SR. ADMINISTRATIVE AIDE

Job No: 25225
Department: Financial Aid Administration
Work Type: Union
Location: Main Campus (Houghton, MI)
Full Time / Part Time: Full Time
Categories: Administrative/Business/Professional, Office/Clerical Support, Student Affairs, Financial Services
Department: Financial Aid

SUMMARY

The Staff Assistant provides general office support for the Financial Aid Office. The staff assistant coordinates with multiple staff members to ensure office coverage and is responsible for responding to the ever-changing needs of the department and the students, families, faculty, and staff that it serves.
The Staff Assistant must regularly demonstrate professional written and verbal communication, and needs to have excellent customer service and computer skills, approach work processes methodically, and have extreme attention to detail. This position is the first point of contact for Financial Aid and provides answers and guidance to students and families regarding the financial aid process and must function effectively in a fast-paced environment.

REQUIRED EDUCATION, CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSURES

High School Diploma or equivalent.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Three years office/clerical experience.
• Three years experience using personal computers and basic software packages.
• Experience using advanced features of word processing and spreadsheet applications.

DESIRABLE EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

• Experience using Banner.
• Experience working with student financial aid.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND/OR ABILITIES

• Excellent interpersonal, customer service and written/oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge of proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
• Demonstrated ability to explain and convey complex information.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and take initiative to solve problems.
• Demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize work assignments independently in a complex work environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to use judgement when dealing with highly confidential information.
• Demonstrated ability to work well with others.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to a safe work environment.

1. Responsible for maintaining departmental budget and reconciling monthly statements; initiate reallocations, and oversee all departmental purchasing card activities and records.
2. Independently responsible for managing all resources including updating Banner records and assessing for over award situations. Resources include outside scholarships, fellowships, graduate support, TRIP, resident hall assistantships, etc.
3. Oversee and manage financial aid departmental email accounts.
4. Review and approve payroll for all departmental staff members and prepare and monitor all Electronic Personnel Action Forms (EPAF), including the America Reads student employee.
5. Run individual and global disbursement for the department.
6. Directly hire, train and supervise student employees/interns; assign and prioritize duties.
7. Oversee resident commuter housing plan correspondence, including tracking and adjusting cost of attendance and assessing financial aid eligibility as needed.
8. Provide administrative support for the Leading Scholar Event and the Thompson Foundation scholarship; reviewing reports and assisting with student outreach.
9. Coordinate office activities, equipment, supplies, schedules, and calendars; develop and recommend office procedures and systems, ensure smooth office operations.
10. Provide a wide variety of administrative functions for staff, such as entering data into Banner, preparing reports, assisting with special projects, making travel arrangements and registering for webinars.
11. Coordinate office participation and logistics for large-scale University events, including but not limited to Leading Scholars, Move-In Weekend, Open House, Preview Day and high school counselor visits.
12. Review and update departmental forms and brochures for accuracy to be distributed to students and families.
13. Facilitate the culture of philanthropy by providing support for the “thank you letter” process.
14. Run existing reports and processes and initiate mailings to students, including but not limited to scholarship letters, changes to merit awards, and aid adjustments based on residency.
15. Provide excellent customer service to a diverse population of both internal and external customers.
16. Serve as the departmental equipment and space coordinator and the safety liaison.
17. As needed, assist Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management with administrative tasks including invoice processing and scheduling.
18. Demonstrate knowledge and practice of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) in all day-to-day operations in order to protect students and confidential/sensitive information.
19. Other duties as assigned.