Senior Specialist, Financial Aid

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Las Vegas (NV); On-site; USD 55,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

The College of Southern Nevada seeks a Senior Specialist, Financial Aid to guide students and families through financial aid processes, explain regulations, and support eligibility and packaging. The role emphasizes outreach, counseling, and strong collaboration with other departments.

Requirements include a Bachelor's degree and 3 years of financial aid experience; a Master’s and NSHE/community college background are preferred. Knowledge of PeopleSoft and strong communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in student personnel, counseling, business, or related field from an accredited college/university; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3 years of progressively increased financial aid administrative experience.
• Master's degree in student personnel, Counseling, business, or related field from an accredited college/university (preferred).
• Experience working in a community college setting (preferred).
• Knowledge of PeopleSoft or similar Enterprise level software administering financial aid (preferred).
• The ability to perform the Return of Title IV calculations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively convey information to internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide students and families information about financing higher education, loan repayment, costs of attendance, and financial aid policy.
• Manage outreach activities and orientation while performing related tasks for the assigned area.
• Support office operations including verification processing, SAP, R2T4, loans, packaging, awarding, work study, appeals, etc.

Skills

Financial Aid

Return of Title IV

Customer Service

PeopleSoft

Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

PeopleSoft

Microsoft Office

Job description

Senior Specialist, Financial Aid

Job Description

Diversity Statement

About the College of Southern Nevada

Founded in 1971 and situated in the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area, the College of Southern Nevada is the most ethnically diverse college in Nevada and the first to receive the HSI designation. We've prioritized providing an affordable, collaborative, and welcoming environment that allows all students to shine. CSN is a fully accredited institution offering hundreds of degrees and certificates in 70 academic programs. CSN proudly hosts students from all 50 states and over 60 countries with a student population that mirrors Clark County Nevada, one of the most diverse counties in the US. More than one-third of our students are first-generation, half are Pell Grant eligible, and nearly three-fourths are part-time.

The College of Southern Nevada, a Minority Serving Institution designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) provides associates and select bachelor's degrees. Consistent with CSN's mission, vision, and values we are passionate about fostering an environment where our highly diverse students achieve, succeed, and prosper.

Institutional Commitment to Diversity

The College of Southern Nevada recognizes that embracing diversity maximizes faculty and staff contribution to our goals and provides the best opportunity for student achievement. We seek faculty who demonstrate their commitment to our communities and value diverse perspectives. Faculty are intentional about providing culturally responsive instruction to promote creativity, innovation, growth, and academic excellence.

We strive to uphold our mission, to create, and preserve an environment that is dedicated to achieving educational access, equitable resources, inviolable dignity, and opportunity for all to participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.

We ensure that all our work and efforts are transformative and build a truly Students First institutional culture. We commit to the journey ahead, embrace difficult conversations, examine implicit biases, and remain steadfast in our continuous process of improvement. We do this by creating, uplifting, and centering all the voices and experiential knowledge of our students, employees, and campus communities.

CSN is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination based on race, color, national origin, disability, religion, age, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, and veteran status in the programs or activities which it operates.

Why Live and Work in Southern Nevada?

The region has an environment where professional satisfaction and career achievement are paired with optimal quality of life in a locale with abundant opportunities for work and leisure. Southern Nevada is an excellent base camp for outdoor recreation. Popular nearby hiking and rock-climbing spots include Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Red Rock Canyon, the National Conservation Area, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, and Valley of Fire State Park.

