Learner Support Specialist, PSLF

Learner Support Specialist, PSLF

Los Angeles, CA or Remote

At InStride, people are our purpose.

We believe that investing in people is the most powerful way to drive successfor individuals and organizations alike.

As a public benefit corporation, we partner with leading employers to unlock opportunities for their employees, providing access to top-tier education programs that align with their employees' career goals and the company's business goals.

Our mission goes beyond skill-building; we're here to empower our partners' employees to advance their careers, elevate their expertise, and achieve meaningful personal and professional growth.

No matter the team you're on, our dedication to the success of our partners and their employees is what drives us. If you're passionate about making a difference and driving educational and professional advancement, InStride is the place for you.

To get a better feel for our culture, watch more here.

Candidates must be located in one of the following states to be considered eligible for employment: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA, WI.

What We're Looking For (Role Overview):

InStride's Learner Support team plays an integral role in delivering high-quality experiences for employees of InStride's corporate partners (also referred to within InStride as "learners"). InStride is seeking a Learner Support Specialist, PSLF to advocate for the needs of learners and provide support and issue resolution across all phases of the learner experience, while also supporting employment verification and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) certification processes.

In this role, you will become deeply familiar with the end-to-end learner experience, understanding how learners move through their academic journey and the barriers or challenges they may face at each phase of the experience. You will support learners through a variety of inquiries including platform navigation, program participation, documentation requirements, employment verification requests, and PSLF submissions through StudentAid.gov.

This individual will connect internal teams within InStride (e.g., Success, Product, Technology, Operations) and external partners (Corporate Partners and Academic Partners) to solve issues raised by learners, surface feedback, and represent the end-user perspective to enhance the learner experience.

This position requires strong operational discipline, excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and a learner-first mindset.

Skills We'd Love To See You Show Off:

• Learner Support & Case Management: Delivering responsive, high-quality and empathetic support while managing a high-volume queue of learner inquiries across multiple channels
• Verification & Certification Management: Reviewing and validating employment and eligibility data to accurately complete PSLF and other verification forms
• Inbox & Ticket Management: Triaging requests, tracking case status, documenting outcomes, and ensuring timely resolution of learner issues
• Data Reconciliation: Comparing eligibility files and Workday employment records to identify discrepancies and ensure accurate reporting
• Regulatory & Policy Compliance: Adhering to Department of Education PSLF requirements and internal documentation standards
• Learner-Centered Communication: Explaining processes, requirements and next steps clearly and empathetically
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partnering with internal teams and external partners to resolve learner issues and improve the learner experience
• Operational Organization: Maintaining clear documentation, tracking systems and audit-ready records
• Problem Solving & Troubleshooting: Investigating learner issues, identifying root causes and escalating complex cases appropriately
• Process Optimization: Identifying opportunities to improve workflows, reduce turnaround time and increase accuracy

Who You Are (Ideal Profile):

• You bring 2+ years of experience in learner support, customer support, student services, HR operations, financial aid administration, compliance, administrative operations, or related fields.
• Experience working with ticketing systems such as Zendesk and Jira is a plus.
• Experience working with Workday or similar HRIS systems is preferred.
• You have strong attention to detail and are comfortable working with learner data, employment records and eligibility files.
• You demonstrate outstanding interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, with a consistently professional demeanor.
• You possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• You exercise excellent independent judgment and are able to consider, compare and evaluate different courses of action to make informed decisions in the best interests of the learner, our partners and the company.
• You are highly organized with the ability to manage multiple projects and concurrent requests.
• You are comfortable handling sensitive information with discretion.
• You are able to work independently while collaborating cross-functionally.
• Familiarity with federal student aid programs or PSLF processes is preferred.
• You are excited by the challenge of helping support a world-class business that is both mission-driven and focused on delivering high revenue growth.
• You bring high EQ, comfort with ambiguity and a "no job too small" startup mentality.

How You Will Create Impact (Key Responsibilities):

• Deliver responsive, high-quality and empathetic support for learners and partners across the InStride learner experience.
• Support learners efficiently through a variety of channels including phone, chat and email.
• Triage learner, corporate partner and academic partner issues logging, assigning and monitoring tickets until full resolution is achieved.
• Own and manage verification-related inquiries and PSLF submissions through a dedicated support queue.
• Review eligibility files and Workday records to confirm qualifying employment periods and validate learner information.
• Verify and certify PSLF forms submitted via StudentAid.gov.
• Communicate with learners to resolve incomplete, inaccurate or missing documentation.
• Troubleshoot learner issues, investigate root causes and escalate complex or ambiguous cases appropriately.
• Partner with internal teams (Client Success, Operations, Product, Technology and Marketing) to resolve issues and ensure data accuracy.
• Maintain detailed records and tracking systems to support compliance and audit readiness.
• Synthesize feedback and surface insights, trends and patterns to improve the learner experience and support operations.
• Document issues and steps to reproduce for product and engineering teams.
• Support reporting related to learner inquiries, verification volume, turnaround times and trends.
• Participate in team forums to discuss learner trends, operational challenges and process improvements.
• Work on special projects that help expand and improve the support function as assigned.

Compensation At InStride, final offer amounts are dependent on multiple factors including location, depth of experience, interview performance and equity with other team members. We encourage you to talk with your recruiter to learn more about the total compensation and benefits available for this role.

Compensation range:

$60,000 - $73,000 USD

We are looking for someone who is not only technically skilled, but also enthusiastic about making a meaningful impact. If this description resonates with you, we're excited about the possibility of having you on our team. As a skills-driven employer, we encourage you to apply if there is a skill-fit, even in the absence of years of experience.

Don't meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At InStride, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role, but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this role!

Benefits @ InStride

As an organization that champions investing in people, it's critical we walk the talk. That's why InStride employees are eligible to enroll in 2,800+ online certificate and degree programs through our Step Forward program . Unlike traditional tuition reimbursement programs, InStride covers your tuition upfront, regardless of your course of study, degree type, or school - eligible to employees starting Day 1.

This role is also eligible for the following benefits:

• 401(k) plan with company match
• Flexible vacation policy
• Paid family leave
• Best-in-class health care benefits
• And more!