles.
• Monitor activity on Instagram and track analytics and campaign statistics.
• Stay current with social media trends, language, outlets, and resources on how to best promote the Office of Financial Aid and provide information.

Other (5%)

• Assist the Senior Assistant Director in maintaining all off-campus work-study processing including updating annual employer agreements, coordinating accurate and timely approval of student time sheets by off-campus work-study employers, and billing for the off-campus employer share of work-study payroll.
• Assist with all aspects of outside agency scholarships and tuition remission, alternative loan certifications, enrollment verifications, and disbursement processing, as needed.
• On a regular basis, maintain office supplies and adequate supplies of all other forms, brochures, and information.
• Pick-up, screen, and distribute mail. Use judgment in routing and prioritizing mail that requires immediate attention.
• Assist in processing staff expense reports within the Workday financials system, as needed.

Perform other essential duties and tasks specific to the position. Some evening and weekend hours are expected during heavy work volume periods.

Regular attendance is considered an essential job function; the inability to meet attendance requirements may preclude the employee from retaining employment. 

QUALIFICATION STANDARDS & SKILLS:

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree is required or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.

EXPERIENCE: A minimum of six months working in general office experience with increasing responsibility. At least one year of experience in related financial aid or student personnel customer service positions with significant computer experience preferred.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES: Individual must possess knowledge, skills, and ability to be able to successfully perform the essential functions of the position or be able to explain or demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of knowledge skills and abilities.

• Commitment to excellent customer service.
• Professional skills in collaboration with colleagues to best promote the College’s strategic interests.
• Significant experience working in a Windows computer environment and ability to use applications including, but not limited to, word processing, spreadsheet, and database programs.
• Appreciation for and commitment to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work successfully individually and as a member of a team.
• Handle all activities and highly confidential information with patience, discretion, good judgment, courtesy and tact while working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
• Ability to meet deadlines and to manage a demanding schedule, accomplishing tasks with frequent interruptions.
• Exceptional prioritization skills and ability to perform multiple projects/tasks, meet deadlines/timelines, respond to others in a timely manner, and work both independently and collaboratively as a member of the College with a high standard of integrity and ethics, in support of the College’s strategic vision and the department’s annual goals.

OTHER:

REQUIRED HOURS: The regular hours for this full-time position are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday. Overtime, holiday, weekend and evening work hours may be required. Regular hours may vary due to needs of the College or division. A successful candidate must be willing to work a flexible schedule.

CLASSIFICATION AND STATUS: This is a regular, full-time, 12-month, non-exempt, benefits-eligible position.

Supervisor – AB1825:                                    No

Mandatory Reporter – CA Penal Code:         No

Responsible Employee – Title IX:                 No

Campus Security Authority – The Clery Act No

IPEDS Category Job Code:                            43-0000 - Office and Administrative Support Occupations (IPEDS Classification-United States of America)

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:    Moderate (up to 30 lbs.)

PAY RANGE: The anticipated pay range is $24.00 - $25.00 per hour.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None

REPORTS TO: Director of Financial Aid

GROOMING AND APPEARANCE: Employees are expected to wear attire that is appropriate to the office or department in which they work.

BACKGROUND CHECK: The successful candidate will be required to undergo a full consumer background check. Certain positions will require the successful completion of a post-offer physical agility test. Employment is contingent on the satisfactory results of the aforementioned, in addition to compliance with requirements cited in this job description.

ADA/OSHA: This job description defines the essential or fundamental job duties of this position.  It is assumed that employees hired for this position can perform the essential functions of this job without imposing risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of themselves or others. It may also include marginal functions, generally defined within Title 1 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

DISCLAIMER: This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this position. Duties and responsibilities can change and develop over time; accordingly the College reviews job descriptions on a periodic basis and may make changes of business necessity.

Claremont McKenna College hires and promotes individuals on the basis of their qualifications, consistent with applicable state and federal laws, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding or related medical condition, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic characteristic or information, military and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.Inquiries may be directed to the Director for Human Resources, 528 N. Mills Avenue, Claremont, California 91711-4015, (909) 621-8490.All applicants must complete and submit an online application to be considered for an open position.

Employment is contingent upon new employee providing documents verifying U.S. citizenship or, for aliens, documents verifying legal permission to work in the United States, applicant's acceptability for positions requiring use of a college vehicle is contingent upon a driving record acceptable to the College's automobile liability insurance. Promotion from within is encouraged whenever qualified employees of Claremont McKenna College are available. Interested employees of the College are urged to contact the Office of Human Resources if qualified for any open position. Please do not contact departments directly.

Disability Accommodations

In compliance with applicable laws ensuring equal opportunities to qualified individuals with a disability, CMC will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual (applicant or employee) with a disability if the disability affects the performance of essential job functions, unless the accommodation results in an undue hardship for the College. Employment decisions are based on the merit and not an individual’s disability.

An applicant or employee who requires an accommodation should contact the immediate supervisor and the Human Resources Office. If multiple accommodations are identified that do not pose an undue hardship for the College, the selection of an accommodation will be at CMC’s discretion. To request disability accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Human Resources at (909) 621-8490 or [email protected] for assistance.