Job Information
Western Washington University Assistant Director of Financial Aid, Work Study Center in Bellingham, Washington
Assistant Director of Financial Aid, Work Study Center
Apply now (https://secure.dc4.pageuppeople.com/apply/793/gateway/default.aspx?c=apply&lJobID=501818&lJobSourceTypeID=796&sLanguage=en-us) Work type: Permanent Full Time
Location: Bellingham, WA
Categories: Enrollment & Student Services
Position TitleAssistant Director of Financial Aid, Work Study Center
About the University
Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.
Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.
About the DepartmentThe Financial Aid Department supportsWestern's mission (https://president.wwu.edu/mission-strategic-plan) , which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.
About the Position
The Assistant Director of Financial Aid, Work Study Center reports to the Executive Director, Financial Aid. This position provides strategic leadership within the Financial Aid Department as well as to Western’s campus by serving on the department’s Administrative Team; overseeing all activities associated with the Work Study Center; developing campus-wide policies and procedures for work study employment positions at Western that earn an estimated $2 million annually; administering the $9 million Federal Job Location and Development Program that places approximately 1,400 students in part-time jobs in Bellingham and the surrounding community; supervising 1 Professional Staff Financial Aid Counselor, 1 Classified Data Consultant 1, and 5-6 student employees; maintaining up-to-date knowledge of Federal student financial aid verification, researching and training staff on annual changes to federal verification requirements, collaborating with systems colleagues to adjust tracking and providing training to Counseling Team members; assembling and leading the Verification Team; participating in development and implementation of financial literacy programming for Western students; and serving as a member of the Financial Aid Counseling Team to review files, award aid, and advise students and families; other duties as assigned.
Position Duties and Responsibilities
60% - Work Study Administration
Tasks include: Provides programmatic oversight for the Work Study Center within the Financial Aid Department and all work study student employment programs offered at Western. Maintains an up-to-date knowledge of laws pertaining to the administration of work study, interprets and applies regulatory requirements in collaboration with the FA Executive Director, Assistant Attorney General, Western's Department of Human Resources, the Washington Student Achievement Council and others. Provides input to the University and others regarding proposed work study and student employment legislation. Informs students and supervisors of their rights and responsibilities through a variety of means, including but not limited to workshops, newsletters and one-on-one advising. Develops job posting policies to ensure that they meet regulatory requirements for work study programs. Ensures appropriate processes are in place to monitor enrollments and hours earned; takes appropriate action to ensure work study student employees are paid appropriately within available funding resources and that their work is discontinued if they lose employment eligibility as students. Resolves grievances. Acts as a resource to employers and supervisors with regard to employment and supervision topics. Maintains an up-to-date policies and procedures manual, responds to audit inquiries and provides work study-related information and data via a variety of reports, including the FISAP. Collaborates on a recurring basis with ESS departments to provide onboarding guidance to student employees who work for Western. Collaborates with systems support to maintain and implement student employment related software.
- Federal, State and Institutional Work Study Administration
Administers 24 federal, state and institutional need-based student work study employment programs at Western to pay approximately 500 student employees a total of $2 million annually in wages through Western's Department of Human Resources payroll system. Each of the 24 programs requires separate funds matching and/or student eligibility criteria and monitoring of enrollment and hours worked to comply with federal or state regulations and ensure student employees are paid appropriately. Aid-related regulatory requirements apply even to the institutional work study program because program funding is derived from state-supported tuition revenues and therefore subject to Washington RCWs.
In addition, administration of the above programs includes but is not limited to:
Calculating available earnings comprised of varying federal, state, and institutional matches
Preparing budget requests for additional match as necessary in collaboration with the FA Executive Director
Analyzing historical and current year earnings on a per-payroll basis to identify earnings trends
Forecasting anticipated current year earnings
Determining overcommit levels
Creating and adjusting awarding strategies as needed throughout the year to meet programmatic goals; the latter requires the ability to identify when adjustments are warranted in a timely manner and taking effective action
Reassigning paid earnings from one program to another in collaboration with Western's Department of Human Resources to meet programmatic and/or funding requirements
Making site visits to off campus Work Study employers to determine continued eligibility for the program
Preparing and submitting interim reports as required by the Washington Student Achievement Council
Preparing year end data for the annual federal Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP)
Recommending whether to request supplemental funding allocations or initiate funding de-obligations to the FA Executive Director
Determining contractual eligibility for off-campus community service employers
Developing and enforcing job posting and placement policies to support programmatic goals for on- and off-campus jobs
Effectively handling student employment grievances
Otherwise managing all funds to ensure that the regulatory requirements associated with the 24 programs are met without exceeding designated funding for each program
- Federal Job Location and Development Program Administration
Administers the Federal Job Location and Development program to place students in part-time jobs in Bellingham and throughout the surrounding community. During 2018-19, 1,448 Western students earned $12.4 million through the JLD program. In addition to placing students appropriately, requires calculation of required federal and institutional match and preparation of budget requests for additional match as necessary, in collaboration with the FA Executive Director. Performs outreach within the Bellingham community and with local organizations to develop relationships and procure quality off campus jobs for students.
