Director of Financial Aid

Job Description

Job Description

Date : April 7, 2026
Title : Director of Financial Aid

Description : The Director of Financial Aid develops, implements, and manages the multi-faceted student financial aid programs at Hartwick College and serves as the Financial Aid Administrator of record for all purposes specified within federal and state regulations and guidelines. Under the direct supervision of the Vice President for Enrollment Management, this role is responsible for the administration and management of the financial aid office and its functions, including but not limited to strategic and compliant packaging and delivery of institutional, federal and state financial aid programs while supporting the overall admission and retention goals of the College. The Director establishes proactive services, assistance, and resources for students and their families and develops, implements, and monitors annual financial aid budgets. This includes establishing goals and activities and evaluating program outcomes for all programs supervised. The Director of Financial Aid maximizes Financial Aid's role in recruitment, retention, and student success.

Responsibilities :

• Provide the leadership, strategy and day to day management for the Financial Aid staff (2 members) to maximize the College’s enrollment.
• Develop and maintain financial aid policies and procedures, create job aids, manage budgets, and maintain knowledge of federal, state, and institutional programs to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Assist in the development of and administration of scholarship and need-based aid programs designed to recruit and retain students, utilizing knowledge of enrollment trends, financial aid leveraging theory, and practices.
• Work directly with the Vice President for Finance to develop the institutional aid budget and monitoring of the tuition discount rate.
• Prepare and submit various required Federal, State, and Institutional reports. Typical reports include FISAP, Common Data Set, HEDS, NYSED, IPEDS, Nursing AOR Report, NCAA DIII Annual Financial Aid Report, NACUBO Tuition Discounting Survey, NAICU Tuition Survey, Peterson’s Survey, maintaining the Federal Program Participation Agreement, and a variety of reporting tasks associated with the annual Uniform Guidance audit.
• Prepare complex financial aid awards and assist professional staff in difficult or unusual financial aid cases. 
• Maintain current knowledge of federal and state regulations and be actively involved in development and implementation of institutional goals and objectives regarding financial aid. Advise staff and update office procedures to reflect changes.
• Work with the Financial Aid, Admissions, Enrollment Operations, and Institutional Technology staff to ensure proper changes to aid policies are implemented. Manage the awarding philosophy and associated computer program enhancements. Undertake annual setup and Student Information System (SIS) optimization for automation and accuracy.
• Supervise, manage, and direct all aspects of the Financial Aid Office, including staff supervision, training and development, departmental budget management, planning, and achievement of goals.
• Oversee the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and Return of Title IV funds financial aid processes.
• Make recommendations related to impact of financial aid on student recruitment and retention, including administration of the appeal process for incoming and continuing students. Review all appeal requests and family situations that require professional judgement.
• Manage the financial aid leveraging model and recommend changes to meet enrollment goals. Evaluate weekly reports to monitor the discount rate, net tuition revenue, and overall aid program spending.
• Collaborate campus-wide to develop, administer, and coordinate student financial aid services, ensuring campus recruitment/retention goals and institutional priorities are achieved. Maintain a close working relationship between the Financial Aid Office, Registrar, Student Experience and the Office of Student Accounts.
• Comply with all applicable College, Federal, State, local, and association laws, rules and regulations.
• As a representative of the College, comport themselves in a professional manner at all times, both on and off campus.
• Participate in key campus-wide events including but not limited to Admissions events, Commencement, True Blue Weekend, Honors Convocation, Student Showcase and Wick Week.
• Attend professional conferences and workshops, including the FSA Annual Conference and the NCAA Rules Seminar.

Qualifications : Minimum requirements for this position are a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university with 5-7 years of financial aid work experience involving progressive responsibility, including supervisory experience.

Additional Education/Experience Desired:
Master’s degree, preferably in higher education administration. Admissions/recruiting experience. Working knowledge of Ellucian platforms preferred. Member of NASFAA, NYSFAA, or any other state Financial Aid Associations. Other higher education or business management experience.

• Ability to coordinate personnel and material resources effectively and efficiently.
• Demonstrated experience working in and supervising college/university financial aid, with a minimum five years as an aid director. Possess and maintain current, thorough knowledge of all aspects of federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs and operations.
• Thorough knowledge and proven track record in student financial support including policy development and programming. 
• Maintain familiarity with data processing as it relates to financial aid programs.
• Ability to make sound professional judgments, often under deadline pressure, when dealing with student related issues.
• Ability to work independently with little supervision.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, to a diverse faculty, staff, student, and family population, including formal presentations.
• Ability to handle difficult situations and conversations and step in to assist staff in these circumstances.
• A demonstrated commitment to promoting a diverse and inclusive community.
• Ability to work with a wide variety of individuals on campus and in all areas of the community to accomplish student life objectives.
• A proven ability to identify and address problems, exhibit competence in identifying and interpreting needed areas of assessment, display sensitivity regarding personnel matters and the ability to participate effectively in short and long-range planning.
• Possess the ability to react calmly and effectively in critical situations.
• Thorough knowledge in computer-based financial aid systems and Colleague (preferred).
• Handle multiple tasks and priorities at once while solving problems and thinking innovatively.
• Administrative, organizational, supervisory, and budget-management skills.
• Must possess a student-centered personal philosophy.

Wage Range : $85,000 - $95,000

An independent, residential liberal arts college enrolling approximately 1,100 full-time undergraduates, Hartwick embraces the teacher-scholar model, with teaching excellence as the first priority, and seeks to recruit, retain and promote a diverse workforce. The College features a Liberal Arts in Practice general education curriculum and aspires to “be the best at melding liberal arts education with experiential learning.”

Hartwick operates as a community of learners where there is a very real sense of belonging and connection. By joining Hartwick, you become part of a group of people who work together, share in our successes, and a celebrate our accomplishments. All positions at Hartwick contribute to the education and development of students with the opportunity to see the impact on future leaders—what you do at Hartwick really matters.

Our beautiful 425-acre campus is located in the scenic Susquehanna River valley in Oneonta, New York—a charming town near the northern foothills of the Catskill Mountains. Hartwick offers health benefits to domestic partners of employees, flexible scheduling, opportunities to engage in athletic and cultural events (concerts, exhibits, and lectures) and tuition benefits for eligible employees and their dependents.

Hartwick College prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation/preference and gender identity/expression and is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to broadening “the understanding, awareness, and appreciation of diversity among all members of the Hartwick community.” Women, minorities, and other underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.

Hartwick College is committed to providing a safe and secure educational and employment environment. Employment at Hartwick College is therefore contingent upon a successful background check on every new employee. Candidates to whom an offer of employment is made will be required to sign a Release of Information Form authorizing the College to conduct a thorough background check.

Hartwick College is committed to a diverse candidate pool, values an inclusive workforce and workplace environment, and wishes to minimize or eliminate the impact of implicit bias during the search and hiring process.

Applicants must submit:

• A cover letter;
• A resume; and,
• The names and contact information for three professional references (including at least one current or former supervisor)

Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

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