Temporary Financial Aid Specialist

DC101 Dickinson College; United States; On-site; USD 52,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Life insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Generous time off

Parental leave

Homebuyer assistance

Tuition benefits

Job summary

Dickinson College, in Carlisle, PA, seeks a Financial Aid Specialist for a one-year, full-time term. You will review applications, determine eligibility, and craft offers using PowerFAIDS, supporting Senior Associate and Director level work.

The role emphasizes compliance with federal, state, and institutional policies, and includes loan certification support. A strong background in financial aid packaging and excellent communication is required to serve students and collaborate across offices.

Qualifications

• Associate's degree required; Bachelor's degree preferred.
• Experience with PowerFAIDS packaging.
• Familiarity with CSS Profile and institutional methodology.
• Ability to comply with federal, state, and institutional policies.
• Strong written and verbal communication, organization, and time-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Review financial aid applications and package aid to meet enrollment and financial goals.
• Verify student eligibility for institutional, federal, and state aid.
• Ensure compliance with policies and participate in training/webinars to stay current on regulations.
• Review and process Federal Direct Loans and private/alternative loans.

Skills

Communication

Time management

Independence

Collaboration

Attention to detail

Education

Associate's degree

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

PowerFAIDS

CSS Profile

Job description

About Dickinson

Dickinson College is a premier four-year residential liberal arts institution chartered in 1783 and widely recognized as a leader in global and sustainability education. Dickinson College is located in Carlisle, named a “most livable city” by Forbes and is minutes from the state capital of Harrisburg. The campus is connected to a vibrant downtown that offers eclectic dining, shopping and entertainment options. Within a two-hour drive are Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.; New York City is three hours away. Dickinson College offers full-time employees a broad range of benefits, including a comprehensive medical insurance plan, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, generous time off, parental leave, homebuyer assistance, and tuition benefits for eligible employees and dependent children under the age of 24. Upon eligibility, the College contributes 8% of an employee’s base salary to a retirement account with an additional .5% matching contribution; all money paid by the college into the employee’s retirement plan is immediately and fully vested in the employee.

Position Department Financial Aid Position Details

This is a temporary, full-time position for a one-year term, with a possibility of extension.

Summary

The Financial Aid Specialist will be responsible for reviewing institutional and federal financial aid applications, determining financial aid eligibility, and creating financial aid offers, using Dickinson’s financial aid system, PowerFAIDS. This person will be responsible for Senior Associate and Director level work. Serves as a professional resource for staff/system given knowledge and expertise in PowerFAIDS. May conduct Q/A sessions as learn new system. Based on past experience, may contribute insights to practices and new system. This role also entails supporting the Loan Specialist with Federal Direct Loan and private/alternative loan certification. This individual will ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional financial aid policies.

Essential Functions

• Review financial aid applications, resolve conflicting information, and package prospective and returning student financial aid to ensure affordability while meeting the college's enrollment, retention, and financial goals.
• Verify student eligibility for institutional, federal, and state financial aid by reconciliation of differences between the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and CSS profile and confirming eligibility after thorough verification of documents including parent and student tax return, W-2 forms and other required verification worksheets.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional policies, and participation in training opportunities and webinars to stay current on regulation changes.
• Review and process Federal Direct Loan and private/alternative loan application as needed.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Resolve over awards.
• Meet virtually with students regarding financial aid questions.
• Assist in clean up reports.
• Other duties as determined or assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Not responsible for supervising others.

Requirements

• Associate's degree, required.
• Bachelor's degree, preferred.
• Prior experience with financial aid packaging in PowerFAIDS.
• Demonstrated knowledge of financial aid application process.
• Prior experience with College's Board CSS Profile and institutional methodology.
• Ability to comply with all federal, state, and institutional policies.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and follow through on tasks with minimal supervision.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, organization and time-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines, professional judgement, discretion, and a collaborative approach to working across departments, strong partnerships, with a service orientation and genuine interest in institutional mission.

Work Experience

3-5 years Independence of Action Results are defined and existing practices are used as guidelines to determine specific work methods and carries out work activities independently; supervisor/manager is available to resolve problems.

Equipment Used

Standard office equipment.

Physical/Environmental Demands

Office environment No specific or unusual physical demands.

EEO/Diversity Statement

The College is committed to building a representative and diverse faculty, staff, and student body. We encourage applications from all qualified persons. Dickinson College is a premier four-year residential liberal arts institution chartered in 1783 and widely recognized as a leader in global and sustainability education. Dickinson College is located in Carlisle, named a “most livable city” by Forbes and minutes from the state capital of Harrisburg. The campus is connected to a vibrant downtown that offers eclectic dining, shopping and entertainment options. Within a two-hour drive are Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.; NewYorkCity is three hours away. We invite you to take a virtual tour of our campus and explore our Careers at Dickinson College video. Dickinson College offers full time employees a broad range of Benefits including a comprehensive medical insurance plan, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, generous time off, parental leave, homebuyer assistance, and tuition benefits for eligible employees and dependent children under the age of 24. Upon eligibility, the College contributes 8% of an employee’s base salary to a retirement account with an additional .5% matching contribution; all money paid by the college into the employee’s retirement plan is immediately and fully vested in the employee. Dickinson welcomes those who are seeking to be part of an intellectual and social community that values justice, free inquiry, diversity, and equal opportunity. It is a fundamental policy of the college to respect pluralism, civility and mutual understanding within its community. The college does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or any other protected class. We encourage applications from all qualified persons. Individuals with disablities who require an accommodation to complete the employment process should contact Human Resource Services at [phone], [e-mail] or by visiting our offices Monday through Friday from 8:30a.m. to 4:30p.m. (ET). All applications must be submitted electronically by 11:59p.m. (ET) on the closing date indicated. If you have accepted any position at Dickinson College, there are key pieces of documentation that are needed to complete the hiring process. Be sure to review the list of acceptable Form I-9 documents, List of Acceptable Documents. Employees must complete the Form I-9 to document verification of their identity and employment authorization. Employment with Dickinson College is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background check, which may include a criminal background check, reference checks, verification of work history, and verification of any required academic credentials, licenses, and/or certifications, with results acceptable to Dickinson College to ensure a safe learning and work environment for our students, staff, and faculty. A criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify an applicant from employment. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law. Federal legislation requires institutions of higher education to inform prospective members of our community about its most recent crime/incident statistics, crime prevention and security programs and activities, policies concerning the reporting of crime, and related information in accordance with the Campus Security Act, commonly referred to as the Clery Act. You can obtain this information by contacting the Department of Public Safety, Dickinson College, 400W. North St-Rear, Carlisle,PA17013 or call (717)-245-1349.