Assistant Director

University of Southern California; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Southern California’s Office of Financial Aid is seeking an Assistant Director to lead need analysis, packaging, and counseling for students. The role emphasizes interpretation of policy, accurate documentation, and ongoing regulatory compliance across federal, state, and university guidelines.

The position requires Bachelor’s degree and experience with FAFSA/CSS PROFILE, with duties including student outreach, coordination of awards, and adherence to USC policies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in finance, or related field.
• Experience in financial aid packaging and verification preferred.
• Ability to counsel students and interpret policies.
• Strong attention to documentation and compliance.
• Knowledge of FAFSA, CSS PROFILE, W-2s.

Responsibilities

• Perform need assessments and determine financial aid packaging.
• Provide counseling on financial aid policies and options.
• Review applications for completeness and verify information.
• Maintain accurate file documentation and stay current on regulations.
• Assist with audits, trainings, and policy development.

Skills

Need analysis

FAFSA knowledge

Document processing

Counseling skills

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

SIS

Job description

The Office of Financial Aid is seeking a Assistant Director to join our team! The Assistant Director performs need assessments for students requesting financial aid. Provides counseling and assistance in matters pertaining to financial aid packaging. Conducts need analysis to determine student financial aid packaging options based on individual case circumstances. Reviews student applications for consistency and completeness, verifies accuracy of student and family reported information, and certifies applications. Maintains accurate and thorough file documentation.

Provides interpretation of financial aid policies and assists in problem-solving. The selected candidate will be expected to maintain currency on financial aid packages, state and federal regulations related to financial aid, and University policies and procedures.

In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC's Unifying Values.

• Document Processing
  • Determine when documents were submitted to the Financial Aid Office (FAO)
  • Understand how documents are received and processed
• Need Analysis and Verification
  • Understand information provided on FAFSA, CSS PROFILE federal income tax returns and W2s, and USC forms
  • Become proficient at processing both Tier 1 and Tier 2 files
  • Review Special Circumstances letters/information presented by families
  • Process Tier 1 Budget, Late, Housing and Computer appeals
• Aid Coordination
  • Analyze the cost of attendance and budget for a student
  • Differentiate between types of aid used to create a financial aid package
  • Add awards to a student’s package as directed by a manager
• Loans
  • Identify the different loan programs on SIS
  • Originate Stafford and PLUS loans
  • Troubleshoot issues regarding disbursement of loan fundsAssist with SAP or R2T4 as directed by a manager
• Outreach
  • Participate on phone contact shifts
  • Attend FAO events as needed (both on and off campus)
• Compliance and Training
  • Use the FSA Handbook, Dear Colleague Letters, NASFAA resources, etc. to research federal regulations
  • Identify student and program eligibility issues
  • Assist with audits and self-assessments as needed
  • Draft policies and procedures for the Knowledgebase

The hourly range for this position is $25.00 - $30.00. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

#LI-AW1

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree, Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education Minimum Experience: 0 - 6 months Minimum Field of Expertise: Financial analysis and evaluation

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at [phone], or by email at [e-mail]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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