College Bursar

The College of Westchester; City of White Plains (NY); Hybrid; USD 66,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule (2 days remote)

Job summary

The College of Westchester in White Plains is seeking a full-time College Bursar to oversee student financial services and bursar operations. This hybrid role offers two remote days per week and requires leadership of the Bursar’s Office.

Responsibilities include student billing, payments, reconciliations, federal/state fund drawdowns, and collaboration with Financial Aid, Registrar and Finance to ensure accurate application of aid and smooth processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, higher education administration, or a related field.
• 5+ years of Title IV higher education regulatory environment experience (NYSHESC/NYSED) and bursar operations experience.
• Familiarity with federal financial aid regulations and student accounts.
• Strong financial controls and confidentiality requirements.
• Demonstrated supervisory or management experience.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and strategic direction for the Bursar’s Office and student financial services operations.
• Oversee accurate and timely billing of tuition, fees and other student charges.
• Collaborate with the Associate Director of Student Accounts to establish procedures for collection and processing of payments, plans, refunds, and reconciliations.
• Monitor student accounts and ensure accurate reconciliation of billing transactions, deposits, refunds, and balances.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional requirements governing student accounts and financial transactions.
• Prepare drawdowns of federal and state funds and project cashflow for CW CFO.
• Develop and maintain policies to promote efficient, student-centered financial services.
• Collaborate with Financial Aid to apply scholarships, grants, loans to student accounts.
• Resolve account discrepancies with Registrar, Admissions, Finance, and other departments.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical skills

Communication

Excel

Financial systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, higher education administration, or related field

Tools

Student information systems

Job description

Salary: $66,300.00 - $80,000.00 Annually

Application Deadline: N/A

Education

The College of Westchester, an Associate degree- and Baccalaureate degree-granting college in White Plains, is seeking a full-time College Bursar. The Bursar is responsible for the overall administration, oversight, and integrity of the College’s student financial services and bursar operations. Bursar provides leadership for Return to Title IV (R2T4), 1098t processing, student billing, payment processing, account management, refunds and related financial services while ensuring compliance with institutional policies, federal and state regulations, and applicable accounting standards.

The Bursar works collaboratively with Finance, Financial Aid, Admissions, the Registrar, Information Technology, and other campus departments to ensure accurate and timely student account services. This is a hybrid position that offers the flexibility to work remotely two days per week.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and strategic direction for the Bursar’s Office and student financial services operations.
• Oversee the accurate and timely billing of tuition, fees and other student-related charges.
• Work closely with Associate Director of Student Accounts in establishing and maintaining procedures for the collection and processing of student payments, electronic payments, payment plans, refunds, credits and student account reconciliation.
• Monitor student accounts and ensure accurate reconciliation of billing transactions, deposits, refunds, and outstanding balances.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and institutional requirements governing student accounts and financial transactions.
• Prepare drawdowns of federal and state funds and return funds within the regulated timeframes and project cashflow for CW CFO.
• Develop, implement, and maintain policies and procedures that promote efficient, consistent, and student-centered financial services.
• Collaborate with Financial Aid to ensure accurate application of scholarships, grants, loans, and other financial assistance to student accounts.
• Work closely with the Registrar, Admissions, Finance, and other departments to resolve account discrepancies and improve business processes.
• Oversee the preparation of financial reports, reconciliations, and analyses related to student accounts and bursar operations, specifically completion of federal and state required reports and assistance with annual audits and potential program reviews from fed/state.
• Maintain appropriate internal controls and safeguard student and institutional funds.
• Monitor cash receipts and ensure timely deposits and accurate accounting of funds.
• Coordinate the annual billing cycle, including tuition and fee assessment, payment deadlines, and related communications.
• Review and recommend tuition, fee, billing, and payment policies and procedures as appropriate.
• Supervise, train, and evaluate Bursar’s Office staff and promote a professional, service-oriented work environment.
• Respond to complex student account inquiries and resolve escalated financial issues in a fair, professional, and confidential manner.
• Participate in institutional committees and projects involving enrollment, finance, technology, financial aid, and student services.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, technology, reporting, and the overall student financial experience.
• Perform other duties and special projects assigned by the appropriate senior administrator.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, higher education administration, or a related field.
• Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in Title IV higher education regulatory environment, NYS HESC and NYSED environment, student accounts, bursar operations, accounting, or a closely related area.
• Familiarity with federal financial aid regulations and the intersection of financial aid and student accounts.
• Demonstrated knowledge of student billing, accounts receivable, payment processing, financial reconciliation, and collections.
• Strong understanding of financial controls, confidentiality requirements and applicable higher education regulations.
• Demonstrated supervisory or management experience.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, communication and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet critical deadlines in a complex institutional environment.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, and experience working with financial or student information systems.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong leadership and staff management abilities.
• High degree of accuracy, integrity, and attention to detail.
• Excellent financial and analytical judgment.
• Ability to interpret and apply complex policies and regulations.
• Ability to communicate financial information clearly to individuals with varying levels of financial knowledge.
• Discretion and sound judgment when handling confidential student and financial information.
• Ability to build effective working relationships across academic and administrative departments.