Operations Specialist For Scholarships

Operations Specialist for Scholarships Benefits of working at VCU

All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU's robust benefits package that includes: comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefit, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more. Learn more about VCU's benefits here.

Job Code 35011 Recruitment Pool All Applicants Posting Number req5761 Unit Offc of Strategic Enrollment Mngmnt Department Financial Aid Department Website Link https://semss.vcu.edu/ Location VCU Address 907 Floyd Ave, Richmond, VA 23284 USA Duties & Responsibilities

Position Summary:

The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships in the Division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success is recruiting for a Financial Aid Operations Specialist for Scholarships to support student enrollment, retention, and success at VCU. Reporting to the Assistant Director of Scholarship Management, the Operations Specialist performs activities related to the effective operations of VCU scholarships and other financial aid programs.

The ideal candidate has a positive attitude, is able to follow procedures, and enjoys working on a team. If you are looking for a change in job or career path, this position may be the right one for you! We provide training to all new employees, so no experience is required. This position is a hybrid position where remote work is optional up to 40% of the week

Core Responsibilities:

Financial Aid Scholarship Operations - Award and Risk Management (65%):

• Partners with the Scholarship and Program Funds Coordinator and Assistant Director to maximize use of the scholarship management software across the university

• Monitors feed file from the scholarship management software into the financial aid management system and troubleshoots errors to ensure seamless processing

• Provides functional and troubleshooting support to VCU units responsible for administering student scholarships and maximizing fund allocations assigned

• Reviews and adjusts financial aid awards to prevent overawards based upon unique scholarship and grant program rules.

• Monitors the Scholarship Workflow within ImageNow for processing all requests, includes but not limited to: request for a new fund code, financial aid award notification

• Liaison with the Office of Student Accounting to process all third-party scholarships

• Completes related reports on a daily, weekly, or as-needed basis including, but not limited to: Disbursement Errors, Refund Exceptions, Overawards, Period Overawards, Award Mismatches

• Uses professional judgment in the review of cost of attendance increase requests

• Responds to requests from financial counselors and university stakeholders in a professional manner

• Troubleshoots mismatches for merit scholarships awarded by the Office of Admissions

• Collaborates with the Office of Admissions to update merit award renewals and single term renewals due to probation.

• Liaison with the Graduate School to ensure timely updates to the financial aid record

• Reviews the financial aid record holistically and collaborates with team members to complete review of eligibility, which may include verification, professional judgment, unusual enrollment history, c-flag, rejected ISIR, or other reason.

• Handles sensitive and confidential information with discretion

• Observes all financial aid policies, procedures, best practices, and internal controls (ARMICS).

• Collaborates with spot-checking and testing in Banner during new year setup.

Culture of Care and Collaboration (10%):

• Listens to and anticipates staff and student needs.

• Responds to inquiries from colleagues in an accurate and timely manner.

• Maintains a solutions-driven outlook to resolve an inquiry, knowing that it impacts a student's enrollment, retention, and success.

• Liaisons with other departments or areas outside of Student Financial Services as needed to service the financial aid operational needs of the University.

WorkFlow Management (15%):

• Independently plans, organizes, and prioritizes work to meet scheduled deadlines.

• Informs supervisor when assigned reports are complete.

• Ensures accuracy and timely processing of all applications and student requests.

• Manages documents in the ImageNow workflow queue.

Other Duties (10%):

• Serves on department committees (e.g. SAP, Professional Judgment) and workgroups as necessary.

• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of federal, state, and institutional regulations and policies. Supplements formal office training by seeking information independently.

• Attends NASFAA, VASFAA, or ED trainings as assigned, in addition to staff trainings.

• Processes special projects and reports including, but not limited to: Secondary citizenship checks with DHS, Emergency relief fund applications, Study abroad/consortium agreements, Co-op processing, and Computer expense/budget adjustment requests.

• Provides support in other areas during peak season, such as application review or loan processing to meet the needs of the department.

• Prepares outgoing mailings as required.

• Other duties as required by Financial Aid and Scholarships leadership.

Qualifications

Minimum Hiring Standards:

• High school degree or GED.

• Strong organization and time management skills.

• Displays a strong attention to detail.

• Experience in a high-volume, customer-oriented environment.

• Self-motivated individual with the ability to excel within a complex, high-volume operation with a high degree of accuracy.

• Ability to work cooperatively with a wide range of diverse constituents and colleagues.

• Ability to communicate effectively, in writing and verbally, with constituents of the University.

• Ability to understand the relationship between the Student Financial Services unit.

• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in progress or completed.

• Experience with major areas of higher education financial aid business process and operations.

• Experience using scholarship management software such as Blackbaud Award Management

• Experience using student information systems such as Banner, CPS, COD, NSLDS, ElmSelect software, and Perceptive Content.

• Demonstrated experience supporting office projects toward successful and timely resolutions to drive student enrollment, retention, and success.

Other Position Details: This position is a hybrid position with remote options, up to 40% of the time.

Position Number: TBD

Position Title: Operations Specialist for Scholarships

Department: 1919 Financial Aid

Role Code: 35011 Technician SS 1

Position Type: Non-exempt

Salary: $38,000

ORP Eligible?: No

Open Date: 6/25/24

Close Date: 7/14/24 at 7PM

FLSA University Employee Job FTE 100% Exemption Status Non-Exempt Restricted Position No E-Class UF - University Employee FT Job Category University Employee ORP Eligible No Salary Range $38,000 Compensation Type Salaried Target Hire Date 8/5/2024 Contact Information for Candidates

Documents Needed to Apply