Associate Director of Financial Aid

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $74,000 - $84,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Assistant Dean of Financial Aid, the Associate Director assists in the day-to-day Financial Aid operations for the MBA, MS, Ph.D. and EMBA programs at Columbia Business School. The Financial Aid Office handles over $90 million in loans and scholarships annually. As part of daily operations, the Associate Director will counsel students, liaise with relevant offices in the Business School and the University, and perform other related duties as assigned. The incumbent is expected to manage multiple projects with changing deadlines under varied time constraints while acting as a secondary reviewer for colleagues.

About Columbia Business School

For over a century, Columbia Business School has helped develop leaders and builders of enterprises who drive value for their stakeholders and society at large through our MBA, MS, PhD, and Executive Education programs. We are equally committed to cultivating new scholars and teachers, and to creating and disseminating pathbreaking knowledge, concepts, and tools which advance the understanding and practice of management through our faculty research and PhD programs.

Our vision is simple: to develop ideas and leaders that transform the world-from the very center of business. Our ever-evolving curriculum - featuring pioneering courses, STEM certification, and immersive experiential learning -prepares students to excel in key areas such as digital transformation, entrepreneurship, and innovation, twenty-first century finance, the intersection of business and society, and climate and sustainability. The CBS administration enables CBS' educational and scholarly mission through strategic and operational guidance and support, optimizing School resources through well-designed, transparent processes with a culture of respect for all.

Responsibilities

Technology and Data Management

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  Leverages technologies to create, maintain, and enhance workflow processes, develop and optimize queries for cyclical use and for ad-hoc requests, ensuring efficiency and accuracy in data handling. Maintain and update dashboard reports.

  
  
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  Oversees and fulfills data requests using Slate, PowerFAIDS, Excel, and available reporting tools. Provides accurate and timely data to stakeholders while ensuring data integrity across all platforms.

  
  
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  Documents technical responsibilities and maintains a paperless office and process flow operation. Creates and maintains a batch packaging and document tracking solution.

  
  
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  Responsible for staying current with industry knowledge and training of other office staff on all Financial Aid systems as needed.

  
  

Compliance and Policy Application

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  Applies professional judgment to manage the Budget Appeal process. Evaluates and resolves appeals with attention to all federal and institutional policies to ensure compliance.

  
  
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  Manages office workflow by creating and monitoring reporting tools for regular internal audits.

  
  

Student Counseling and Support

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  Counsels and advises prospective and current students on Financial Aid policies and procedures, Financial Aid programs, eligibility criteria, application procedures, costs, repayment plans, and related issues, providing individualized information to meet the needs and situation of each student. Assists with daily correspondence to students via in person, telephone, email, and daily zoom office hours.

  
  
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  Provides support as needed for processing private loan applications, adjustments, reconciliation, and returns for 2,000+ students. Assists with processing of federal loan applications as needed.

  
  
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  Interfaces with students to resolve issues concerning Financial Aid applications, disbursement of aid, payments, account holds, and living expense refunds.

  
  
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  Participates in Financial Aid workshops and admissions events for prospective and admitted students.

  
  
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  Oversees the counseling, processing, and awarding of all Master of Science (MS) program students seeking Financial Aid. Develops and coordinates communications to newly admitted and continuing MS students.

  
  

Stakeholder Engagement

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  Liaises with the central offices of Student Financial Services, University Financial Aid, and the Office of the Registrar for the resolution of systems issues, loan origination, disbursement issues, and student billing problems.

  
  
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  Trains and supervises staff on Financial Aid technology matters and other administrative procedures.

  
  
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  Assists with other activities such as reporting and monitoring, and special projects as needed.

  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent related experience required. Minimum of 3-5 years related experience required.
• Must be exceptionally skilled in Excel and have experience in a customer service setting. Must be able to communicate effectively both verbally and written with a diverse student body and across all levels of the Business School and the University. Must be able to work independently, maintain confidentiality, make decisions under pressure, and exercise tact and diplomacy at all times.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience preferably working in a School Financial Aid office administering Title IV aid programs and counseling graduate students.
• Proficiency with PowerFAIDS, including administration and report modules, is highly desirable. Ability to operate additional Financial Aid software programs and external systems (Slate, COD, NSLDS, CPS, Drupal, ELM, etc.) and web page content management system highly desirable.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.