Residents enjoy vibrant urban and suburban communities, within the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson, world-class restaurants, and beautiful parks. The region features a reasonable cost of living, with affordable prices on everything from housing to utilities to groceries compared to most major cities across the nation. Thanks to its mild winters and ample sunshine, the area appeals to a variety of age groups, from retirees to early career professionals. There are plenty of family-friendly activities available to keep families busy. Las Vegas is also a haven for professional sports fans with the NHL Golden Knights (2023 Stanley Cup Winner), WNBA Las Vegas Aces (2022, 2023 and 2025 National Champions), NFL Raiders Football Team, Las Vegas Lights FC and the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Benefits of Working at CSN

• Grant-in-Aid: Tuition & fee assistance for employees and their families at NSHE institutions.
• Time Off: CSN provides a variety of time off options to help employees manage their work-life balance.
• Holidays: All CSN employees receive 12 paid holidays per year.
• Benefits: CSN offers attractive and customizable health insurance plans for employee and dependents.
• Retirement Plan: Participants contribute 19.25% with 100% employer match.
• On-site Early Childhood Education Center services available
• Learning & professional development opportunities.
• Active CSN Affinity Groups that focus on campus-wide diversity initiatives to create a welcoming campus climate.

Job Description

Under the general direction of the Assistant Director (AD), this position provides students, families, CSN staff and external community with information about financing higher education utilizing: loan repayment & debt management strategies, costs of attendance, basic financial planning, financial aid policy & procedure, necessary paperwork, business processes, how to negotiate web portal information, interactive applications (multiple online/virtual platforms) and in-person/phone counseling services. The focus is to manage all outreach activities and orientation, while performing a variety of tasks related to the assigned area of responsibility.

The Financial Aid Senior Specialist works directly with students and their families to enhance their understanding of their rights and responsibilities as a financial aid recipient. Program eligibility rules are communicated to students and families regarding scholarships, grants, work study employment, student loans, and state financial aid programs.

The incumbent will also support other operations of the office which include but are not limited to client service, verification processing, satisfactory academic progress (SAP), R2T4, loans, packaging and awarding, work study, appeals, etc. This consists of helping with processing areas as needed and providing support during high need periods. The position will have a broad knowledge of financial aid surrounding federal, state, and institutional regulations and policies.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in student personnel, counseling, business, or related field from an accredited college/university; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3 years of progressively increased financial aid administrative experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in student personnel, Counseling, business, or related field from an accredited college/university.
• Experience working in a community college setting.
• Knowledge of PeopleSoft or similar Enterprise level software administering financial aid.

The ideal candidate should possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• The ability to perform the Return of Title IV calculations.
• The ability to collaborate and work successfully with a diverse and varied group of staff & faculty and/or student population.
• The ability to utilize and implement best practices to provide efficient and effective office operations that results in superior student experience.
• The ability to work extended hours, including weekends and holidays during peak season.
• Knowledge of Return of Title IV regulations.
• Knowledge of PeopleSoft or similar Enterprise level software administering financial aid.
• Possess strong critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills, and acumen.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively convey information to internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Experience working in a large college/university setting. Community college experience a plus.
• Experience with providing presentations in small and large group settings.
• Understand, evaluate, and provide strategic input on the impact of proposed and enacted changes in financial aid laws, regulations, guidelines, and effective practices.
• Read, interpret, and apply laws, regulations, and guidelines impacting the effective, efficient, and equitable performance of financial aid programs.
• Demonstrated success using inquiry and evidence to inform decision-making, short- and long-term planning.
• Possess skills to interact and build with students, families, and the campus community.
• Proficiency in use of a personal computer and current software applications including but not limited to Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
• Make decisions and take actions independently for a variety of diverse situations.
• Show a high degree of creativity and initiative.

Salary Information

• Administrative Faculty C - The Starting Salary is $61,553

This position is contingent upon ongoing and available funding.

Exempt

Yes

Full-Time Equivalent

100.0%

Local Search

Out of Area/State Candidates are not offered travel reimbursement.

Posting Close Date

09/24/2026

This position may require that a criminal background check be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire.

As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks.

Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.

CSN employs only U.S. citizens and aliens authorized to work in the U.S. CSN does not sponsor aliens applying for faculty, professional staff, or management positions (H-1B Visas) in the absence of exceptional circumstances as defined by the USCIS.

CSN is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution.

About Us

The College of Southern Nevada (CSN) creates opportunities and changes lives through access to quality teaching, services, and experiences that enrich our diverse community. CSN has three main campuses in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson and multiple sites and centers.

The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a person's age, disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race, or religion.