Director of Student Financial Services

The approximate base compensation range is posted, but the actual offer will reflect our total compensation and benefits package. The offer will be determined by a number of factors including the selected candidate’s experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, FTE, number of months worked, as well as internal equity among our team.

The Director of Student Financial Services provides strategic vision, regulatory compliance oversight, and operational leadership for both the Financial Aid and Student Accounts Offices at The College of St. Scholastica. This critical leadership role integrates financial aid delivery and student account billing/collections into a seamless, student-centered experience. The Director ensures the equitable, accurate, and timely distribution of federal, state, and institutional funds while managing student billing, revenue collections, and account reconciliations.

As a key member of the Enrollment Management leadership team, this position oversees the full lifecycle of student financial services for both undergraduate and graduate populations, stewarding student aid while optimizing operational effectiveness across all financial touchpoints.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Enrollment Integration

• Strategic Oversight: Provide overarching strategic direction for both Financial Aid and Student Accounts, ensuring alignment with institutional enrollment, retention, and affordability goals and leading the Student Accounts Office through student billing, payment, refunds and accounts.

• Aid Leveraging & Revenue Strategy: Partner with the Associate VP for Enrollment Management and external partners to analyze discount rates, net tuition revenue, and packaging models to support recruitment and retention targets.

• Budgets & Packaging: Collaborate with institutional leadership to establish annual aid budgets, merit scholarship parameters, need-based aid philosophies, and revenue collection targets.

• Funnel & Yield Support: Partner with Admissions to shape clear affordability messaging, deliver timely financial aid awards and billing projections, and participate in yield initiatives.

• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Work closely with Admissions, Registrar, Finance, IT, Student Affairs and Academic Affairs to ensure data integrity, streamline cross-functional workflows, and eliminate financial barriers to persistence.

Regulatory Compliance, Audits & Reporting

• Primary Authority: Serve as the institutional expert on Title IV regulations, Minnesota Office of Higher Education (MOHE) programs, FERPA, and higher education billing and collection mandates.

• Audit & Reconciliation: Direct all internal and external compliance reviews, program reviews, and annual financial aid/fiscal audits. Ensure complete reconciliation between financial aid disbursements, student account ledger postings, and finance office records.

• Mandatory Reporting: Oversee the accurate and timely submission of state and federal reports

• Policy Administration: Maintain, update, and uniformly enforce institutional policies regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4), student billing, refunding, and credit/adjustment allowances.

Student Accounts & Business Operations

• Billing & Collections Management: Direct operations related to student account generation, fee assessment, third-party billing, payment plans, refunds, and collections strategies.

• Receivables & Aging Analysis: Monitor account aging, evaluate trend data, oversee collection agency workflows, and provide regular reports to senior leadership regarding account performance and outstanding balances.

• Appeals & Escalations: Act as the final point of escalation for complex financial aid cases, professional judgment determinations, dependency overrides, and high-level student account or fee disputes.

Systems Integration & Process Improvement

• Student Information Systems Transition: Lead the strategic management and operational transition across both Financial Aid and Student Accounts, including system configuration, testing, and workflow optimization.

• Data Integrity: Ensure seamless integration and data synchronization across systems.

• Continuous Improvement: Regularly evaluate operational procedures, identify efficiencies, and leverage technology solutions to automate processes, enhance accuracy, and improve student-facing services.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Higher Education Administration, or a closely related field.

• Leadership: Minimum of three (3) years of direct supervisory experience leading professional teams and driving process improvement.

• Technical Proficiency: Demonstrated experience managing student information systems (SIS), database packaging, financial reporting, and/or data analysis (including MS Excel).

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Master’s degree from an accredited institution.

• Institution Type: Experience in a private, liberal arts college environment supporting both undergraduate and graduate student populations.

• Strategic Enrollment: Background in financial aid leveraging, net tuition revenue modeling, and data-driven enrollment planning.

• Professional Engagement: Active involvement or leadership roles in professional organizations

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

• Primary Setting: Professional office environment operating primarily during standard business hours, with extended hours required during peak periods (e.g., registration, term roll, census, and audit windows).

• Interpersonal Contact: Frequent collaboration with internal departments, executive leadership, external regulatory agencies, and auditors.

• Travel: Occasional travel required for regional or national conferences, regulatory training sessions, and professional development.