FT Veterans Specialist

Cerritos College; Norwalk (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Cerritos College seeks a Veterans Resource Center Specialist to support military-connected students with admissions, enrollment, and veteran benefits processing.

You will serve as a technical lead for veteran benefits compliance, manage student records, and collaborate with departments to ensure accurate, timely services for those eligible.

Qualifications

• Requires in-depth knowledge of Veteran benefit regulations, policies, as well as educational codes, and guidelines governing community college admissions and student record keeping.
• Requires working knowledge of the College’s policies and procedures, and the ability to apply them to admissions and enrollment.
• Knowledge of state and federal educational benefits affecting military-connected students.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance on veteran benefits eligibility and enrollment requirements.
• Serve as School Certifying Official for veteran benefit programs and liaise with VA, college, and students for issue resolution.
• Maintain and verify student records, transcripts, and enrollment changes; ensure compliance with regulations.
• Prepare reports and audits, and assist with enrollment processes and data integrity.

Skills

Veteran benefits knowledge

Data entry

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Record keeping

Interpersonal skills

Education

Associate’s Degree

Tools

VAONCE platform

MS Office

Job description

Equity and Diversity

The District is strongly committed to achieving staff diversity and the principles of equal opportunity employment. The District encourages a diverse pool of applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation in any of its policies, procedures or practices. In fact, the college encourages applications from all segments of qualified people.

Closing Date

This position will close on December 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM (or when 150 applications are received, whichever occurs sooner).

College Profile

Cerritos College is ranked 14th among the top 100 schools with the highest Hispanic enrollment in the United States by the United States Department of Education. Cerritos College serves as a comprehensive community college for southeastern Los Angeles County. Communities within the college's district include Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Norwalk, and portions of Bell Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs and South Gate. Cerritos College offers degrees and certificates in more than 180 areas of study in nine divisions. Enrollment currently averages 20,000 students. Visit Cerritos College online http://www.cerritos.edu

Department Profile

The Veterans Resource Center (VRC) provides comprehensive services and resources to meet the unique needs of our student veterans and other military-connected students. The VRC team is committed to supporting our students through a strengths-based approach, in an effort to assist them in achieving their academic goals.

Summary

Performs a variety of specialized technical and clerical tasks supporting students who are, or are dependents of, Veterans, providing guidance for admission, enrollment, records, academic progress and success, and status of students. Processes Veteran benefits while providing military connected students information and support. Serves as the technical resource for the District and military connected students, ensuring compliance with all regulations regarding Veteran benefits.

Distinguishing Career Features

The Veterans Specialist requires the demonstrated ability to serve as a technical leader to ensure compliance with all regulations and processes related to Veteran benefits and eligibility requirements that include, but are not limited to admissions, registration, residency, student status, academic progress, transcripts, graduation, and attendance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide technical direction and guidance to current and potential students regarding eligibility and enrollment requirements for various Veteran benefits
• Provide interpretation of admissions and student record guidelines and policies, coordinating the District and Veteran requirements.
• Serves as designated School Certifying Official for all Veteran benefit programs, maintaining currency for complex regulations and procedures and completing annual compliance trainings. Serves as liaison between the VA, college and students, providing advocacy for problem resolutions.
• Represents the District in local and federal consortiums related to Veteran’s affairs.
• Distributes and monitors VA payments to student's accounts following both Chapter 31 and Chapter 33 benefits guidelines, resolving tuition payments, discrepancy issues, amending or adjusting student records in VA and District software programs.
• Researches, interprets, clarifies, and resolves a variety of problems dealing with, but not limited to, admissions, registration, matriculation, residency, student academic status, course class conflicts, and fees.
• Receives and evaluates official transcripts from other education institutions and verifies acceptable accreditation. Processes non-traditional credit requests. Processes prerequisite clearances.
• Processes late registration and enrollment changes, assuring accurate posting of student drops, enrollment changes, and fees collected or owed.
• Responds to inquiries pertaining to funding regulations, eligibility, admission and enrollment requirements and procedures from other departments.
• Assures that student records are up-to-date. Maintains student records including updating transcripts, waivers, education plans, demographic and vital information and posting grades and changes. Enters data onto an automated system with data entry screens.
• Extracts and downloads information to prepare reports and audit accuracy of data.
• Assists students in obtaining records and copies of transcripts. Mails copies of transcripts and verifications of enrollment as requested. Orders enrollment verifications and official transcripts from other institutions using standardized forms.
• Verifies class enrollment status for students and faculty members. Interacts with students, managers, and other staff members to accept and facilitate transactions such as, but not limited to, student petitions, as appropriate.
• Maintains records of student attendance, instructor drops, and grades. Issues and processes instructor records. Resolves discrepancies and keeps instructors informed of enrollment changes on a timely basis.
• Orders, proofs, corrects, and updates student records in compliance educational codes, identifies and updates student course repetitions, creates and forward academic and/or progress probationary and dismissal notification letters to affected students, and receives and evaluates dismissal appeals forms for accuracy and completeness.
• Performs quality control to educational advising by analyzing potential discrepancies, omissions, or inconsistencies while evaluating degree petitions.
• Processes grade changes and petitions for academic renewal. Notifies student of approval/disapproval. Makes changes to student records.
• Provides assistance to students with special needs, as appropriate.
• Serves on, or supports committees to provide job related information, as assigned.
• Receives, counts, and reconciles registration monies. Posts funds collected to appropriate accounts and categories. Verifies and reconciles revenue categories on cash summary reports, ensuring accuracy and detail for audit trail purposes.
• Posts receipts to student financial records, prepares bills individual students for unpaid balances, and audits and updates refund reports. Prepares student refund reports.
• Composes general office correspondence and performs other clerical services of a routine nature including, but not limited to filing, data entry, processing of departmental bulk mail, and completing of forms.
• Participates in the selection, training, assignment, and review of work output for student and temporary help.
• Maintains currency of knowledge and skills related to the duties and responsibilities.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

