Director of Financial Aid - Essential


About Mills College:

Located in Oakland, California, in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area, Mills College is a liberal arts college for women and gender non-binary students, with graduate programs for all genders. Consistently ranked one of the top master's universities and one of the best value colleges in the West by U.S. News & World Report, Mills also has been named one of the Best Colleges in the nation by The Princeton Review. The Mills experience is distinguished by small, interactive classes, one-on-one attention from exceptional faculty, a culture of creative experimentation, and cutting-edge interdisciplinary learning opportunities which empower students to make a statement in their careers and communities. As one of the most diverse liberal arts colleges in the country, we have a strong record of academic success with first-generation students, students of color, Latinx students, LGBTQ students, and other underrepresented students. Mills College has recently become a Hispanic Serving Institution. Applicants with expertise and experience in supporting and promoting success for Latina/o students are encouraged to apply.

Mills College encourages diversity in hiring and particularly welcomes applications and nominations from women, gender non-binary individuals, and minorities. Mills College seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice and our desire to maintain the excellence of our faculty. In so doing, we offer our students not only the opportunity to learn about varied disciplines but to engage with diverse perspectives and ways of knowing and learning. For more information, please visit www.mills.edu.


Job Description:

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:
Reports To: Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Student Financial Services
Supervises: Associate Director of Financial Aid, Financial Aid Counselors (2), Financial Aid Processor, Financial Aid Specialist

Summary of Position:
Under the direction of the Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Student Financial Services, plan, organize, control and direct the Financial Aid operations of the College; assure quality and compliance with federal and state regulations governing student aid; participate in enrollment management planning; supervise and evaluate the performance of assigned personnel.

Essential Job Functions:

• Plan, organize, control and direct the Financial Aid operations of the College.
• Assure compliance with federal and state regulations governing student aid; maintain current knowledge of government regulations; interpret laws and regulations for the College and assure institutional policies and procedures reflect current regulatory requirements; represent the College in audits of government student aid programs and in federal student aid program reviews.
• Determine financial need of student aid applicants utilizing a federal methodology and/or institutional methodology as appropriate; exercise professional judgment in analyzing financial needs; analyze tax form data and other financial statements.
• Assure fiscal accountability for student aid funds; manage financial aid program budgets composed of a variety of federal, State and institutional funds; control and authorize expenditures in accordance with established limitations.
• Communicate with other administrators, College personnel and contractors to coordinate activities and programs, resolve issues and conflicts and exchange information.
• Supervise and evaluate the performance of assigned staff; interview and select employees and recommend transfers, reassignment, termination and disciplinary actions; plan, coordinate and arrange for appropriate training of subordinates.
• Establish institutional guidelines for awarding aid and to assure compliance with government regulations; develop student expense budgets, assess family financial strength and prepare aid packets; develop strategic awarding policies for the awarding of limited scholarship funds; provide staff with sufficient training to assure consistency in application of policies.
• Compile statistics regarding student aid programs, complete surveys and prepare reports necessary for the College to participate in government financial aid programs; promote data collection, standard reporting and research.
• Provide leadership in use of the BANNER financial aid module, including annual setup and automation of various tasks and processes; provide leadership in implementing and maintaining other systems to improve financial aid processes and service to students.
• Oversee and promote quality client services between the Financial Aid office and other members of the College; assist and advise prospective and continuing undergraduate, certificate and graduate students, and parents in financing the cost of education.
• Maintain policy and procedures manual and various other publications.
• Assist with marketing the College through use of financial assistance and developing aid related retention strategies.
• Develop and prepare the budget for the department; analyze and review budgetary and financial data; develop budget and proposal requests to support institutional scholarship and loan program needs.
• Represent Mills to internal groups on campus and external groups, agencies, and organizations on matters regarding financial aid; develop and conduct presentations; attend various meetings and participate on assigned committees.
• Take appropriate steps to promote and sustain effective working relationships within a diverse and multicultural environment.
• Take appropriate steps to promote and sustain the ability of staff members to effectively deliver quality customer service within the context of all aspects of job performance.
• Take appropriate steps to promote safe work practices within each area of responsibility, enforce safety rules and assure employee compliance with all safety rules and guidelines.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for escalated student concerns and issues.

