Assistant Financial Aid Counselor - Loan Programs

at  California State University

Job no: 543083
Work type: Staff
Location: Long Beach
Categories: Unit 4 - APC - Academic Professionals of California, Administrative, Temporary, Full Time

JOB SUMMARY

The Assistant Financial Aid Counselor assists with front-facing and back-end financial aid services to students and other constituents, including counseling and outreach activities designed to promote awareness and facilitate solutions related to financing the cost of education. The Assistant Counselor, with oversight from leadership or a fellow counselor, conducts need analysis, performs verification and packaging of student aid, makes professional judgment decisions regarding student aid eligibility and facilitates problem solving with students and parents.
The position shares responsibility for program oversight over a specific assigned area of specialty: Loan and Federal Pell Grant Programs. Additionally, this position adjudicates appeals, and provides training to other staff, along with leadership or other counselors.

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES

The assistant financial aid counselor requires a thorough understanding of the federal, state, and institutional rules governing the various forms of financial aid. Federal law is reauthorized every 5 to 6 years with regulatory changes and new legislation inserted within those spans. State aid can change annually with each session of the legislature. Institutional costs and processes may change even more often in response to improvements and limitations to technology, approval and revisions of budget priorities, and structural organizations. Every counselor will track these changes and the effects on student awards at the University. The counselor must successfully keep abreast of technical applications of regulatory and institutional changes and use competent and increasingly complex computer system skills to meet their job requirements. Specific assigned programs may be complex and require specialized training or skills.
Our service structure calls upon counselors to explain, and sometimes defend, professional judgment decisions made by their colleagues. Because of the shared workload and working styles of a large group of individuals, successful counselors must be excellent communicators, good negotiators, team players and excellent colleagues who share the goals and the hard work necessary to achieve them.
Ability to communicate with an ethnically and culturally diverse campus community. Ability to follow all university policies, procedures, and guidelines including but not limited to safety, civility, information security, and non-discrimination policies and procedures. Ability to contribute to a positive university experience for each and every student, and assist in achieving the university’s commitment to a “vision of excellence.”

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in one of the behavioral sciences, public or business administration, or a job-related field and one year of directly related experience required.

PHYSICAL SUMMARY

• Sedentary work - Involves mainly sitting. Walking and standing are minimal. Lifting is limited to lightweight objects. (10 pounds or less).

• Assist with Loan and Federal Pell Grant origination and disbursement processing, reconciliation, issue resolution, and student inquiry support - Assist the Loan Programs Coordinator (SSP III) with the daily, weekly, and month processing of loan/pell origination, disbursement, error reports, reconciliation, issue resolution, and student inquiry support. This work includes (but is not limited to) tasks such as assisting with running PeopleSoft processes and queries, reviewing, and working error reports, adjusting loan and Pell grant awards, and guiding students through online paperwork requirements such as Entrance Counseling and Promissory Notes.
• Assist with Counseling and Outreach - Assists with counseling prospective, continuing, and re-entering students on all aspects of financial aid, including the availability of various financial aid programs; Satisfactory Academic Progress standards; and with the application processes – including establishing, maintaining, and regaining aid eligibility. Recommend courses of action and resources, as appropriate and relying on leadership and Counselors for support.
• Evaluation and Decision-Making Support - Review files and forms for completeness and accuracy; evaluate students according to established regulations, policies, and procedures to determine financial need and program eligibility for a variety of Federal, State, and Institutional programs. Make exceptions to established policies or procedures as appropriate. Take into account all relevant information when making the decisions to solve student issues. Provide alternative course of action when necessary and applicable.
• Training and Continued Learning - Attend training sessions and workshops, and completes self-directed professional reading, to remain current on financial aid regulations and procedures, as well as on emerging trends in delivery of service excellence.