State Tuition Wavier Program Administrator

State of Colorado; Englewood (CO); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid holidays

Annual leave

On-site fitness facilities

Free parking

Training opportunities

Job summary

The Colorado Department of Military & Veterans Affairs seeks an experienced administrator to independently run the State Tuition Waiver Program from the Centennial headquarters. You will manage a multi-million dollar budget, oversee applications, eligibility, award distributions, and communications with students and institutions.

You will collaborate with higher education partners, streamline verification and disbursement processes, and prepare audit-ready reports.

Qualifications

• Three years' experience managing an organizational program with a budget over $1M and knowledge of related state/federal financial aid regulations.
• Two years' experience performing professional budgeting.
• Strong interpersonal skills to work with a diverse group of individuals.
• Excellent organizational skills to coordinate multiple facets of the program.
• Experience developing and managing state tuition waiver programs.

Responsibilities

• Develop, execute, and improve the Colorado State Tuition Waiver Program and provide evidence-based recommendations.
• Process all administrative components: reviews, eligibility verification, award letters, enrollment verifications, and communications.
• Assist diverse student populations and liaise between National Guard members and higher education institutions.
• Collaborate with DIHEs and higher education stakeholders to streamline verifications and award disbursals.
• Manage a $1.7+ million annual budget and verify invoices per policy and guidelines.
• Reconcile funds with accounting ledgers and resolve discrepancies.
• Establish SOPs and workflow for complete program compliance.
• Prepare detailed reporting packages for the State Auditor and demonstrate regulatory compliance.
• Create tracking reports for enrollment, budget utilization, and program analytics.
• Provide training and advisory services to unit commanders, recruiters, and partners.

Skills

Budget management

Financial aid regulations

Interpersonal skills

Organizational skills

Independent work

Education

Bachelor's degree in business administration / accounting / finance

Tools

Microsoft 365

Power Automate

Power BI

Job description

Department Information

The Colorado Department of Military & Veterans Affairs (DMVA) has four major operational divisions: Army National Guard, Air National Guard, Civil Air Patrol, and Veterans Affairs. These divisions utilize State and Federal resources to provide our communities, State, and Nation with a ready military force for National defense and State emergency response as well as providing assistance to our Colorado Veterans.

DMVA offers comprehensive benefit programs to its classified work force that includes paid holidays, annual leave, sick leave, medical, dental, life, disability plans, flexible spending accounts, and public retirement options. DMVA also strives to assist employees in achieving a healthy work/life balance by offering compressed work weeks, on-site fitness facilities, free parking, and a variety of training opportunities!

Description of Job

This position is located at the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs headquarters in Centennial. The primary function of this position is to independently administer a tuition assistance program for members of the Colorado National Guard, including management of a budget of over one million dollars. The duties and responsibilities are listed below.

