Sr. Assistant Director

University of Southern California

Glendale (CA)

Hybrid

USD 34,000 - 45,000

Full time

7 days ago

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Job summary

The University of Southern California seeks a Senior Assistant Director, Outreach for Financial Aid to lead counseling on policies, assist with packaging, and manage complex cases for diverse student populations. This hybrid role requires strong communication and collaboration with campus partners to support students through the aid process.

Responsibilities include delivering presentations, analyzing needs, reviewing applications, executing packaging, and guiding students on planning and debt

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education.
Minimum 2 years of work experience.

Responsibilities

Conduct in-person and virtual financial aid presentations and advising sessions for external audiences and USC communities.
Analyze financial need and determine applicable aid options for individual circumstances.
Review aid applications for completeness and accuracy.
Assist with packaging for federal, state, and institutional aid programs.
Process loan certifications for federal and private loans.
Apply professional judgment to resolve complex aid matters.
Collaborate with colleagues to update packages and elevate cases for leadership review.
Serve as a financial aid subject-matter resource on policies and appeals.
Counsel students on financial planning, budgeting, borrowing, and debt management.
Develop strategies to improve communication with students and cross‑campus partners.
Support timely submission of required documents and materials.
Maintain knowledge of regulations and ensure policy compliance.
Balance advising with outreach, events, and departmental priorities.

Skills

Analysis

Assessment and evaluation

Written and verbal communication

Conflict resolution

Counseling and advising

Interpersonal communication

Interpretation and application of pol?

Interviewing

Knowledge of laws and policies

Organization and planning

Problem identification and resolution

Professional judgment

Public speaking and presentation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Office software

Job description

Senior Assistant Director, Outreach - Financial Aid

The USC Office of Financial Aid is seeking a Senior Assistant Director, Outreach to serve as a lead counselor on financial aid policies, procedures, and complex case resolution. This position supports students across a variety of populations and serves as the primary financial aid contact for an assigned student population.

The Senior Assistant Director will provide financial aid counseling, conduct outreach and educational programming, evaluate student financial aid needs, assist with financial aid packaging, and collaborate with campus partners to support students throughout the financial aid process.

Key Responsibilities

Conduct in-person and virtual financial aid presentations, workshops, webinars, and advising sessions for external audiences, including high schools, community colleges, and community-based organizations, as well as USC students, academic units, student groups, and student support offices.
Conduct financial need analyses for students requesting additional financial aid resources and determine whether additional options may be available based on individual circumstances.
Review student financial aid applications for completeness and consistency and verify the accuracy of student and family-reported information.
Assist with financial aid packaging for federal, state, and institutional aid programs, including Pell Grants, Cal Grants, Federal Direct Loans, and campus-based aid.
Process and support loan certification for federal and private education loans.
Exercise professional judgment and problem-solving skills within established policies and procedures to resolve complex or escalated student financial aid matters.
Collaborate with Financial Aid colleagues to identify issues, update financial aid packages, and elevate cases requiring senior leadership or funding review.
Serve as a financial aid subject‑matter resource regarding financial aid policies, procedures, and the appeal process on departmental or university committees, as requested.
Counsel students regarding financial planning, budgeting, responsible borrowing, and debt management.
Assist in developing strategies to improve communication between the Financial Aid Office and incoming and continuing students.
Support initiatives designed to improve timely student submission of required financial aid documents and materials.
Collaborate with university leadership and campus partners to address escalated student concerns and provide financial aid support to various student populations.
Maintain current knowledge of university, state, and federal financial aid regulations and ensure compliance with applicable policies and procedures.
Balance student advising responsibilities with outreach programming, presentations, departmental priorities, and special events.

The successful candidate will possess strong interpersonal and communication skills and enjoy working directly with students and diverse audiences. The ability to manage competing priorities, exercise sound judgment, interpret policies, and provide thoughtful solutions to complex student situations is critical to success in this role.

This is an excellent opportunity for an individual with strong communication, critical-thinking, organizational, counseling, and problem‑solving skills who enjoys public interaction and supporting students.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference will be given to candidates with knowledge of student financial aid programs within a higher education environment.

Additional preferred experience includes:

Student services experience with demonstrated analytical skills.
Experience interpreting and applying policies and procedures.
Ability to exercise independent judgment and make informed decisions while managing competing priorities.
Student counseling or advising experience.
Experience conducting presentations or public speaking in a professional setting.
Experience working with diverse student populations and campus partners.
Strong organizational and problem‑solving skills.

Skills

The successful candidate should demonstrate proficiency in the following areas:

Analysis
Assessment and evaluation
Written and verbal communication
Conflict resolution
Counseling and advising
Interpersonal communication
Interpretation and application of policies, procedures, regulations, and trends
Interviewing
Knowledge of applicable laws, policies, and principles
Organization and planning
Problem identification and resolution
Professional judgment
Public speaking and presentation

Technology Skills

Proficiency with computers and standard office productivity software.
Ability to work within university and departmental computer systems and networks.
Ability to learn and navigate financial aid, student information, and related technology systems.

Supervision

May oversee student, temporary, and/or casual employees.

Work Location and Schedule

This position is based at the USC University Park Campus and will also require travel to the USC Health Sciences Campus for meetings, programs, events, and scheduled financial aid office hours.

Domestic travel may also be required during relevant recruitment and student conversion periods.

This position reports to the Associate Director, Outreach and is eligible for overtime.

The standard work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This is a hybrid‑fixed position that requires regular on-campus presence.

In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment toUSC's Unifying Values.

The hourly range for this position is $25.00-$33.00. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Minimum qualifications