Assistant Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships

Overview

Be part of what’s next for Financial Aid & Scholarships at Auburn University!

The Office of Enrollment Management is expanding and building a new model for Financial Aid & Scholarships with a focus on strengthening services, improving the student experience, and preparing the department for the future. These newly created positions provide an opportunity to join the team during this exciting transformation and help shape the way Financial Aid & Scholarships serves Auburn students.

The Assistant Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships provides operational leadership for assigned financial aid and scholarship functions, supervises staff, and partners with academic departments and campus stakeholders to support student success. This position also provides guidance on complex financial aid and scholarship matters, compliance requirements, process improvement, and service delivery.

We’re looking for a higher education professional with strong supervisory and relationship-building skills who enjoys solving problems, improving processes, and working collaboratively across campus. Experience with scholarships and academic departments is valuable, while direct financial aid experience is a plus.

This is an on-campus opportunity for a higher education professional looking to take on a leadership role and help build something new.

Special Instructions:
Upload a single document containing your resume and a cover letter tailored specifically to this position under the "Resume Upload" section (maximum file size: 5 MB). 

Responsibilities

• Supervises assigned staff responsible for financial aid and scholarship operations, including assigning and reviewing work, providing day-to-day functional guidance and coaching, monitoring performance, supporting accountability, and ensuring consistent service delivery.
• Provides operational leadership for assigned financial aid and scholarship functions within the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships including scholarship administration, aid adjustments, federal aid processes, and student service workflows, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant administration of student aid.
• Oversees or supports assigned federal aid and compliance processes, which may include federal and private loan processing, return to Title IV calculations, FAFSA verification, Federal Work-Study, withdrawal reviews, professional judgment referrals, appeal options, and required aid adjustments.
• Interprets and applies federal, state, institutional, and donor-related requirements to resolve complex student, operational, and compliance-related matters involving aid eligibility, cost of attendance, overawards, conflicting resources, withdrawal impacts, or required aid adjustments.
• Serves as a functional expert and primary resource for staff, students, academic units, and campus partners regarding financial aid and scholarship processes, systems, timelines, policies, regulatory requirements, donor guidelines, and annual awarding expectations.
• Oversees assigned student appeals processes, where applicable, including Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeals, scholarship appeals, professional judgments, dependency appeals, special circumstances, and cost of attendance adjustments, ensuring consistent review, documentation, communication, and compliance with applicable requirements.
• Evaluates scholarships, outside resources, fellowship payments, tuition benefits, departmental awards, and other forms of assistance to determine impact on cost of attendance, financial need, aid eligibility, overawards, excess resources, and Title IV compliance.
• Provides functional coaching, cross-process guidance, and subject matter expertise to assigned staff to strengthen operational knowledge, compliance awareness, continuity of operations, accountability, and consistent application of integrated financial aid and scholarship processes.
• Collaborates with systems and data staff to test, verify, troubleshoot, and document awarding, renewal, cancellation, reconciliation, reporting, and aid adjustment processes to support accuracy, audit readiness, and consistent application of procedures.
• Identifies and implements process improvements, procedural updates, annual awarding instructions, and communication strategies that support operational consistency, compliance, service delivery, and the continued integration of Financial Aid & Scholarships; provides subject matter input to training and reference materials developed for staff and campus partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree-no specific discipline.
• 6 years of experience in financial aid and/or scholarship administration, student financial services.

Desired Qualifications:

• A degree in Business Management, Finance, or Accounting is desired.
• 2 years of experience directly supervising full-time employees preferred.

Please note: The salary range for this position is budgeted between $75,200- $87,600, based on available funding and internal compensation guidelines.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of federal, state, institutional, and donor-related regulations, policies, and procedures governing the administration of financial aid and scholarship programs.
• Knowledge of Title IV federal student aid requirements, including aid eligibility, cost of attendance, overawards, Return to Title IV, FAFSA verification, Federal Work-Study, loan processing, and required aid adjustments.
• Knowledge of scholarship administration processes, including selection support, awarding, renewal, cancellation, reconciliation, donor requirements, and coordination with academic colleges, departments, and campus partners.
• Ability to interpret, apply, and communicate complex financial aid and scholarship regulations, policies, procedures, and system requirements to students, staff, and campus partners.
• Ability to supervise, coach, and provide functional guidance to staff responsible for financial aid and scholarship operations.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in resolving complex student, operational, compliance, and service-related matters.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, maintain accuracy, and exercise strong attention to detail in a high-volume, compliance-driven environment.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with staff, supervisors, academic units, campus partners, and external stakeholders to support coordinated service delivery and operational consistency.
• Skill in reviewing, analyzing, and reconciling student aid information, scholarship data, eligibility requirements, and related records to support compliance, data integrity, reporting, and audit readiness.
• Skill in using student information systems, financial aid management systems, reporting tools, and related technology platforms, such as Banner or similar systems.
• Ability to develop and maintain process documentation, annual awarding instructions, communication resources, and operational guidance; ability to provide subject matter input for staff training and reference materials.
• Ability to maintain current knowledge of financial aid regulations, industry practices, institutional procedures, and system changes through ongoing training, professional development, and communication with financial aid professionals.

Contract Type

Continuing
Why Work at Auburn

• Life-Changing Impact: Our work changes lives through research, instruction, and outreach, making a lasting impact on our students, our communities, and the world.
• Culture of Excellence: We are committed to leveraging our strengths, resources, collaboration, and innovation as a top employer in higher education.
• We’re Here for You: Auburn offers generous benefits, educational opportunities, and a culture of support and work/life balance.
• Sweet Home Alabama: The Auburn/Opelika area offers southern charm, vibrant downtown scenes, top-ranked schools, and easy access to Atlanta, Birmingham, and the Gulf of Mexico beaches.
• A Place for Everyone: Auburn is committed to fostering an environment where all faculty, staff, and students are welcomed, valued, respected, and engaged.
• Ready to lead and shape the future of higher education? Apply today! War Eagle!

Equal Opportunity Compliance Statement


It is our policy to provide equal employment and education opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by applicable law. Please visit the Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance's website to learn more.
Posted Date

9/18/2026