• Develop, execute, and continually improve the Colorado State Tuition Waiver Program to enhance operational efficiency and service delivery, providing evidence-based recommendations for strategic program improvements.
• Execute all administrative and clerical components of the program, including reviewing applications, verifying required documents and eligibility, generating, and distributing award letters, enrollment verifications, and program communications.
• Assist a diverse student population with program enrollment, policy guidance, and issue resolution, acting as the primary liaison between National Guard members and participating higher education institutions.
• Collaborate directly with Department of Institutions of Higher Education (DIHEs) / Higher Education Institution stakeholders to streamline enrollment verifications, award disbursals, and issue resolution.
• Manage a $1.7+ million annual appropriated budget, verifying and approving mid-term reports and final invoices from higher education institutions based on program policies and military guidelines.
• Reconcile program funds regularly with accounting, auditing general ledgers against institutional billings and approved funding commitments to resolve any financial discrepancies.
• Manage awarded contracts from appropriated funds by determining initial and ongoing participant eligibility, tracking expiration dates, verifying lengths of service, and ensuring strict compliance with military policies, state fiscal rules, and Colorado Revised Statutes.
• Establish standard operating procedures and a dedicated workflow to ensure complete compliance across all program operations.
• Prepare, compile, and deliver detailed, comprehensive report packages for the State Auditor's Office to demonstrate financial integrity and regulatory compliance.
• Create, maintain, and update custom tracking reports to monitor enrollment metrics, budget utilization, expenditure pipelines, and participant status.
• Formulate timely, precise responses to inquiries from external entities, including state auditors, legislators, and the Governor's Advocate Office.
• Apply exceptional attention to detail and rigorous organizational skills to maintain audit‑ready financial, contract, and participant documentation.
• Design and create compelling marketing materials and coordinate directly with Public Relations to disburse promotional and educational resources to the Colorado National Guard (CONG).
• Conduct ongoing training and advisory services for unit commanders, State Recruiting and Retention Managers, and external partners.
• Inform and train internal and external stakeholders on program procedures, guidelines, and submission requirements.
• Maintain a collaborative working relationship with the Colorado Army National Guard federal assistance office to align state funding with federal guidelines.
• Collaborate effectively as part of a team across various work units.
• Design, build, and maintain automated workflows using Microsoft Power Automate to streamline administrative approvals, while leveraging Power BI to create interactive dashboard reporting for tracking budget utilization, enrollment trends, and program analytics.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Residency Requirement

This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

Minimum Qualifications

• Three years' work experience successfully managing an organizational program with a budget of over one million dollars that included a strong knowledge of state and federal requirements related to financial aid regulations and guidelines; AND
• Two years' experience performing professional budgeting.
• Must have strong interpersonal skills to work with a diverse group of individuals.
• Must have excellent organizational skills to coordinate multiple facets of the program.
• Must have strong professional orientation to work independently and be familiar with the requirements of developing a program to effectively and professionally manage the State Tuition Wavier Program.

Substitutions

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in business administration, accounting, finance (attach electronic transcripts to on-line application) AND
• Six (6) months of professional experience tailoring an organizational program with a budget of over one million dollars that included a strong knowledge of state and federal requirements related to financial aid regulations and guidelines; AND
• Six (6) months experience performing professional budgeting.

Preferred Qualifications

• High proficiency in Microsoft 365 Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), including expert utilization of the Accessibility Checker to ensure digital compliance.
• Ability to create, remediate, and check accessible PDFs using Adobe Acrobat tools and features.
• Proficiency in building and maintaining automated workflows using Microsoft Power Automate, along with experience creating interactive Power BI dashboards to track, analyze, and present budget utilization, enrollment metrics, and program data.

Conditions of Employment

• Must have and maintain a valid Colorado Driver's License.
• Must successfully pass a pre-employment criminal background check (felony or drug convictions are not consistent with base security requirements).
• Able to work additional hours outside of a regular schedule and available on an as needed or emergency basis.

Supplemental Information

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected states in accordance with applicable law.

Appeal Rights

As an applicant who has been removed from consideration during the selection or comparative analysis process, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board and/or request a review by the State Personnel Director. A standard appeal form is available on the State Personnel Board website, https://spb.colorado.gov/forms-and-filing. If you appeal, your appeal must be submitted in writing on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative, and received at the following address within ten (10) days of your receipt of this notice: Colorado State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director, Attn: Appeals Processing, 1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver, CO 80203. Fax: [phone]. Phone: [phone]. Email address: [e-mail]. The ten-day deadline and these appeal procedures also apply to all charges of discrimination. Refer to Chapters 4 and 8 of the State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, 4 CCR 801, for information about the appeals process. The State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures are available at spb.colorado.gov.

Accommodations

The Department of Personnel & Administration is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Coordinator, Tamy Calahan at [e-mail] 720-250-1520.

The State of Colorado offers permanent employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, life and disability insurance, as well as a comprehensive leave program. Please click the following link for detailed information: www.colorado.gov/pacific/dhr/benefits. Please note that each agency's contact information is different; therefore, we encourage all applicants to view the full, official job announcement which includes contact information and class title. Select the job you wish to view, then click on the "Print" icon.