As the Assistant Director, you will assist in the administration of Miami University’s scholarship and financial aid programs. Reporting to the Associate Director, you will support strategic initiatives, compliance auditing, communications planning, and process optimization. This role involves collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, enhancing the student experience, and maintaining the accuracy and efficiency of financial aid operations. The position offers a hybrid work arrangement, balancing flexibility with a commitment to excellence.
This role is ideal for a detail-oriented professional who thrives in a dynamic environment and is dedicated to enhancing the student experience through efficient and effective financial assistance operations.
Job Description
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
Scholarship and Fund Administration: Assist in the oversight and awarding of over $8 million in scholarships annually, including specialized funds and programs. Review, award, audit, and update nominations, expenditure plans, and fund balances to ensure compliance with financial aid policies. Support the processing of student payments for scholarships, fellowships, and stipends with accuracy and accountability.
Reporting and Data Management: Assist in generating, validating, and maintaining critical reports, including fund balances, unawarded report, and general audits of financial aid data. Provide insights to inform decision-making and enhance transparency. Conduct audits of aid-year fund codes, expenditure plans, and financial aid reports to ensure accuracy and compliance. Address overspent funds and maintain proper documentation.
Process and System Oversight: Participate in the New Aid Year Committee annually, implementing updates and changes to forms based on committee decisions. Assist with the annual forms roll, including updating, testing, and implementing financial aid forms, workflows, and database system changes. Streamline and support operational processes, such as fund rolls, GPA terminations, and MAI incoming eligibility assessments, to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
Communications and Outreach: Develop and execute communications, including proofing and sending emails, postcards, texts, and updating portal text by the established deadlines. Collaborate on creating and reviewing student-facing resources such as videos, postcards, timelines, to enhance engagement. Contribute to the annual updates of financial aid cover letters, scholarship pages, and cost of attendance materials. Coordinate the testing and quality assurance of financial aid offers, addressing feedback and resolving issues. Provide expert guidance to students, parents, faculty, and staff on financial aid inquiries, eligibility, and program specifics.
Website and Policy Maintenance: Oversee updates to the financial aid website, ensuring compliance and standards. Maintain and improve documentation, policies, and procedures to reflect current practices. Contribute to the development and refinement of departmental policies and procedures related to scholarship administration.
Team Support and Collaboration: Act as a resource for staff, answering questions and providing guidance on reports, forms, communications, and processes. Serve as a backup for other scholarship staff during absences, ensuring smooth operations.
Other Duties: Perform additional tasks as assigned to assist the Associate Director in achieving departmental goals.
Minimum Qualifications:
A Bachelor’s Degree; Or an Associate’s Degree and two years of related experience; Or four years of experience in operations, technology, or a business environment.
Proficiency in data entry with a strong attention to detail.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience in financial aid administration.
Proficiency in project management, data analysis, and process improvement.
Experience in higher education.
Key Competencies and Attributes:
Strong organizational skills, with the ability to assist in managing complex processes and priorities effectively.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a focus on delivering exceptional service.
Analytical mindset with the ability to identify and resolve issues proactively.
Self-motivated and proactive in both independent and team-oriented environments.
“Miami University, a student-centered public university founded in 1809, has built its success through an unwavering commitment to liberal arts undergraduate education, with complementary quality graduate programs, and the active engagement of its students in both curricular and co-curricular life. With a student body of 16,000, Miami effectively combines a wide range of strong academic programs with faculty who love to teach and the personal attention ordinarily found only at much smaller institutions. Faculty and staff are highly valued for their contributions toward the Miami experience. Employees enjoy a competitive benefits package and stable work environment as they work to support the university’s educational mission. Miami’s main campus is located in Oxford, Ohio, 35 miles northwest of Cincinnati, with regional campuses located in Hamilton and Middletown, Ohio, and a center in Luxembourg. Known as one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation, Miami, the nation's tenth oldest public university, is recognized for its striking red brick Georgian-style architecture and tree-shaded lawns. Take a Virtual Tour from our website.”
