Program Funds Specialist II

Scholarship And Grant Funds Specialist

The mission of the Georgia Student Finance Commission is to promote and increase access to education beyond high school for Georgians. To achieve this mission the commission administers state and lottery-funded student financial aid programs including the HOPE Scholarship and HOPE Grant and provides college planning and other educational services to more than 2 million Georgians through GAfutures.org. The commission seeks to improve its own operations and inform policymakers and other stakeholders through analysis, interpretation and publication of information using the extensive data collected in support of its programs.

We offer excellent benefits including 13 paid holidays, 3 weeks annual + 3 weeks sick leave per year, health/life/disability benefits after 30 days, employer 401k match, medical/childcare spending account options, and deferred compensation plan. Our standard business hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. We also offer employee recognition and a great place to work! Our office is conveniently located in Tucker only 2 minutes from I-285.

GSFC's Program Administration Division is seeking a qualified individual for the position of Scholarship and Grant Funds Specialist. This position is located at GSFC's Tucker, GA Office with an option for a hybrid work schedule.

With moderate supervision, the position is responsible for performing specialized tasks to support the awarding and disbursing of the scholarship and grant program funds. The specialist is responsible for determining application eligibility and awards for specific scholarship and grant programs. This position assists eligible postsecondary institutions with scholarship and grant program invoices, disbursements, and reconciliations. The specialist is responsible for determining program specific eligibility, accuracy of data and process awards. Perform quality control review processes pertaining to scholarship and grant funds. Acts as the subject matter expert for area of responsibility.

Job Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain an extensive knowledge of the state and lottery funded scholarship and grant program regulations, policies, procedures, and systems.
• Coordinate the activity and processing of applications, invoices, and disbursements, including reviewing applications and determining eligibility.
• Responsible for one or more specific programs or share responsibility for some or all programs.
• Uses critical thinking abilities and knowledge of system logic and edits to assist schools with routine application processing issues, system processing issues, and invoicing rejects and questions.
• Assist postsecondary institutions with program reconciliation activities.
• Assist in term reconciliation and year-end reconciliation.
• Offers initial review and determination of eligibility in relation to non-standard requests for invoice payments.
• Regularly provide assistance and information through email and phone communication with internal and external partners.
• Assist Scholarship and Grant Contact Center staff during peak times.
• Regularly review website, program materials, and applications to ensure data is up-to-date and accurate.
• Assist Senior Program Manager, Scholarship and Grant Funds with reporting of state and lottery funded scholarship and grant programs activity.
• Consistently evaluate processes and data output and makes recommendations for enhancements.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

The following standards express the background of education and experience as evidence of an applicant's ability to qualify for this class title. Any combination of education and experience, if evaluated as equivalent, may qualify an applicant for a position within this class.

• Associate degree in business or related field from an accredited college or university and one (1) year of experience related to area of assignment. Note: An equivalent combination of knowledge, education, job or intern experience, training, or certifications that provides the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully perform the job at the level listed may be substituted year-over-year.
• At least two years of directly related experience, working at or with post-secondary institutions in relation to state and/or lottery funded scholarship and/or grant programs or other related professional environment.
• Demonstrated expert proficiency on products and services supported by GSFC's programs and their regulatory compliance guidelines.
• Proven demonstrated ability to work well in a team environment and is able to adapt to challenging situations.
• Proven ability to use critical thinking abilities and program/system knowledge to independently and constructively resolve complex and challenging problems.
• Strong customer service skills and written and verbal communication skills.
• Prior experience reading, interpreting, understanding, applying regulations.
• Exhibits extremely high organizational and time management skills: punctuality: commitment to work schedule and team goals.
• Proven proficient with PC based applications MS Windows, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, and MS Outlook.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university OR three years of experience in a customer service setting communicating information OR two years of experience required at the lower-level Customer Service Representative 2 (GST121) or position equivalent.
• More than 2 years experience with state or lottery funded scholarship and/or grant programs.
• Proven proficiency with GSFC's internal and external systems, including SSP, IFA, GSFAPPS, SURFER, Oracle/Scholarships & Grants.