Director of Financial Aid

Director of Financial Aid

SUMMARY

Columbus College of Art & Design seeks an experienced and dedicated Director of Financial Aid to lead our Financial Aid Office. This role encompasses critical responsibilities such as overseeing financial aid disbursement, managing federal and institutional aid programs, and advising students and families in both the graduate and undergraduate populations. This leader should display strong attention to detail, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and institution regulations while delivering outstanding student service.

Reporting to the Vice President for Enrollment Management, the Director of Financial Aid will collaborate various campus departments and leaders to lead key initiatives, including compliance reporting, software systems management, and strategic planning. This is a full-time, in-person position, with limited remote work opportunities.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include but are not limited to the following:

• Financial Aid Program Administration:
• Administers all aspects of the Federal Title IV programs including the campus-based programs (FSEOG, Federal Work Study), Federal Pell Grant Program, Direct Student Loans and Direct PLUS Loans.
• Administers all aspects of the state financial aid programs including the Ohio College Opportunity Grant and the Ohio War Orphans Scholarship.
• Administers all aspects of the institutional financial aid strategy and programs and other resources that are available to students including but not limited to private loans, 3rd party scholarships
• Serves as the lead for establishing packaging operations within the financial aid software, creates and reviews the packaging process for both new and continuing studentsReviews and packages new and continuing students.
• Counsels new and continuing students, and their families, providing detail on financing their education with CCAD and external resources
• Director serves as the chief student financial aid officer, with knowledge and the ability of all aspects within the scope of the Financial Aid Office, and able to step in and perform all processes and activities as needed
• Creates, publishes, and maintains Financial Aid timeline for the office and internal partners which includes both internal processes/deadlines, as well as external student/parent processes/deadlines, in cluding website maintenance of required and necessary information . This timeline enables coordination of activities with Admissions, Student Affairs, Student Records, Bursar, Marketing, and other relevant departments.
• Continually improves processes and procedures in order to increase effectiveness and eliminate manual or outdated methods in all aspects of Financial Aid work. Ensures Financi al Aid processes reflect industry best practices and the effective use of technology.
• Serves as primary resource in data protection and sharing regarding student and institutional financial aid information
• Ensures the Financial Aid office delivers the highest standards of customer service to students, faculty, and staff.

• Management and Supervision Responsibilities
• Hires, trains and evaluates staff.
• Manages, coaches, and mentors employees so that they perform to their highest ability and adheres to applicable laws, CCAD policies, and Enrollment Management practices and procedures at all times.
• Ensures any employee performance issues are addressed and resolved in a timely manner.
• Maintains awareness and understanding of all processes and activities performed by staff. Understands that while work may be delegated to staff, the Director is the ultimate person responsible for the work and services maintained and provided in Financial Aid .
• Director actively seeks to increase the knowledge, skills, and professional development of their staff.
• Supervises all Financial Aid Department staff which currently consists of two full-time professional counselors, with support and collaboration from Student Central Staff and student workers .

• Financial Literacy Programs & Communications Planning
• Proactively recommends to VPEM, and plans in partnership with Marketing, comprehensive communications campaigns to incoming and continuing students and their parents to address Financial Aid processes, deadlines, and financial literacy concerns. Works with Financial Aid staff and various campus support areas to identify communications opportunities to student populations including new, continuing, alumni and students who withdraw or stop out .
• Ensures that the Financial Aid department develops and delivers content (workshops, videos, printed materials, etc.) to incoming and continuing students that leverages financial literacy as a way to support retention.
• May speak publicly to groups on and off campus on topics related to Financial Literacy and Financial Aid.

• Recruitment Support and Engagement
• Provides data, reports and relevant information needed to aid in successful recruitment, yield and enrollment of prospective students
• Supports the Admissions Team with various recruitment events both on-campus and off-campus.
• Serves as lead facilitator in training the Admissions Team on the fundamentals of financial aid to better equip the team for recruitment .

• Other Areas of Leadership
• Participates in discussions to support campus planning regarding tuition pricing, institutional financial aid policies, funding levels and student expense budgets.
• Maintains accurate and current process documentation of all processes, policies, procedures and activities performed by the Financial Aid department.
• Director is expected to be aware of news, developments, and current trends within the Financial Aid field. This includes federal and state regulations, as well as best practices. News and developments which can have an impact on the institution as well as best practices and trends which can be considered for adoption at CCAD are brought to the attention of VPEM.
• Completes the Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP) on an annual basis; and serves as primary contact for various institutional reporting needs for financial aid, similar to but not limited to AICAD, AICUO and IPEDS
• Coordinates and responds to audits that pertain to financial aid, in collaboration with the Business Office
• Monitors financial aid recipients who withdraw and manages refunds for federal aid programs, where applicable
• Participates and engages with various professional associations including OASFAA, MASFAA, and NASFAA.
• Serves as PowerFAIDS super user and lead facilitator of training, upgrades and maintenance with IT.
• Coordinates with Admissions CRM Administrator to ensure effective PowerFAIDS integration with Slate CRM.
• Coordinates with the Information Technology department to ensure effective PowerFAIDS integration with PowerCampus.
• Serves as liaison for Tuition Exchange and Tuition Waiver programs, collaborates with Human Resources and Admissions to share information in a timely manner to effectively enroll students
• Represents the department at institutional meetings.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Must be able to satisfactorily perform each essential duty listed above. Additional qualifications include:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent customer service skills
• Evidence of strong organizational abilities, time management and attention to detail
• Ability to organize and manage multiple duties simultaneously
• Proficiency in PowerFAIDS, PowerCampus, Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree required
• 3 to 5 years direct experience at the Director level in Financial Aid

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

• Notary Public, State of Ohio desired

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The employee is occasionally required to:

• The employee is regularly required to walk and talk and hear.
• The employee frequently is required to sit, stand, use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms.
• Lift and/or move up to 10 pounds on an occasional basis.
• Demonstrate specific vision abilities including close vision, depth perception, and focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• The employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions.

About Columbus College of Art & Design:

Columbus College of Art & Design teaches undergraduate and graduate students in the midst of a thriving creative community in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1879, CCAD is one of the oldest private, nonprofit art and design colleges in the United States. CCAD offers nine BFA programs and a Master of Professional Studies in User Experience Design that produce graduates equipped to shape culture and business at the highest level. Additionally, CCAD offers year-round community art classes for children and adults of all ages, led by local creators and designers skilled in their craft. For more information, visit ccad.edu .

About Columbus:

As the 14th largest city in the country and the largest and fastest-growing city in Ohio, Columbus is collaborative, open, and dynamic. Between incredible arts and entertainment, exciting collegiate and professional sports, and a spectacular downtown riverfront of sprawling greenspace, Columbus has something for everyone. Here, you'll find all the culture and amenities you'd expect in a major city, with the friendly and approachable attitude of the Midwest. Franklin County, where Columbus is located, is the epicenter of the state's political, economic, and social presence and is home to 1.3 million residents with a median age of 34. Columbus is a top city for equality and was the recipient of a perfect score from the Human Rights Campaign in 2020. And central Ohio is serious about higher education: the Columbus region is home to 52 college and university campuses, with 22,000 annual college graduates. Because CCAD is closely tied to the city's numerous art and design spaces and ever-expanding districts, you'll have plenty of places to experience creativity and showcase your own.

EEO Statement:

Columbus College of Art & Design ("CCAD") is committed to the principles of equal employment. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities, and all other employment laws and regulations. It is our intent to maintain a work environment that is free of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation based on an individual's race, color, religion, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, protected medical leaves, domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws. CCAD is dedicated to the fulfillment of this policy regarding all aspects of employment.