The position requires an Associate’s Degree and four years of experience in an admissions/student enrollment function. Direct and progressively responsible experience in admissions/enrollment may substitute for some post-secondary education. Ongoing training is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience serving as a School Certifying Official (SCO) at an educational institution
• Working knowledge of Enrollment Manager and Tungsten systems
• Experience with the management and coordination of the certification processes of military-connected benefits that include the Post 9/11 GI Bill, Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E), and Chapter 35
• Experience working with student veterans and other military-connected students in a college setting

Knowledge and Skills

Requires in-depth knowledge of Veteran benefit regulations, policies, as well as educational codes, and guidelines governing community college admissions and student record keeping. Requires working knowledge of the College’s policies and procedures for at least these areas: registration, residency, maintaining instructor and student records, military connected students, student disciplinary, and legal processes. Requires a knowledge of state and federal educational benefits affecting military connected students. Requires a knowledge of major and course articulation and matriculation concepts. Requires a working knowledge of personal computer-based software programs including but not limited to VAONCE school certification platform, word processing, spreadsheet, presentation graphics, and special applications used by the organization unit. Requires the ability to enter and extract data and reports from student information systems. Requires knowledge of and skills in office methods and procedures, proper English language usage, grammar, syntax, composition, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation. Requires knowledge of basic bookkeeping practices and procedures, including cashiering. Requires sufficient math skills to perform business math computations. Requires sufficient human relation skills to use proper telephone etiquette, explain procedures to others, resolve conflicts, and portray a positive image of the College.

Abilities

Requires the ability to perform assignments in any and all admissions and records process and sub-process. Requires the ability to learn and apply the most up-to-date regulations, policies, educational codes, and guidelines relating to admissions, registration, and student records. Requires the ability to work independently and collaboratively, prioritize workload, analyze problems and determine solutions. Requires the ability to compile and evaluate data, prepare reports, charts and graphs from standardized formats. Requires the ability to type/keyboard and use a mouse or other pointing device to operate a microcomputer, peripheral and common office equipment. Requires the ability to remain calm in stressful situations, work under pressure, meet deadlines and timetables, maintain attention to detail, and combine multiple tasks simultaneously. Requires the ability to compose general and specialized office correspondence, type and keyboard at a rate sufficient to meet production requirements, analyze documentation in areas of assignment, and research and analyze technical information. Requires the ability to maintain accurate records, file and maintain filing systems, maintain confidentiality of private and/or sensitive information. Requires the ability to function as a cashier. Requires the ability to work cooperatively and productively with others.

Physical Abilities

Incumbent must be able to function effectively indoors in an office environment engaged in work of primarily a sedentary nature. Requires the ability to sit at a workstation for extended periods of time and to stand upright and forward flexing, for intermittent periods of time. Requires the ability to interact with students at departmental service windows. Requires near visual acuity to write, read written materials and computer screens, and observe students at service windows in need of assistance. Requires sufficient hearing and speech ability for ordinary and telephonic conversations and to hear sound prompts from equipment. Requires sufficient hand-eye and finger dexterity to write, use a keyboard and pointing device. Requires the ability to reach to access files and move supplies and equipment in and out of storage areas. Requires sufficient hand-eye coordination to perform data entry at an advanced rate.

Licenses and Certificates

May require a valid driver’s license.

Working Conditions

Work is performed indoors where minimal safety considerations exist.

Salary/Fringe Benefits

Grade 34 on District Classified Salary Schedule ($5,951.65 /month).

Health and welfare benefits include District contribution for medical/dental/vision benefits and employee life insurance ($50,000). (Cash in lieu option available on medical insurance.)

Participation in the Public Employee's Retirement System that is also integrated with Social Security.

Selection Procedure

After the application closing date, a search committee will review and invite the most qualified applicants for an interview. As these are highly competitive positions, meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee an interview. If you have questions or would like to follow‑up regarding your application, please contact Human Resources at [e-mail] as search committee members are unable to discuss specific recruitments.

Conditions of Employment

This is a full-time, 12-calendar month classified position.

Hours of employment are Monday thru Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

Initial placement of employees on Classified Salary schedule is at Step 1. After six months of successful probationary employment, employee is placed at Step 2.

Employment is to be effective as soon as possible following completion of the selection process.

Individual who is offered employment shall be required to obtain fingerprints for a criminal history clearance through the State Department of Justice and remit the required fee for processing the fingerprints, Federal Bureau of Investigation (no fee if obtained at Cerritos College Campus Police Station), produce an original social security card, and submit a TB Risk Assessment reviewed and signed by a health professional before employment.

Candidates must be able to provide proof of California residency prior to employment. Proof of eligibility to work in the United States and signing of loyalty oath per Government Codes 3100-3109.

Please note - the District does