Financial Aid Officer (Federal & Special Programs)

$57,505 - $74,756/Yr

University of Connecticut - Mansfield, CT

Full-time - Entry Level

Mansfield, CT

Educational Services

About the position

The Financial Aid Officer (Federal & Special Programs) at the University of Connecticut is responsible for managing and processing various educational loans, including Private Alternative loans and Federal Direct Loans. This role requires a detail-oriented individual who can independently resolve complex loan issues, ensure compliance with financial aid regulations, and collaborate with staff to improve processes. The officer will also communicate with students and external constituents, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of relevant laws and regulations.

Responsibilities

• Processes private alternative educational loans and Federal Direct Loans daily.
• Independently researches and answers questions of varying complexity raised by staff for Federal Direct Loans and private alternative educational loans.
• Collaborate with staff and other units to troubleshoot loan issues and quickly implement solutions.
• Primary responsibility for loan cancellation and coordination of aggregate loan borrowing review.
• Secondary responsibility for Nurse Faculty Student Loan awarding administrative areas, institutional aid affidavits and applications for undocumented students, reconciliation of Federal Direct Loan and Federal Pell Grant, and facilitating Private Alternative Loan returns and deposits.
• Responsible for assisting with the interpretation of and compliance with Financial Aid regulations governing respective programs, formulation of policy guidelines and procedures, and helping to resolve complex problems in the area of specialization.
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of federal, state, and institutional rules, regulations, statutes, and mandates governing financial aid; and shares updates with the department that may affect areas of primary and secondary responsibility.
• Cross trains to support administrative areas in other units, including reviewing files and documentation, packaging and awarding, processing queries, and other special projects.
• Communicate with students, families, and other external constituents by email or phone.
• Performs other duties and projects as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from a college or university accredited by the US Department of Education or internationally recognized accrediting organization.
• Three years of financial aid experience.
• Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of financial aid regulations and related laws.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Skilled in critical thinking, problem-solving, and analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with students, the public, the university community, and external constituencies; and ability to work independently and under time constraints.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience processing private alternative educational loan certifications and Federal Direct Loans.
• Preference given to candidates with experience using an automated financial aid system (e.g. PeopleSoft, Banner, etc.).

Benefits

• Employee and dependent tuition waivers at UConn.
• Competitive salary and outstanding benefits.