Chief Merit Scholarships & Strategy Leader

University of Massachusetts Boston; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Massachusetts Boston seeks a Director of Merit Scholarships to provide strategic leadership for undergraduate and graduate merit scholarship programs. You will oversee development, administration, and assessment of scholarship strategies, including recruitment, application review, awards, and budgeting.

Collaborating with Admissions, Financial Aid, University Advancement, and senior leadership, you will align donor funds with enrollment goals, ensure policy compliance, monitor

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible relevant experience required.
• Master’s degree and a minimum of five-seven (5-7) years of progressively responsible relevant experience preferred.
• Experience with budget and fund management and familiarity with CRM systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic administration and distribution of approximately $23 million in merit scholarship funding for about 4,000 students while ensuring compliance.
• Partner with Admissions, Financial Aid, Administration & Finance, and senior leadership to attract, enroll, and retain high-achieving students.
• Direct all aspects of continuing student scholarship programs including marketing, outreach, application review, recipient selection, and disbursement.
• Serve as liaison to University Advancement on scholarship development, donor funds, and gift agreements.
• Cultivate and maintain cross-unit relationships to optimize scholarship processing and utilization.
• Oversee fiscal management and reconciliation of endowed scholarship accounts for financial accuracy and stewardship.
• Monitor recipient academic progress and ongoing eligibility to promote persistence and success.
• Plan and oversee scholarship recruitment, recognition, and stewardship events to strengthen donor engagement.
• Assess effectiveness and ROI of merit programs through data analysis and reporting.

Skills

Budget management

Data analysis

Communication

Project management

Team collaboration

Customer service

Microsoft Office

Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

CRM systems

Job description

University of Massachusetts Boston seeks a Director of Merit Scholarships to provide strategic leadership for undergraduate and graduate merit scholarship programs. You will oversee development, administration, and assessment of scholarship strategies, including recruitment, application review, awards, and budgeting.

Collaborating with Admissions, Financial Aid, University Advancement, and senior leadership, you will align donor funds with enrollment goals, ensure policy compliance, monitor