Job Title

Enrollment Specialist - Financial Aid Advisor III

Agency

Texas A&M University

Department

Scholarships And Financial Aid

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

McAllen, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Who We Are

The mission of Scholarships & Financial Aid is to provide students and their families with information and financial resources to attend Texas A&M University, along with support programs that promote higher education and developmental opportunities. We administer scholarships and financial aid, which include the following programs: grants, student loans, student employment, veteran educational benefits, athletic aid coordination, short-term loans, and emergency tuition and fee loans. In addition our office provides advising on the programs listed above. Our office also assist students in gaining financial literacy knowledge through our Money Education Center. Our office is responsible for processing student aid and veteran educational benefits for College Station, Galveston, all Health Science Center sites and Qatar which totaled approximately $836 million in financial aid assistance for the prior academic year.

What We Want

Scholarships & Financial Aid is seeking a Financial Aid Advisor III, to counsel and provide federal, state and institutional scholarships, financial aid & military education benefit information for currently enrolled and prospective students at the Higher Education Center at McAllen. We're seeking an individual who will quickly and accurately learn to review and advise students on scholarships, financial aid and military education documentation, processes and information. Our selected candidate must have the ability to meet deadlines and maintain a high level of accuracy and professionalism while providing great customer service. The ideal candidate must have experience in financial aid, scholarships, student employment, student services, or related experience. This is a very rewarding position as you will learn to advise current and prospective McAllen students and their families one-on-one, in group and presentation settings. We are looking for a detail-oriented, well-organized, individual who is passionate about providing excellent service while assisting students and families with their financial needs. If this description appeals to you, we invite you to apply to be considered for this opportunity.

What You Need to Know

Salary Range: $52,000/Annually

Cover Letter & Resume: A cover letter and resume are strongly recommended.

Other Requirements or Other Factors: Requires some evening and week-end work, as well as travel.

Qualifications

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience

  Required Experience:

• Three years in financial aid, scholarships, student employment, student veterans services or related experience

  Preferred Experience:

• Five years in student financial aid or advising experience at a college level

• Management and supervisory skills

• Two years in a student financial aid specialty area

• Personnel and program management experience

  Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to meet deadlines and maintain a high level of accuracy, professionalism and a customer service orientation

• Knowledge of financial aid counseling, verification, rules and regulations

• Working knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet programs

• Ability to work individually or as a team in a dynamic organization

• Good interpersonal communication skills

• Must be literate in the English language and able to comprehend, give and follow both written and verbal instructions

• Ability to organize and make decisions

• Ability to relate well with a student population

• Ability to work well under pressure

• Ability to use tact, diplomacy and judgment in dealing with all customers

• Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others

  Preferred Special Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of current versions of Microsoft products, including Windows and Office

• Knowledge of Financial Aid or Student Information Systems

• Bilingual in Spanish

• Background in general office conditions with much time spend in contact with students

• Knowledge of rules, regulations and best practices in specialty area

• Ability to develop and make presentations

• Knowledge and experience in an enrollment management area focusing on outreach and/or retention

  Job Responsibilities

  ADVISING:

• Uses discretion and independent judgement to advise and counsel students, parents, and/or prospective students through scholarships, loans, grants, employment and financial counseling

• Responds to questions and counseling needs in-person and by written, phone, and e-mail means from currently enrolled students, prospective student and parents

• Assists students to resolve questions and complaints

• Provides loan and indebtedness counseling to students on an individual and group basis

• Uses independent judgement to provide support to colleges and departments as needed

• Assists with review, revision, and interpretation of complex rules, regulations, procedures and polices relating to general financial aid, scholarships, and team specialty area(s)

• Awards, revises, and/or approves the awarding of financial aid through the specific controls of program policy and guidelines

• Assists in developing and presenting training seminars on pertinent topics and procedures within team area of expertise

• Learns to provide assistance and guidance to other financial aid staff to ensure that processing activities adhere to established policies and procedures

• Uses discretion to respond to varied questions that may require researching and consolidating data regarding financial aid, scholarships and specialized programs

• Conducts seminars and gives presentations to include classroom and/or professional level for profession and others

• Performs reviews for professional judgement of student files, making adjustments as needed

• Reviews Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals and makes decisions regarding the validity of these appeals

• May present at local or state conferences

• Plans and executes special events for specific audiences and in support of departmental initiatives transitions students from prospective to currently enrolled students

• Participates in and may lead departmental work groups

• Attends local, state and national workshops and conferences

  STUDENT BUSINESS SERVICES FUNCTIONS:

• Answer incoming calls, handle walk-in customers with questions regarding their bills

• Will assist with Late Fee Waiver Requests

• May answer RightNow Incidents and answer student/parent questions out of RightNow Technology concerning their accounts

• May perform collections for Student Accounts Receivable

• Will assist with Id Card Administration

  VETERAN BENEFITS PROCESSING:

• Serves as VA Certifying Official for TAMU McAllen

• Assists with student and applicant Veteran and Hazlewood processing and certification

• Assists students in resolving questions and complaints with the Veteran Administration, Texas Veterans Commission, and/or TAMU McAllen

• Coordinates with Veteran Services Office (VSO) on Texas A&M College Station campus to ensure compliance in benefit processing and consistency in policies and procedures between the two campuses

• Calls into weekly VSO meetings and other VSO related trainings/meetings as needed

  GENERAL:

• Interprets and maintains knowledge of current federal, state and institutional policies, procedures and regulations pertaining to financial aid, student employment, scholarships and accounts receivable at TAMU

• Develops and revises financial aid consumer information materials, publications, and brochures for currently enrolled and prospective students, parents, colleges, departments, and university use

• With direction from Supervisor, responsible for maintaining all Financial Aid production calendars and regular monthly financial aid website updates

  Why Texas A&M University?

We are a prestigious university with strong traditions, Core Values, and a community of caring and collaboration. Amenities associated with a major university, such as sporting and cultural events, state-of-the-art recreation facilities, the Bush Library and Museum, and much more await you. Experience all that a big city has to offer but with a reasonable cost-of-living and no long commutes.

• Medical, (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/medical/) prescription drug, dental, (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/dental/) vision, life and AD&D, (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/life-add/) flexible spending accounts, and long-term disability insurance (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/long-term-disability/) with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums

• 12-15 days (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/leave/index.html) of annual paid holidays

• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/leave/paid/sick.html) and at least eight hours of paid vacation (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/leave/paid/vacation.html) each month

• Automatically enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (https://www.trs.texas.gov/Pages/Homepage.aspx)

• Health and Wellness: Free exercise programs and release time (https://flourish.tamu.edu/wellness-release-time/)

• Professional Development: All employees have access to free LinkedIn Learning (https://linkedinlearning.tamu.edu/) training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more

• Educational release time and tuition assistance (https://livingwell.tamu.edu/employee-tuition-assistance) for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee

• Living Well, (https://livingwell.tamu.edu/) a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees

  Our Commitment

  Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment by promoting a culture that respects all perspectives, talents & lived experience. Embracing varying opinions and perspectives strengthens our core values (https://www.tamu.edu/about/coreValues.html) which are: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service.

  Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to pre-populate the online application.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer.