Account Representative

Syracuse University; City of Syracuse (NY); On-site; USD 59,236,800 - 61,992,000; Full time

Job summary

Syracuse University is seeking an Account Representative to serve students and parents, handling tuition accounts, billing, collections and Perkins loans. The role supports financial counseling, payment arrangements and customer service, with a focus on maintaining strong fiscal controls and service metrics.

The position involves direct interaction with students and families, through calls, in-person visits, and email, to ensure timely repayments and compliance with university policies.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree with 1–2 years in credit, collections, or customer service.
• Experience in a finance environment is preferred.
• Strong customer service and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a portfolio of accounts including current and past due tuition and Perkins Loans, with goal of repayment.
• Locate students/parents via skip-tracing, make calls, send letters and emails.
• Record and follow up on payment arrangements and escalate when needed.
• Provide financial counseling to determine payment schedules.
• Assist with Perkins Loan cohort maintenance and related rules.
• Support Bursar's Office with calls and live chat during peak times.

Skills

Customer service

Teamwork

Accounting basics

Loans and credit

Microsoft Office

Learning new software

Education

Associate’s degree

Job description

Job Description

The Account Representative is part of an outstanding team responsible for providing best‑in‑class service to students and parents as well as maintaining the unit’s excellent financial controls. This position is critical to the University as it acts as the primary point of contact to students and parents in regard to student finance, billing, collections, and Federal Perkins loans. The successful candidate will, on average, provide service to between 800-1,000 students/parents per month via phone calls, in person student traffic and email correspondence.

Education and Experience

• Associate’s degree and 1-2 years in credit, collections or customer service in the finance industry or a combination of applicable experience.

Skills and Knowledge

• An understanding of and ability to provide customer service, be a good teammate, basic accounting concepts, understanding of loans and credit, problem solving, Microsoft Office suite as well as the ability to learn new software packages.

Responsibilities

The Account Representative will maintain and work a portfolio of accounts consisting of current and past due tuition, returned checks, Perkins Loans, and other University A/R with an ultimate goal of repayment of each account. This is done by:

• locating the student/parent via various skip‑tracing methods
• placing phone calls, sending letters and email
• recording and following up on agreements
• recording payments
• escalating accounts when there has been no progress on an account

Provide financial counseling to students and parents including:

• Evaluating student/parent financial standing to determine appropriate payment schedule/arrangements
• Brainstorming with students/parents’ different approaches to payment
• Working within policies, procedures and deadlines to ensure agreements are reached

Responsible for the analysis and collection activity necessary to maintain the Federal Perkins Loan cohort rate at acceptable levels. This includes:

• Working with students to rehabilitate delinquent Perkins Loans through monthly payment arrangements
• Processing forbearances and/or hardships
• Discussing the loan consolidation
• Maintaining a working knowledge of the program and related rules and regulations
• Assist the Bursar’s Office with incoming phone calls, live chat and emails as needed and at peak times to ensure service metric standards are met.

Pay Range

$20.72 - $21.13

Hours

Standard University business hours. 8:30am – 5:00pm (academic year). 8:00am – 4:30pm (summer). Hours may vary based on operational needs.

Job Type

Full‑time

FLSA Status

Non‑exempt

Staff Level

S3

EEO Statement

Syracuse University is an equal‑opportunity institution. The University prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender, national origin, citizenship, ethnicity, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law to the extent prohibited by law. This nondiscrimination policy covers admissions, employment, and access to and treatment in University programs, services, and activities.

Application Instructions

In addition to completing an online application, please attach a resume and cover letter.