Financial Services Associate

Job Description

Financial Services Associate

Compensation: The starting pay range for this position is $24.00- $28.00 per hour.

Summary

The Financial Services Associate plays a crucial role in guiding applicants and students through the complexities of federal financial aid programs. This involves calculating anticipated awards from various sources such as PELL, SEOG, Stafford/Direct loans, supplementary loans, and other Title IV and non-Title IV programs. The associate is responsible for packaging and awarding all financial aid for each academic year and accurately entering this information into the Student Information Systems. All tasks must adhere strictly to established governmental regulations and institutional procedures. A high level of ethics is paramount when counseling students to ensure accurate and responsible guidance.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Provide a comprehensive overview of the Financial Aid process and available programs to qualifying students.
• Perform detailed estimates and calculations related to Tuition and Financial Aid, tailored to each student’s unique eligibility.
• Counsel students on financial aid paperwork, award information, and various options for covering educational expenses.
• Create and schedule effective funding plans for enrolled students.
• Evaluate all submitted Financial Aid documentation and identify any additional requirements.
• Deliver exceptional service and experience to students and co-workers while consistently meeting performance metrics.
• Track students’ academic progress and review any changes that may impact their Financial Aid eligibility throughout their program.
• Perform required document tracking for students who drop, terminate, or graduate, including Return to Title IV (R2T4), Post Withdrawal Disbursement (PWD), and loan exit materials.
• Enhance the financial literacy of students and graduates to foster professional success.
• Uphold and maintain a strong understanding of Title IV, state, military, VA, and institutional knowledge and compliance.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Competencies

To perform this job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Content Specific Knowledge: Understands the fundamentals, skills, methods, and procedures within their area of expertise and instructional practice.
• Customer Focus: Personally demonstrates that external or internal customers are a high priority; identifies customer needs and expectations and responds to them in a timely and effective manner; anticipates and prevents delays or other things that can adversely affect the customer; keeps customers informed about the status of pending actions and inquires about customer satisfaction with products or services.
• Productivity: Meets or exceeds productivity standards that have been established for organizational level or position; has successfully combined skills, ability, and effort level to ensure that expectations related to results/output are achieved.
• Quality of Work: Has established a track record of producing work that is highly accurate, demonstrates attention to detail, and reflects well on the organization; is personally committed to high-quality work and encourages others to have similar standards.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Below are the minimum requirements of the education, experience, knowledge, and skills required to competently perform in this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, Associate Degree required.
• Must qualify for Professional Access to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).
• Two plus years of related financial advising and/or training experience preferred.
• Proficiency in PC skills including Microsoft Office, Internet applications, and database software.
• Experience with Student Financial Aid software applications is a plus.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Must be a self-starter with the ability to multi-task.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, talk, and hear.
• The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms.
• The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of an office environment with cubicles. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

All qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment. To ensure the safety and integrity of our operations, it is imperative that a review of all applicants’ criminal history is conducted. Failure to do so poses a significant risk to the Employer, potentially compromising both business operations and the organization’s reputation.

As part of our standard hiring process, all candidates offered a position at San Joaquin Valley College Inc. will undergo a thorough background screening. This includes education verification, county and national criminal background checks, a motor vehicle report, and social security number trace/verification along with an address history search. Depending on the specific position, additional requirements may apply, such as drug testing, a Fraud and Abuse Control Information System check, and verification for access to the National Student Loan Database System.