| The Director of Student Financial Services Systems provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the Student Financial Services unit in the technology related realm. He/she will position Student Financial Services as an industry leader in higher education finance and student service by leveraging the university, corporate partnerships and locations regionally, nationally, and globally. The Director is responsible for determining and managing the business and market fit for key technology initiatives and competitive programs, and creates a vision from the initial program idea to execution. Working within a broad accountability framework, the Director of Student Financial Services Systems optimizes use of technology and digital tactics to improve customer experience, leading to greater acquisition, satisfaction, service, and retention of customers; identifies new technology/customer experience strategies and drives cross-channel implementation; acts as internal consultant to other departments regarding technology strategy, best practices, security, and overall customer experience; leads complex technical projects with cross-functional impact and leadership visibility; develops and implements analytics and performance metrics for internal and external processes; provides critical training and professional development programming relating to service technology and personalized experience tools; and provides budgetary management for Student Financial Services technology. The Director of Student Financial Services System is responsible for all Student Financial Services Systems, including the operation of PowerFAIDS and Banner, client-server financial aid and student account systems accessed daily by nearly 100 professional, support, and auxiliary staff to service over 100,000 students and applicants annually. As a key member of the Student Financial Services management team, the Director is primary responsibility for ensuring that PowerFAIDS, Banner and all source and related systems are used optimally and effectively to support the myriad inquiry, reporting, coding and data needs of the University’s Student Financial Services operations. The University manages more than $550million in institutional, federal, state and private aid funds through the PowerFAIDS system and additionally manages approximately $1.8 billion in various student billings through Banner, requiring the Director to code and maintain business logic that conforms to the complex and dynamic regulatory environment inherent in government-sponsored aid programs. The Director, working with the Dean and Senior Directors of Financial Aid and Sr. Director of Student Accounts, will translate the aid leveraging strategy from the Enrollment Management team into the business logic that drives the packaging formulas that deliver student awards. Any error in this code could mean a budget overrun or a loss of student enrollment/retention due to an uncompetitive aid package. Other responsibilities include, but are not limited to: coding for student communications, student budgets, counselor caseload and funds monitoring. Additionally the Director will collaborate with the student account team and various campus, College and location partners to ensure the billing and student accounting activities are maintained in a highly complex environment. The Director of Student Financial Services Systems must understand currently laws, regulations and guidance related to the federal student aid programs and be able to interpret new requirements and successfully implement systems and business processes that are in full compliance. The Director of Student Financial Services Systems supports the multiple units operating within the Student Financial Services unit; Undergraduate and Graduate Day, College of Professional Studies, School of Law, Student Accounts, the Center for Financial Independence and the Center for the Advancement of Veterans and Servicemembers are all served by the central Student Financial Services systems office, and each unit has unique calendars, data/reporting requirements, and business logic. The Director plays a key role in ensuring that the needs – technical, functional, and temporal – of each unit are addressed fully and implemented effectively within PowerFAIDS, Banner and all University systems. The Director serves as the first line of inquiry within Student Financial Services for issues relating to network and server support for PowerFAIDS and Banner. This person works closely, as well, with the Enrollment Management/PAN systems group to ensure that technology problems within the aid office are quickly and effectively resolved. |
