Director of Financial Aid

The Director of Financial Aid directs all facets of operating CCA’s Office of Financial Aid Operations. The Director manages the college’s comprehensive financial aid program for undergraduate and graduate students, supervises the financial aid staff, and provides leadership in developing strategies that respond to enrollment and retention issues.They are responsible for developing, maintaining, and communicating the Financial Aid Compliance Policy in accordance with current regulatory guidelines and strategic direction established by federal, state, and other financial aid entities including the College. This position is key for the department in staying abreast of legislative changes impacting the College and partnering with the other institutional Departments when opportunities present themselves to respond to pending legislation. This position will also manage identification of regulatory changes and assure timely updates of corporate procedures as applicable to the College.
The Director works closely with the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management, the Enrollment Management Team of Directors in the development and execution of the strategic plan to achieve the enrollment, retention, graduation, and revenue goals of the college.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

Financial Aid and Department Management - 40%

• Manages the college’s $48 million financial aid program including $24 million in institutional scholarships in addition to Federal, State and private financial aid programs.

• Manages, trains and evaluates the Financial Aid staff.

• Oversees the delivery of financial aid and ensures a high level of customer service to CCA students and families.

• Monitors spending in all program areas and reconciles all program funds; tracks federal allocations and calculates required institutional match of funds.

• Uses professional judgment to act on exceptional/complex student financial aid cases and assists financial aid staff with the packaging of financial aid awards.

• Oversee and manage the Return to Title IV (R2T4) process to ensure compliance with federal regulations related to student financial aid.

• Administers the financial aid component of CCA’s integrated information management system.

• Drafts all student financial aid consumer information and publications; reviews catalog, handbook, website and schedule copy pertaining to financial aid policy and procedure.

• Prepares all financial aid disbursements to Student Accounts; reviews disbursement reports for accuracy.

• Maintains all financial aid program participation agreements.

• Prepares fiscal reports for Federal and State agencies relative to CCA’s financial aid programs/funding, including the annual Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate. Coordinates annual compliance audits with internal auditors. Responds to national surveys.

• Establishes financial aid policies and procedures and maintains policy, procedure, and training manual for Financial Aid.

• Serves as a member of the Retention Committee, Student Financial Committee, Policy Review and additional working groups as needed.

• In partnership with the Business Services Office (BSO), lead the coordination and execution of the annual single audit with (Hoodstrong) ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations and addressing any audit findings or recommendations.

• Serve as the Certifying Official for VA benefits, collaborating with the Business Services Office (BSO) and Student Records Office as part of a committee to ensure compliance with Department of Veterans Affairs regulations.

• Direct the team to provide financial aid workshops to students and in-service financial aid training for college staff.

Strategic Planning - 25%

• In partnership with the VP of Enrollment Management, Enrollment Management Leadership and Finance Department, lead in reviewing and updating the college’s financial aid awarding strategy; works closely with other members of the Enrollment Management Leadership team to ensure that financial aid policies and strategies target the college’s enrollment, retention and revenue goals. Provide analysis and trend reporting on packaging strategies for incoming and continuing students.

• Works closely with the Enrollment Management team (admissions, student records, and student accounts) to streamline policy and procedures and address complex student financial issues.

 

Compliance and Training - 25%

• Identify potential areas of compliance vulnerability and risk; develop/implement corrective action plans to manage and mitigate risk and improve compliance practices.

• Identify and analyze systematic problems, propose solutions, and regularly update/ train financial aid staff on pertinent changes to federal regulations.

• Develop and maintain policy and procedures to ensure that financial aid is properly awarded to the appropriate students and reported to appropriate stakeholders in an accurate and timely manner.

• Provide training to address issues and ensure operational effectiveness.

Professional Development - 5%

• Keeps current on all Title IV, federal, and state financial aid regulations and disseminates information to relevant campus agencies.

• Keeps current with and brings best practices to the division for enrollment operations & technology

Other - 5%

• Performs additional duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field, master’s degree preferred. 

• Proven leadership ability and skills with at least 7 years of experience of progressive responsibility in the administration of financial aid, admissions programs, operations & technology, including supervision, program development, and evaluation.  

• Knowledge of enrollment models for developing financial aid strategies to achieve enrollment and retention goals and Federal and State regulations pertaining to financial aid administration.  

• Ability to analyze financial aid strategies and to develop and implement policies and procedures. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication, organizational and interpersonal skills; strict attention to detail; demonstrated ability to work with faculty, students, and staff; self-motivated, goal-oriented, strategic thinker, and able to work independently and as part of an enrollment team. 

• Experience working with diverse groups in an educational or other non-profit organization.   

• Excellent skills in problem-solving, resolving complex financial aid cases, and adapting administrative applications to systems of automated information management.  

• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.  

• Familiarity with federal and state financial aid program software a must.  

• Experience using and supporting Workday Student or similar ERP/Document Management.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS :

• The range for this position is $100,000 - $116,000/annually

• CCA offers a comprehensive benefits package, including the choice of five medical plans, generous holiday, sick & vacation time, a retirement match and tuition remission. CCA covers an average of 91% of the medical plan cost for the employee only and an average of 82% for employees with dependents. More information can be found here: https://portal.cca.edu/working/office-human-resources/employee-benefits .

POSITION DETAILS :

• CCA considers a full-time work week to be 37.5 hours per week.

• Work Mode: Hybrid

Location

San Francisco

FLSA

Exempt

Additional Locations

Application Instructions

Applicants are required to attach a cover letter and resume. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Recommended document file formats are Word or PDF.  If there are multiple attachments, we recommend compressing/zipping your files into a zip format file. There is also a place in the application for you to provide a link to large documents. Please submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions.

Application Deadline

For staff positions, screening begins immediately and continues until the position is filled.

EEO Statement

As an educational and cultural institution, California College of the Arts has a responsibility to provide access and opportunities for all people, with special attention to supporting groups historically underrepresented in higher education.

We believe that a culturally diverse campus is integral to academic excellence, and our student, faculty, staff, and trustee bodies should reflect the diverse world in which we live, with attention to race, ethnicity, religious creed, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and ability.

California College of the Arts is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from individuals who will contribute to its diversity. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to hr@cca.edu. In alignment with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment. If a background check is required for a position, it will be noted in the job posting.

Questions?

Please address any questions to hr@cca.edu .