Senior Director, Student Finance Ops - Hybrid & Scale

Walden University; Lisle (IL); Hybrid; USD 138,000 - 242,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401k Retirement Program

Flexible Time Off

Paid holidays

Job summary

Covista is seeking a Senior Director, Student Finance Operations to own the operational performance across five institutions, including FAFSA/ISIR processing, disbursement, reconciliation, and audits. You will lead a multi-layered team of financial aid professionals, aligning calendars, models, and systems to ensure timely packaging and accurate disbursements.

The role demands deep Title IV expertise, strong judgment, and the ability to balance compliance, service, speed, and scale while driving

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant experience.
• 10+ years in financial aid administration or student finance operations.
• 5+ years leading managers and high-volume teams.
• Deep knowledge of Title IV statutes, regs, and audits.
• Experience supporting multiple institutions and calendars.
• Experience with major financial aid platforms and audits.

Responsibilities

• Provide end-to-end leadership for federal and non-federal financial aid across five institutions.
• Establish operating rhythms, calendars, capacity plans, and quality controls.
• Ensure accurate processing of federal, state, institutional, private, and veteran funding.
• Lead directors and teams with coaching, succession planning, and accountability.
• Maintain compliance, readiness for audits, and regulatory reporting.
• Oversee system configurations and data integrity across multiple platforms.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical skills

Operational leadership

Change leadership

Client service

Education

Bachelor’s degree in higher education administration, business, finance, accounting, public administration, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.

Tools

PowerFAIDS

ProSAM

Banner

Salesforce

Job description

Covista is seeking a Senior Director, Student Finance Operations to own the operational performance across five institutions, including FAFSA/ISIR processing, disbursement, reconciliation, and audits. You will lead a multi-layered team of financial aid professionals, aligning calendars, models, and systems to ensure timely packaging and accurate disbursements.

The role demands deep Title IV expertise, strong judgment, and the ability to balance compliance, service, speed, and scale while driving