Executive Vice President

Executive Vice President

Duties Description

About HESC

The Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) is New York State's student financial aid agency. We help you pay for college. Our mission is to support higher education opportunities for New Yorkers by offering grants, scholarships and services to help students, families and communities succeed. We administer more than two dozen financial aid programs such as the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), the Excelsior Scholarship, student loan forgiveness programs, and the 529 College Savings Program. Each year, HESC provides nearly $1 billion in financial aid to more than nearly 300,000 New York students while offering guidance to students, families, and school counselors.

Our mission is: We Help You Pay for College.

Our vision is making higher education more affordable, accessible, and achievable for every student to build a brighter, more equitable New York.

HESC's work is built on five core values: Diversity, Accountability, Integrity, Respect and Excellence. Our values are the beliefs of HESC's foundational intent, to help us function together as one, encourage positive behavior and help define how we treat each other and those we serve.

Responsibilities

Under the direction of the President, the Executive Vice President (EVP) must combine strategic leadership, financial acumen, operational expertise, and exceptional interpersonal skills to drive organizational success. The EVP will provide administrative oversight and management of HESC operations and activities, and will be responsible for the development, administration and execution of all New York State and federal financial aid programs as designated by law.

Core Hard Skills

• Financial Acumen: The EVP is responsible for oversight of nearly $1 billion in financial aid funding disbursed annually, managing multi-million-dollar budgets, complex financial aid modelling and forecasting, and ensuring continuity across departments. They must analyze financial statements, optimize spending on both personal and non-personal service, and maintain adherence to the enacted NYS budget.

• Strategic Planning & Execution: The EVP develops and implements long-term business strategies, aligning agency objectives with market opportunities to maintain organizational performance. The EVP will plan, prioritize and implement the strategic vision of the agency in alignment with HESC's mission, vision and values.

• Operational Management: Mastery of business operations across departments, including scaling processes, setting and communicating strategic direction, cross-functional project management, establishing service level targets and benchmarks, setting annual performance goals and maintaining focus on both legacy systems support and modernization of processes is essential for operational efficiency and organizational effectiveness.

• Business Development & Market Insight: Identifying new market opportunities, forming strategic partnerships, and expanding relationships with higher education partners are critical areas of focus.

• Regulatory & Compliance Knowledge: The EVP ensures agency activities comply with local, state, and federal regulations, including Governor's initiatives, Executive Orders and requirements and laws enacted via passage of the annual NYS budget.

Core Soft Skills

• Leadership & Team Development: Leading large, diverse teams, mentoring senior leaders, and fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement are central to the EVP role. The EVP will provide visionary leadership in the areas of, but not limited to, policy direction, administration and management over state and federal financial aid programs.

• Communication & Influence: The EVP must effectively communicate with the HESC President, NYS Executive Chamber, and external stakeholders, presenting complex information clearly and persuasively.

• Problem-Solving & Decision-Making: High-level analytical skills, critical thinking, and the ability to make strategic decisions under uncertainty are essential for navigating complex business challenges.

• Emotional Intelligence & Conflict Resolution: Managing interpersonal dynamics, resolving conflicts, and maintaining strong relationships across the organization are key to sustaining a productive work environment.

• Adaptability & Innovation: The EVP champions digital innovation and transformation, adopts innovative technologies, and drives organizational modernization and change to deliver a high level of service to more than nearly 300,000 New York State students annually.

Additional Competencies

• Talent Management & Succession Planning: Ensuring leadership continuity and developing future executives. The EVP will direct and mentor HESC leadership and staff, offering guidance and professional development opportunities to enhance their skills and career growth while keeping employees and management accountable to New York State and agency policies, procedures and guidelines.

• Project Oversight: Sponsoring large-scale, cross-functional initiatives and ensuring timely, budget-compliant delivery.

• Analytical & Forecasting Skills: Anticipating business and talent challenges using data-driven insights.

Note: The EVP will work in both Albany and New York City with about 10% travel required.

Minimum Qualifications

Qualifications:

• A minimum of 10 years* of senior level leadership experience in a complex organization, at least four years of which must be managerial. Managerial experience must include responsibility for implementation of program goals and objectives within established budgets and supervision or coordination of staff to achieve specific objectives.

*An associate degree can substitute for two years of specialized experience; a bachelor's degree can substitute for four years of experience; a master's degree can substitute for five years of experience; and a doctorate in a related field can substitute for seven years of experience.

Additional Comments

NYS is an equal opportunity employer.

Benefits of Working for NYS

Generous benefits package, worth 65% of salary, including:

Holiday & Paid Time Off

• Thirteen (13) paid holidays annually, plus two (2) floating holidays

• Up to Thirteen (13) days of paid vacation leave annually

• Up to Five (5) days of paid personal leave annually

• Up to Thirteen (13) days of paid sick leave annually for CSEA or PEF; up to eight (8) days of paid sick leave annually for M/C

• Up to three (3) days of professional leave annually to participate in professional development

Health Care Benefits

• Eligible employees and dependents can pick from a variety of affordable health insurance programs

• Family dental and vision benefits at no additional cost

Additional Benefits

• New York State Employees' Retirement System (ERS) Membership

• NYS Deferred Compensation

• Access to NY 529 and NY ABLE College Savings Programs, as well as U.S. Savings Bonds

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

• And many more.

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.