Financial Aid Functional Analyst

The Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia; Charlottesville (VA); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville seeks a Financial Aid Systems Analyst to implement financial aid business logic in PeopleSoft Campus Solutions and optimize related processes.

The role includes configuring budgets and packaging plans, institutional need analysis, and maintaining queries to support reporting. A hybrid schedule with two days in the office weekly is required, and collaboration with the IT team is essential.

Qualifications

• Three or more years of higher education financial aid experience.
• Experience with PeopleSoft Campus Solutions.
• Experience with Oracle PSQuery or similar query language.
• Bachelor's degree preferred or equivalent years of experience.

Responsibilities

• Configure PeopleSoft Financial Aid module (packaging plans, cost of attendance budgets, INAS options).
• Develop and maintain complex PeopleSoft queries for reports and statistics.
• Diagnose problems and identify improvements in PeopleSoft Financial Aid and Perceptive Content workflow.
• Monitor compliance with federal/state/institutional regulations and policy.
• Collaborate with staff to understand processes and translate into technical solutions.
• Maintain batch jobs and run controls for data updates and communications.
• Lead user acceptance testing and train end users.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

PeopleSoft Campus Solutions

Oracle PSQuery

Job description

Student Financial Services (SFS) seeks candidates for the Financial Aid Systems Analyst role. This role is responsible for implementing financial aid business logic within Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, as well as analyzing existing processes and implementing innovative solutions to support the financial aid and student finance teams.

Department Summary

SFS is a group of about 50 individuals working in financial aid and student billing, committed to providing equitable access to financial resources for all students, as UVA meets 100% of demonstrated financial need. We promote a culture of connectivity and cohesiveness, working together for the good of students and families. Our Information Technology team is comprised of five team members working a hybrid schedule (in person two to three days per week) who support the department business operations and regularly interface with the enterprise IT team that supports the entire University.

Position Overview

This position is charged with ensuring that system processes within PeopleSoft Campus Solutions are working properly and that our students receive appropriate financial aid. This includes configuration and testing of budgets and packaging plans, institutional need analysis, and maintaining queries to support internal and external reporting needs.

The analyst will participate in projects to improve the review of financial aid applications, awarding, and compliance activities. In addition, the analyst will be responsible for oversight of our workflow within Perceptive Content, which tracks forms submitted by students so that the right staff members can take action as documents come in.

Successful applicants will be proactive individuals with strong analytical and problem-solving skills who can demonstrate understanding of how data flows through a university student information system. They will identify potential issues and opportunities for improvement both by analyzing data and by fostering relationships with department members. Once a new feature is identified, the analyst will gather requirements, work with the IT team to develop solutions, lead user acceptance testing, and train end users.

This is a Hybrid position requiring two days a week in office.

Job Duties

• Perform configuration changes to PeopleSoft Financial Aid module to include, but not limited to, packaging plans, cost of attendance budgets, institutional need analysis (INAS) global options, satisfactory academic progress, and formulas within the system's rules engine (Equation Engine)
• Develop and maintain complex PeopleSoft queries to create financial aid reports, implement systems checks, and provide statistical data to SFS managers
• Diagnose problems and identify potential improvements within the PeopleSoft Financial Aid module and the Perceptive Content financial aid reading workflow
• Monitor system processes for compliance in federal, state, and institutional regulations and policy
• Proactively interface with financial aid administrators to thoroughly understand business processes and identify areas where a technical solution can improve productivity
• Maintain batch processes using scheduled jobs (run controls) to perform tasks including population updates, assigning communications, and loading external awards
• Develop business and technical requirements for financial aid enhancements
• Analyze, evaluate and test software capabilities to meet user requirements and identify gaps in delivered functionality
• Collaborate with a team of developers to provide new financial aid functionality, create test cases, and lead user acceptance testing
• Educate and train co-workers on Student Information System processes and Perceptive Content workflow
• Maintain comprehensive documentation on system processes

Minimum Requirements

• Three or more years of higher education Financial Aid experience
• Experience providing support related to PeopleSoft Campus Solutions
• Demonstrated proficiency in analytical thinking and process improvement
• Experience with Oracle PSQuery or a similar query language
• Bachelors degree preferred or equivalent years of experience required

Expected Salary Range: $80,000-90,000 a year

The salary range listed reflects what the University of Virginia reasonably anticipates for this position at the time of posting, but actual compensation may vary based on factors such as education, work experience, market conditions, and skill level.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA's commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.