Requirements:

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of:

• Planning, organization, control and direction of the Financial Aid operations of the College.
• Federal student aid regulations including eligibility, application requirements, and other laws and regulations related to financial aid disbursement and awarding.
• Fund management.
• Research methods and quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• State and federal agencies.
• Budget preparation and control.
• Modern office practices, procedures and equipment.
• Oral and written communication skills.
• Principles and practices of administration, supervision and training.
• Applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Interpersonal skills using tact, patience and courtesy.
• Public speaking techniques.
• Basic computer skills and operation of specified software applicable to the function to enter data, maintain records and generate reports.
• Appropriate methods and strategies to promote and sustain effective working relationships within a diverse and multicultural environment.
• Appropriate methods and strategies to promote and sustain the ability of staff members to effectively deliver quality customer service within the context of all aspects of job performance.
• Safety policies, practices, procedures and requirements of the department, College and Illness & Injury Prevention Plan.

Skills/Abilities:

• Plan, organize, control and direct the Financial Aid operations of the College.
• Establish institutional guidelines for awarding financial aid based on research and leveraging financial aid funds to maximize their effectiveness.
• Assure quality and compliance with federal and state regulations governing student aid.
• Supervise and evaluate the performance of assigned personnel.
• Analyze tax form data and other financial statements.
• Prepare comprehensive narrative and statistical reports.
• Prepare and deliver oral presentations.
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Interpret, apply and explain rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others.
• Analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action.
• Meet schedules and timelines.
• Work independently with little direction.
• Plan and organize work.
• Apply appropriate methods and strategies to promote and sustain effective working relationships within a diverse and multicultural environment.
• Apply appropriate methods and strategies to promote and sustain the ability of staff members to effectively deliver quality customer service within the context of all aspects of job performance.
• Take appropriate steps to promote and enforce safe work practices within each area of responsibility.

Education and Training:
Any combination equivalent to: Bachelor's Degree in Social Science or related field including coursework in higher education, finance management and statistics and at least five years increasingly responsible experience in a financial aid environment, including at least two years in a supervisory capacity.

Physical, Mental and Environmental Demands:
ENVIRONMENT:
Office environment.

PHYSICAL ABILITIES:

• Hearing and speaking to exchange information and make presentations.
• Seeing to read a variety of materials.
• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard.
• Sitting for extended periods of time.

HAZARDS:

• Contact with dissatisfied or abusive individuals.

This position description is not intended to contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties, or responsibilities. Additional duties may be assigned based on business operational needs.


Additional Information:

This is a full-time, exempt position with an FTE of 1.0. Salary is $98K per year, and includes an excellent benefits package including medical/dental/vision/life/LTD insurance, 403(b) retirement plan with college-matching after 6 month qualifying period, 22 days of vacation per year, 12 sick days and 17 paid holidays (subject to annual review). Staff members also receive free admission to campus events, use of the pool, fitness center, and tennis courts. Tuition remission is also available after an introductory period. Voluntary benefits include: pet insurance, long-term care insurance, legal-assistance insurance, cellular provider discounts and computer hardware discounts.

Mills College does not permit discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religious creed, color, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, age, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. For more information on Mills' non-discrimination policy, please go to https://www.mills.edu/policies/ada-policies/nondiscrimination-statement.php.

All positions are subject to a background check. Prior to the first date of employment, an applicant's background check must be cleared.


Application Instructions:

Click the "Apply Now" button below and follow instructions to submit the following documents:

• Employee Application
• Resume
• Cover Letter and
• Contact Information for 3 References
• Salary Requirements

Please note that you can only upload 6 "Other" documents. You can consolidate multiple pages/documents into one file upload. The file size limit for each upload is 10Mb.

Review of applicants will begin immediately; applications will be accepted until the position is filled.



To apply, visit https://mills.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=122633&CNTRNO=0&TSTMP=0





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