Director, Program Operations

Isac; Deerfield (IL); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, vision, and life insurance

State Employees’ Retirement System

Educational benefits

25 vacation days + 13 holidays

Tuition waiver and reimbursements

Job summary

Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) seeks a strategic Director, Program Operations to lead the full spectrum of program operations, ensuring accurate processing, eligibility determinations, and rigorous quality control for scholarships, grants, and loan repayment programs.

The role directs high-volume operations, drives process improvements, and manages a team essential to fair and timely delivery of ISAC’s financial aid programs, reporting to the Managing Director in a hybrid work

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years in education, training or work experience in financial aid.
• Additional education/experience in program development or specialization may be required.
• ISAC offers health, vision and life insurance, retirement system and educational benefits.
• 25 vacation days per year and 13 paid holidays; tuition waiver options.

Responsibilities

• Serve as advisor to the Managing Director and PSC leadership on program operations and policy.
• Lead strategy, resource planning and workflow design for gift assistance operations.
• Manage team performance, assignments and continuous improvement efforts.
• Oversee Scholarship & Grants and Nontraditional Programs teams for operational accuracy.
• Translate statutes and policies into clear operational requirements and processes.
• Provide interpretation of rules and manage escalated eligibility issues consistently.
• Support program development efforts including communications and launch planning.
• Direct quality assurance, compliance and audit response activities.
• Maintain documentation of policies and procedures and track KPIs.
• Collaborate across PSC, agency partners, and system development teams.

Skills

Financial aid administration

Policy interpretation

Quality assurance

Process improvement

Education

Master’s Degree in relevant field

Job description

Director, Program Operations

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) seeks an experienced, strategic, and collaborative leader to serve as Director, Program Operations within the Program Services and Compliance (PSC) division. Reporting to the Managing Director, this role directs the full range of operational functions required to administer and deliver ISAC’s scholarship, grant, and loan repayment programs. The Director oversees high-volume, accuracy-driven application processing and eligibility determinations; ensures structured workflow management; and maintains rigorous quality control, compliance, and operational consistency across all program operations. This leader provides advanced program expertise, drives process and system improvements, and manages a team whose work is critical to the timely, fair, and efficient delivery of ISAC’s financial aid programs.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary advisor to the Managing Director and PSC leadership on program operations, delivery strategies, and administrative policy.


• Lead the strategic direction, resource planning, and workflow design for all gift assistance program operations, ensuring accurate, efficient, and timely program delivery.


• Manage team performance, staff assignments, workflow expectations, administrative operations, and continuous improvement efforts.


• Oversee and support teams across Scholarship & Grants and Nontraditional Programs to strengthen operational effectiveness and program expertise.


• Review statutes, ISAC policies, and administrative rules and convert them into clear operational requirements that inform program structure, application language, eligibility criteria, review processes, and program implementation strategies.


• Provide operational interpretation of rules and policies and manage the resolution of all escalated eligibility issues, including appeals, exception requests, and complex determinations, ensuring consistency, fairness, and compliance across operations.


• Provide subject matter expertise on program development efforts including applicant communications, website content decisions, application launch planning, operational workflows, system functionality, and accessibility strategies.


• Direct the division’s quality assurance, compliance, internal controls, risk mitigation strategies, and responses to audits, legislative inquiries, and other compliance reviews.


• Conduct quality control reviews and maintain detailed documentation of operational policies and procedures.


• Track key performance indicators, prepare reports for leadership, and engage in cross-functional collaboration across PSC, agency partners, and system development teams

Minimum Acceptable Qualifications:

• A total of three (3) years (36 months) in education, training and/or work experience in the area of Financial Aid . (Note: Master’s Degree in an area consistent with the duties of the position may be substituted for one (1) year of work experience.


• Based on position requirements, additional education, training, and/or work experience in the area of specialization inherent to the position, may be required.

Additional education, training and/or work experience in the area of specialization:

• Minimum 3 years of experience developing and refining business requirements for program development or enhancements


• Minimum 3 years of experience developing, maintaining, and implementing operational procedures, documentation, or process steps that support accurate and efficient program administration.


• ISAC offers an attractive benefits package including health, vision, and life insurance, State Employees’ Retirement System,educational benefits, and more.


• 25 earned vacation days per year.


• 13 paid holidays (14 paid holidays when there is a General Election Day)


• Tuition waiver at select public Illinois universities and tuition reimbursements for non-public Illinois universities.

Salary Range : $100,008-$110,004

Work Type: Hybrid (2 or 3 days in office)

Be part of our great mission helping Illinois students attend college! Visit us at www.isac.org .

The selected candidate will be required to pass a criminal background check.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the US. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visas at this time.

ISAC does not discriminate against someone (applicant or employee) because of that person's race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.