Job Title

Financial Aid Advisor I

Agency

Texas A&M University

Department

Academic Affairs Recruiting Office

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Our Commitment

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment for all visitors, students, faculty, and staff by promoting a culture that embraces inclusion, diversity, equity, and accountability. Diverse perspectives, talents and identities are vital to accomplishing our mission and living our core values.

Who we are

The mission of Scholarships & Financial Aid is to provide students and their families with information and financial resources to attend Texas A&M University, along with support programs that promote higher education and developmental opportunities. We administer scholarships and financial aid, which include the following programs: grants, student loans, student employment, veteran educational benefits, athletic aid coordination, short-term loans, and emergency tuition and fee loans. In addition our office provides advising on the programs listed above. Our office also assist students in gaining financial literacy knowledge through our Money Education Center. Our office is responsible for processing student aid and veteran educational benefits for College Station, Galveston, all Health Science Center sites and Qatar which totaled approximately $836 million in financial aid assistance for the prior academic year.

The Academic Affairs Recruiting Office assisted with the creation and posting of this job requisition for Scholarships & Financial Aid.

What we want

Scholarships & Financial Aid is seeking a Financial Aid Advisor I, who is responsible for counseling and providing financial aid and scholarship information to prospective and currently enrolled students and their families. We are looking for an individual that enjoys learning and helping students find solutions to pay for college. The successful candidate is detail oriented and has experience working with students in person, on the phone, or through email. We need someone who is analytical, strives to see the big picture, works well independently to get the job done, and fosters relationships with team members. We are seeking an individual who is not afraid to ask why and how can we make things better . Our selected candidate will subscribe to and support our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) as stated above. If this description sounds interesting to you, we encourage you to apply to be considered.

What you need to know

Cover Letter & Resume': A cover letter and resume' are strongly recommended; Minimum Hourly Pay Rate: $17.31

COVID-19 information:Texas A&M University monitors local, state and federally mandated health guidelines to keep students, employees, prospective employees, and visitors as safe as possible. For the latest information regarding Texas A&M's COVID-19 response, please visit the University's COVID-19 website. For COVID-19 employment-related information, please visit the Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness' COVID-19 website.

Required Education:

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to meet deadlines and maintain a high level of accuracy, professionalism and a customer service orientation
• Working knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet programs
• Ability to work individually or as a team in a dynamic organization. Good interpersonal communication skills
• Must be literate in the English language and able to comprehend, give and follow both written and verbal instructions
• Ability to organize and make decisions
• Ability to relate well with a diverse student population
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Ability to use tact, diplomacy and judgment in dealing with all customers
• Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others

Other Requirements or Other Factors:

• Must comply with Texas A&M System Policy 07.02 Texas Higher Education Fair Lending Practices
• Must be in good standing on all Federal Student Loans
• The U.S. Dept. of Education will not grant access to student loan data for any individual who is in default status
• Access to such information is a necessity for this position
• Must be able to rectify default status within three months of employment
• Good standing must be maintained for continued employment

Preferred Experience:

• Prior financial aid or advising experience at a college level
• Customer service experience
• Background in general office conditions with much time spent in contact with students
• Experience in an enrollment management area focusing on outreach and/or retention

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of current versions of Microsoft products, including Windows and Office
• Knowledge of Financial Aid or Student Information Systems
• Bilingual in Spanish
• Knowledge of financial aid counseling, verification, rules and regulations
• Ability to develop and make presentations
• Knowledge of enrollment management focusing on outreach and/or retention

Responsibilities:

• Advising - Uses discretion and independent judgment to advise and counsel students, parents, and/or prospective students in solving their educational financial problems through scholarships, loans, grants, employment and financial counseling. Learns to serve as an Advisor for in person and/or phone appointments, as well as back up for the walk in Advisor. Learns to respond to questions and counseling needs in-person and by written, phone, and email means from currently enrolled students, prospective students and parents. Learns to assist outreach staff with prospective students and in their transition to current TAMU students. Learns to assist with reviews for professional judgment of student files, making adjustments as needed. Learns to review Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals and makes decisions regarding the validity of these appeals. Learns to provide loan and indebtedness counseling to students on an individual and group basis. Learns to award, revise and/or approve the awarding of financial aid through the specific controls of program policy and guidelines. Learns to make adjustments if necessary for compliance issues and submits the corrections through automated correction process or submits through FAA Access. Learns to assist students with specialized needs, such as Study Abroad, Vocational Rehabilitation, Graduate, and International Students.

• Financial Aid Knowledge & Team Support - Learns to interpret and maintain knowledge of current federal, state, and institutional policies, procedures, and regulations pertaining to financial aid, student employment, and scholarships. Attends departmental and other training. Understands how outreach and early awareness staff interact with CS staff and transition students from prospective to currently enrolled TAMU students. Learns to provide assistance and guidance to other financial aid staff to ensure that processing activities adhere to established policies and procedures.

• General - Participates in and assists in planning and execution of events for specific audiences and in support of departmental initiatives (e.g. financial aid awareness programs, Aggieland Saturday, outreach efforts). Uses discretion to respond to varied questions that may require researching and consolidating data regarding financial aid, scholarships, and specialized programs. Attends local, state, and national workshops, and conferences. Hosts and presents at various workshops. Travel required.

• Support to Colleges - Learns to use independent judgment to provide support to colleges and departments as needed. May be assigned as a liaison to a college or department.

• Consumer Information - Learns to assist in developing and revising financial aid consumer information material, publications and brochures for currently enrolled students, prospective students and their parents, colleges, departments and university use.

• Workshops & Presentations - Learns to assist with conducting on and off-campus presentations, seminars, and/or workshops for students (prospective and enrolled) and possibly for professional development training. Learns to work at resource tables as requested by groups from TAMU, prospective student groups, and others. Learns to give presentations to include classroom and/or professional level for profession and others. Learns to assist in developing and presenting training seminars on pertinent topics and procedures within team area of expertise.

• Rules, Regulations and Working Groups - Learns to participate in review, revision, and interpretation of complex rules, regulations, procedures, and policies relating to general financial aid, scholarships, and team specialty area(s). Participates in and may lead departmental work groups. Performs other duties as assigned.

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to pre-populate the online application.

In accordance with the federal contractor vaccination mandate, specific facilities at The Texas A&M System may be considered a covered contractor workplace with covered contractor employees. Therefore, successful applicants for this position may be subject to the federal mandate and will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment unless an approved medical or religious accommodation is in place.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution's verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution's procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer committed to diversity.