10% - Supervises the following positions: 1 Professional Staff Financial Aid Counselor, 1 Data Consultant 1 and 5-6 student paraprofessionals
Tasks include: Setting goals for performance and deadlines in ways that comply with departmental plans and vision; organizing workflow and ensuring that employees understand their duties or delegated tasks; monitoring employee productivity; providing constructive feedback, coaching and performance evaluations.
10% - Provides Federal student financial aid verification; assembles and leads the Verification Team
Tasks include: Researches Federal verification (FAFSA audit) requirements (these impact approximately 4,000 students annually and are subject to changes each year due to administrative, regulatory and political dynamics; the current guidance is 122 pages in length). Collaborates with the FA Executive Director and other financial aid colleagues to establish policies and procedures. Updates the Verification Procedures Desk Reference and maintains historical verification-related documentation for audit purposes. Provides updates, training and associated materials to members of the Financial Aid Counseling Team and others on an as-needed basis to support compliance with Federal verification requirements and effective stewardship of financial aid funds. In collaboration with the FA Executive Director, assembles the annual Verification Team comprised of regular budgeted staff and/or new hires to support the effective and timely verification of financial aid files.
10% - Serves on Exec Director FA's Administrative Team
Tasks include: Strategic planning, departmental teambuilding, identifying and recommending higher-level issues that have department-wide implications for the Administrative Team to address, working with other team members to successfully resolve issues in a manner that fosters mutual cooperation and respect. Collaborates with the FA Executive Director and Financial Aid Colleagues to identify and oversee the performance of desired assessment within the department to inform decision making.
5% - Participates in Creation of Financial Literacy Programming for Western students
Tasks include: Collaborates with Exec Dir Fin Aid and other University colleagues to provide student employment related recommendations in support of developing and implementing financial literacy programming for Western students.
5% - File Review, Student Financial Aid Counseling, Awarding, Financial Aid Presentations
Tasks include: Serves on the Financial Aid Counseling Team to support a student-centered approach to serving students and their families and effective stewardship of financial aid through awarding practices. Counsels students and their families on financial aid related matters, reviews aid files, awards and adjusts aid offers, provides financial aid presentations.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree
Minimum 4 years of financial aid work experience at a college or university administering federal, state and institutional aid
Demonstrated ability to accurately interpret and comply with federal and state human resources regulations
Excellent communication skills
Demonstrated experience providing training and developing training materials
Demonstrated commitment to promoting accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion within higher education
Preferred Qualifications
Master’s degree
Experience using Banner Financial Aid software
Experience using imaging software
Demonstrated supervisory experience
Experience serving students in higher education through a student employment office
Conditions of EmploymentAll employees must comply with our Immunization policies, includingProof of Rubeola Measles Immunity (https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U1300.01-Requiring-Proof-Of-Rubeola-Measles-Immunity) within 60-days of hire. Please reach out toHR@wwu.eduif you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.
Salary Hiring range is $65,369 - $75,175/year depending on qualifications and experience. Through longevity this position tops out at $84,980.
Benefits Information
Benefits Overview for Administrative Professional Position (https://hr.wwu.edu/files/2022-01/Benefits%20-%20Professional%20Staff.pdf) .
Application Instructions
A cover letter and resume are required and should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications. Please include the names and contact information of three professional references. References will only be contacted if necessary, with notice provided beforehand.
Closing Date NotesApplication review begins September 3, 2024; position is open until filled.
Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. In compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and parenting status), disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or genetic information in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policy on Ensuring Equal Opportunity and Prohibiting Discrimination and Retaliation (https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U1600.02-Ensuring-Equal-Opportunity-and-Prohibiting-Discrimination-and-Retaliation) . Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); crtc@wwu.edu
WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services (https://hr.wwu.edu/workplace-accommodation) , 360.650.3303 or 711 (Washington Relay).
Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services atvpsa.office@wwu.edu. The report can be found at:Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (https://vpess.wwu.edu/files/docs/ASRCleryreport.pdf) .
All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires which includes asexual misconduct background check (https://hr.wwu.edu/sexual-misconduct-background-checks) .
Job no: 501818
Advertised: Aug 07 2024 09:00 Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close: