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The Job Duties of a Financial Aid Director in Higher Education

Job Descriptions February 16, 2014

The Financial Aid Director is an intricate part of a higher education institution’s infrastructure. This multifaceted position is a demanding yet rewarding job that requires the professional to excel within three main categories; managerial, developmental, and implementation. While the duties are essentially limitless, tasks will fall under the mentioned categories as the duty pertains to the student, government or the institution itself.

The essential function of the Director is to manage the Financial Aid Office’s staff. It is their responsibility to ensure that the administrative functions are proceeding proficiently. The Director will evaluate the performance of personnel to see where improvements need to be made. He/she is accountable for ensuring that opportunities are provided for staff professional development to improve the overall satisfaction, efficiency, and accuracy of the office.

The Director is responsible for overseeing student financial aid processes for awarding student loans, grants and scholarship packages. This includes monitoring work-study, satisfactory academic progress, and federal, state, and local grant expenditures. They will settle student accounts with the Business Office and calculate refunds or repayments for withdrawn students. The managerial tasks of the position are extensive and should be met with the highest level of discretion maintaining confidentiality.

While managerial tasks are essential, they are merely part of the active role the Director plays. Developing strategies and key data are another facet of this professional’s daily life. Budgets, personnel needs, and operational expenses must be developed and monitored for compliance. Cost of attendance for students seeking financial aid must be assessed to maintain proper calculations for assistance on a continual basis.

A highly important developmental process is to develop strategies that are in compliance with federal and state regulations that align with the institution’s objectives for enrollment. This supports enrollment retention and new student recruitment. The Director is pivotal in the developmental processes that bring success to higher education institutions.

Implementation is the last facet of this professional’s duties. Although managerial and developmental processes are important to the success of the office, ensuring adherence to laws and regulations is fundamental to the infrastructure of the financial aid program. The proper implementation of federal, state, and local laws, as well as regulations and policies, is the Director’s core function.

To maintain proper compliance with laws and regulations, he or she must ensure that the institution has exception free program reviews and audits. It is also an important part of the Director’s role to ensure all required federal, state, and local reports of the institution’s financial aid data are submitted accurately and on time. It’s imperative that the implementation of all laws, regulations, and reporting is adhered to strictly.

The Financial Aid Director, while challenging, is a rewarding profession. It takes skill and organization to excel in the multifaceted dynamic of this job. The professional who takes on these managerial, developmental, and implementation tasks will succeed in developing a well funded and highly satisfied student body who is able to take proper advantage of the resources a Financial Aid Director makes available to them.

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