Director of Financial Aid

Who We Are

American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) is an accredited higher education institution, leading in online undergraduate and graduate programs in integrative health, aromatherapy, herbal medicine, holistic nutrition, and wellness coaching, among other studies.

Founded in 1978 in New Zealand, we have always had sustainability as a founding principle; we are a Certified B Corporation™. We strive to create and maintain a working environment where we are all valued and appreciated for who we are. We work together to help facilitate change in the communities we serve and take an individualized approach to supporting students on their educational journey. Our mission is to lead the advancement of evidence-based, integrative health and wellness education through experiential online learning and sustainable practices. For more information, visit

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced, student-focused financial aid leader to guide our team, consisting of four team members and supported by outside services, and ensure the accurate, compliant administration of student funding. Reporting to the President, the Director of Financial Aid serves as ACHS's senior financial aid subject-matter expert and plays an important role in expanding access, supporting informed borrowing, and protecting institutional eligibility.

This role requires current, practical knowledge of Title IV administration and financial aid systems. The successful candidate will be able to mentor and coach staff, validate complex calculations, troubleshoot operational issues, and translate regulatory requirements into sound day-to-day practices-with support from ACHS leadership, auditors, and counsel as appropriate.

Key Responsibilities

Department Leadership and Student Funding Strategy

• Lead the Financial Aid department by setting goals, service standards, performance expectations, and accountability aligned with institutional priorities.
• Build departmental capacity through effective staffing, supervision, professional development, cross-training, and succession planning.
• Direct the institution's student funding strategy across Title IV aid, veterans' benefits, military tuition assistance, private loans, scholarships, employer funding, agency funding, and alternative payment options.
• Oversee service performance and high-risk student cases requiring senior intervention; provide reports to institutional leadership.
• Lead financial literacy initiatives addressing educational costs, funding options, responsible borrowing, and repayment obligations to maintain low default rates; oversee partnership with Inceptia for default management.
• Partner with Admissions, Student Services, the Registrar, Business Office, IT, and institutional leadership to improve access, student communication, financial literacy, and the overall funding experience.

Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management

• Serve as the institution's senior subject-matter expert for financial aid and student funding compliance.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, VA, Department of Defense, accreditor, agency, and institutional requirements.
• Maintain institutional eligibility, approvals, and participation agreements for all funding programs.
• Translate regulatory developments into updated policies, systems, training, communications, and operating practices.
• Maintain effective controls for SAP, verification, R2T4, enrollment reporting, 90/10, 85/15, and funding coordination.
• Lead responses to audits, program reviews, compliance surveys, findings, and corrective actions, if applicable.

Financial Aid Operations, Systems, and Financial Stewardship

• Oversee the complete funding lifecycle from eligibility review through awarding, certification, disbursement, reconciliation, and record retention.
• Serve as senior functional owner for financial aid configuration and processing in Anthology Student.
• Direct system testing and quality assurance following regulatory, program, calendar, integration, or configuration changes.
• Maintain dashboards tracking operational performance, compliance, service levels, reconciliation, and student funding outcomes.
• Ensure staff proficiency with COD, NSLDS, StudentAid.gov, federal cash-management systems, EdConnect, and other required platforms.
• Ensure timely and accurate reporting, reconciliation, certification, billing, and institutional filings.
• Coordinate with the Business Office on cash management, drawdowns, receivables, refunds, payment posting, and student-account reconciliation.
• Use operational, financial, and student-outcome data to identify risk and recommend improvements to institutional leadership.

Nature of the Role

This position combines departmental leadership with advanced technical practice. Although the Director is not expected to perform every routine transaction, the Director must remain sufficiently engaged in financial aid operations to:

• Direct staff through complex student scenarios.
• Review and approve material calculations and processing decisions.
• Diagnose system, configuration, integration, workflow, and data-quality issues.
• Directly perform critical functions when needed for continuity, escalation, training, or quality assurance.
• Demonstrate and substantiate the institution's methodology, system configuration, controls, and student-level determinations during audits, program reviews, or regulatory inquiries, if applicable.

Scope of Responsibilities

This job description is intended to convey the depth, complexity, and level of accountability associated with the Director of Financial Aid role. It is not an exhaustive list of every duty, task, or responsibility the position may involve. The Director is expected to perform additional related duties as assigned and to respond adaptively as regulatory requirements, institutional priorities, systems, and student needs evolve.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree; finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field preferred.
• Seven years of progressive financial aid experience, including three years in management or senior operations.
• Recent hands-on Anthology Student expertise across Title IV configuration, awarding, disbursement, reconciliation, and reporting.
• Ability to independently calculate and explain complex federal aid determinations, including Pell, Direct Loans, overawards, enrollment changes, and R2T4.
• Advanced knowledge of financial aid regulations, audits, program reviews, COD, NSLDS, and federal cash management.
• Experience supervising staff and managing standard-term financial aid operations.
• Working knowledge of military, veterans', vocational rehabilitation, and sponsored funding.
• Strong analytical, communication, organizational, and decision-making skills, with a commitment to accuracy, ethics, confidentiality, and student service.

Position Status

Status: Full-time, exempt

Standard Hours: 8:30 am - 5:30 pm


Location: Fully-remote position from eligible state (AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, IL, KY, NV, NC, OH, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI).

Benefits Highlights

Health and Wellness

• Eligible for Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance the first of the month after hire.
• Dental and Vision covered at 100%; Medical covered at 90%.
• Flexible Spending, Disability, Life, and Pet Insurance plans available.

Paid Time Off

• Eligible for paid time off upon hire
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Vacation
• Paid Sick Time
• Paid Wellness Days (including expanded holiday breaks)
• Paid Volunteer Day

Other Benefits

• Education Benefit Program
• Product Discounts
• Paid Parental Leave
• 401(k) plan with institution match after one year of employment

Work Environment

This position is remote-eligible from approved states, with the option to work from ACHS's main administrative campus in Portland, Oregon, if preferred. Remote employees must maintain a reliable internet connection and a workspace conducive to focused work, including participation in video meetings. This role primarily involves computer-based work, including the use of financial aid systems, video conferencing, and standard office software.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. This is largely a sedentary role; the position requires prolonged standing or sitting and may also include bending, stooping, or reaching. The position also requires prolonged computer use.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Non-Discrimination

ACHS is committed to equal opportunity and equal treatment for all qualified individuals. ACHS does not discriminate nor will it tolerate discrimination against any person because of age, gender, gender-identity, color, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other class protected by law.

ACHS complies with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education, including but not limited to all forms of sexual harassment and sexual violence. Any person who files a complaint or participates in an investigation is protected from retaliation to the full extent of the law. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to ACHS's Title IX Coordinator and/or to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

ACHS Title IX Coordinator: Prisca Bermudez, Director of Academic Services, 5005 S. Macadam Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97239. View phone number on click.appcast.io, View email address on click.appcast.io.