Associate Director Student Financial Services

park; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Park University seeks an Associate Director of Financial Aid to provide operational leadership for financial aid and scholarship functions. The role oversees daily student service operations, workflow management, and a team within Financial Aid, ensuring accurate, compliant processing of aid and awards.

The position leads development and assessment of departmental processes, supports staff training, and fosters a collaborative, service-oriented environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; master's preferred.
• Strong knowledge of federal/state financial aid regulations and programs.
• Experience supervising and training staff in a financial aid setting.

Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise the Financial Aid team, including training and development.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations.
• Oversee workflows for processing and awarding financial aid and scholarships.
• Monitor budgets and coordinate with relevant university offices.
• Coordinate donor-funded and foundation scholarships with Admissions and Advancement.
• Serve as escalation point for complex student aid issues.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Policy compliance

Financial aid knowledge

Budget management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

PowerFAIDS

Workday

Job description

The Associate Director of Financial Aid provides operational leadership for the University's financial aid and scholarship functions, overseeing day-to-day student service operations, scholarship awarding, workflow management, and an assigned team within Financial Aid. The position ensures financial aid processes are completed accurately, efficiently, and in full compliance with federal, state, institutional, and regulatory requirements while monitoring workloads, delegating responsibilities, supporting budget management, and maintaining effective communication with internal and external constituents.

The Assistant/Associate Director also leads the development, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement of departmental processes and initiatives; supports special projects and staff training; and fosters a collaborative, accountable, and service-oriented team environment. Through strong leadership and sound financial aid administration, the position advances student success, supports University enrollment and organizational goals, and safeguards the integrity and effectiveness of financial aid operations.

Position Accountabilities

• Supervise, develop, and provide ongoing training to assigned Financial Aid team members, establishing expectations for performance, professionalism, accountability, and student service consistent with standards established by the Director of Student Financial Aid.
• Maintain comprehensive knowledge of federal, state, and institutional financial aid regulations, policies, and best practices to ensure compliance and support the department's ability to respond effectively to regulatory and operational changes.
• Monitor financial aid processing workflows and student records using PowerFAIDS, Workday, and other systems to identify incomplete files, processing delays, and service needs; develop and coordinate targeted outreach and resolution strategies.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex student and family financial aid concerns, resolving issues within established authority and referring appropriate matters to the Director of Student Financial Aid.
• Manage and monitor the Student Employment budget for Federal Work-Study and institutional student employment programs, including monthly reconciliation and reporting to the Director of Student Financial Aid.
• Serve as backup to the Student Employment Administrator, supporting the timely and accurate processing, onboarding, and administration of student employees.
• Assist with the annual development, review, and maintenance of financial aid policies and procedures, ensuring departmental documentation reflects current regulations, institutional policies and operational practices.
• Assist with the reconciliation and oversight of federal, state, institutional, and scholarship funds, ensuring awards are accurate, appropriately documented and administered in accordance with applicable requirements.
• Provide operational oversight of institutional scholarship programs, including awarding, eligibility review, renewal, reconciliation, and coordination with Admissions, Athletics, Academic Affairs, and other University partners to ensure scholarships are administered consistently and strategically.
• Coordinate with University Advancement and the Park University Foundation on donor-funded and Foundation scholarships, supporting eligibility review, awarding, reconciliation, stewardship requirements, and effective utilization of available scholarship funds.
• Partner with Admissions and other University departments to support recruitment, orientation, and enrollment events and provide timely financial aid and scholarship guidance that enhances the prospective and current student experience.
• Exercise independent judgment and discretion in handling confidential information, analyzing complex situations, resolving operational issues and making decisions appropriate to the responsibilities and authority of the position.

Scope

As part of daily operations, the Associate Director will oversee 3-4 staff members who all play a vital part in the loan and scholarship awarding process.

Organization

This position will report to the Director of Student Financial Aid.

Positions that report to the Associate Director are Financial Aid Counselors, the Student Employment Administrator and the Scholarship Coordinator.

Challenges and Opportunities

Must have exceptionally strong communication skills and able to interact effectively with students, administrators, faculty and staff. Expected to manage multiple projects under time constraints, use critical thinking, work under pressure and oversee work of others.

Position Requirements

• - Bachelor's degree required, Master's Preferred
• - Experience with COD and NSLDS
• - Knowledge of federal financial aid regulations required
• - Knowledge of federal and state financial aid programs and guidelines.
• - Knowledge of department and university policies, procedures, and practices with the ability to answer work related questions.