Awarding Specialist-Student Financial Services

BASIC FUNCTION: Responsible for awarding, adjusting, and cancelling financial aid, federal and institutional verification, certification of loan applications, processing refunds, counseling students and parents, and promoting financial literacy.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Manages all aspects of financial aid award processing through disbursement, including packaging, completing verification, adjusting, and cancelling of student awards.
2. Closes files and manages Authorization Failure reports to ensure disbursement of all aid according to federal, state and institutional regulations.
3. Outreach to students and/or borrowers to ensure accurate documents, and/or actions are taken to ensure accurate and timely disbursement of funds to student’s accounts. Outreach includes but is not limited to email, postal mail, and telephone.
4. Reviews award packages for accuracy, prepares award letters for mailing, and manages any correspondence related to the award and verification processes.
5. Certifies student and parent loan eligibility for loan processing.
6. Processes advance and refund requests for all students.
7. Manages assigned weekly reports and submits them to team members.
8. Submits Professional Judgement information in accordance with appeal findings and updates award packages as needed.
9. Counsel's students, parents, and other staff on federal financial aid regulations, awarding practices, student loans, basic budgeting and financial literacy information and SAIC policies.
10. Assists other staff as needed.
11. Assists in training of new staff.
12. Attends workshops and conferences within the field.
13. Attends meetings, webinars, and other training sessions as assigned.
14. Stays up to date with federal, state and institutional policies and regulations through sources informed and provided to staff such as webinars, websites, newsletters, email, policy/procedure manuals and a variety of provided documents.
15. Assists at mandatory SAIC Admissions events, new student orientations, graduations and other school events as needed. Some evening and weekends required.
16. Makes recommendations on policies and procedures, content and design of forms, office operations and customer service matters.
17. Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Experience in federal, state and institutional financial aid awarding, loan certification and federal verification preferred.
• Excellent communication skills and attention to detail required.
• PeopleSoft Experience preferred.