Financial Aid Specialist I

Financial Aid Operations Technical Position

Southern New Hampshire University is a team of innovators. World changers. Individuals who believe in progress with purpose. Since 1932, our people-centered strategy has defined us — and helped us grow a team that now serves over 180,000 learners worldwide.

Our mission to transform lives is made possible by talented people who bring diverse industry experience, backgrounds and skills to the university. And today, we're ready to expand our reach. All we need is you.

This position will be partially based in the following office location:

Manchester, NH

For hybrid roles, employees must be able to commute to Manchester, NH on a regular basis.

The opportunity

You will be in a technical position with the Financial Aid Operations team which requires strong processing knowledge of the financial aid life cycle. Applicants must be familiar with financial aid transactional work and conducting procedures so that loans/grants/scholarships are originated, recalculated, disbursed, returned and reconciled timely and accurately. We ask that you have strong trouble-shooting of complex student eligibility evaluation and in-eligibility situations. This is all performed within the prescribed regulations and compliance requirements of the institution and the federal and state governments. You will adhere to SNHU's set of core service and support behaviors at all times and is dedicated to meeting the requirements of the University's needs and mission. You will report to the Associate Director of Financial Aid. This is a dual-place role working in the Millyard with work hours of Monday through Friday 8am-430pm EST with flexibility to work Saturdays to accommodate term starts and occasional evening shifts will be required.

What you'll do:

• Complete understanding of the financial aid cycle, regulations and compliance aspects, and processes fluently. Reviews files for eligibility of federal and private loans institutional, state and federal grants and institutional 3rd party scholarships to be recalculated and disbursed to students or returned to lender efficiently and accurately.
• Evaluate unusual/mitigating circumstance documentation/information and exercise judgment by making adjustments or revisions to award(s).
• Responsible but not limited to performing Return to Title IV Funds calculations (all populations), Return to Lender calculations and Tuition Assistance Calculations.
• Responsible but not limited to performing Pell Recalculation, Originating/Certifying Loans, Disbursements and Reconciliations.
• Generate and analyze system-generated data such as grades and enrollment status or award status to verify continued compliance and eligibility of students receiving aid under federal, state and institutional guidelines; notify students of changes in eligibility of awards and alternatives to amend the situation.
• Troubleshoot processing problems and technical issues with regard to the COD system and Banner software. Apply corrective action. Consult with the appropriate resources when necessary such as processing support teams.
• Identify missing, incomplete, or incorrect student information and resolve through communication. Apply corrective action.
• Serve an important role in the Business Process Redesign and process improvement initiatives to build efficiencies and automation of processes within Student Financial Services. Leverage the full potential of the COD system, NSLDS information, University Reports (Argos & PowerBi), Perceptive Content, UNIFY and Banner functionality.
• Responsible for electronic communication with the DOE Title IV Wide Area Network, including download and upload of applications, corrections, NSLDS and PELL grant data in and out of both the DOE and the Ellucian systems.
• Interpret ISIR import data and research items as necessary to resolve conflict.
• Process all Federal loans, and all of the eligibility requirements, reconciliation of award budget dollars, all calculations, consideration to regulations and compliance factors, and institutional policies and procedures.
• Attendance, punctuality, and reliability are essential functions of this role.
• The manager may assign other duties, responsibilities or activities at any time.

What we're looking for:

• Bachelor's degree preferred plus 1+ years of experience in a processing or financial aid environment or equivalent education and experience.
• Exposure to integrated computer systems with complex multi-level structures and software.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office with Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Visio.
• Strong oral and written skills.
• Must demonstrate strong attention to detail.
• Solid comprehension of mathematical concepts and equations.
• Employment is dependent upon successful access to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), which requires all federal loans to be in good standing and not in default; and a credit check to review that student loans are not in default.

We believe real innovation comes from inclusion - where different experiences, perspectives and talents are celebrated. So if you're wondering whether SNHU is right for you, take the leap and apply. You might be just the person we're looking for.

Compensation

The annual pay range for this position is $39,913.00 - $63,870.00. Actual offer will be based on skills, qualifications, experience and internal equity, in addition to relevant business considerations. We expect this position to be hired in the following target hiring range $44,103.00 - $59,668.00.

Exceptional benefits (because you're exceptional)

You're the whole package. Your benefits should be, too. As a full-time employee at SNHU, you'll get:

• High-quality, low-deductible medical insurance
• Low to no-cost dental and vision plans
• 5 weeks of paid time off (plus almost a dozen paid holidays)
• Employer-funded retirement
• Free tuition program
• Parental leave
• Mental health and wellbeing resources