Financial Aid Counselor

Title: Financial Aid Counselor

Department: Financial Aid Office

Duration: Indefinite

Job Summary

Reporting to the Director of Financial Aid, the Financial Aid Counselor will assist with the daily operation of the Office of Financial Aid as well as counsel students, families, and the community about the College’s financial aid programs. The Financial Aid Counselor must have thorough knowledge of institutional, federal and state financial aid programs, including regulations, law and policy enabling them to provide financial aid information to students, parents and the community and to participate in the daily operations of the Office of Financial Aid. In addition to managing a caseload of students, the Financial Aid Counselor will be responsible for managing one or more particular responsibilities.

Occidental maintains a longstanding commitment to access and equity, and as a result, our current student body includes 46% domestic students of color and 16% first-generation college students. Our financial aid policies meet 100% of the demonstrated financial need of our students. The successful candidate will excel at working in a community that is broadly diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, and religion.

Job Duties

• Evaluates and verifies the majority of applications using established needs analysis procedures, awarding financial aid (Federal, State, and Institutional Funds) to students, using the Financial Aid Management Systems, PowerFAIDS, to perform verification, ISIR corrections, and COD Reporting
• Counsels entering and continuing students
• Serves as a member of the enrollment team (Admission and Financial Aid) which may include travel and presentations to prospective students and their families
• Executes scheduled and ad hoc computer processes
• Keeps informed of changes to financial aid programs to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations as well as institutional policies
• Assists in managing the daily operations of the Office of Financial Aid
• Represents the College to students and parents at outreach activities as well as public and private organizations
• Attends training workshops and conferences as needed
• Occasional weekend and evening hours may be required
• Performs other duties as assigned or requested

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience and education
• Experience with financial aid applications, such as FAFSA and CSS Profile
• Experience with software systems and data entry
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong spreadsheet and data entry skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with PowerFAIDS is preferred
• Counseling experience in a higher education setting preferred
• Ability to learn and apply Institutional Methodology
• Ability to use tact, discretion and diplomacy in advising and responding to questions and concerns from students and their families
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse population
• Must be self-motivated and able to work independently as well as on teams, and to manage multiple, competing projects and deadlines
• A strong commitment to the mission of the College and its students
• Organizational and analytical ability
• Detail-orientated and ability to work as part of a team

EXPECTED HIRING RANGE: $56,000 to $59,000

If you are offered this position at Occidental College, your final base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such as skills, education, experience, and/or geographic location. In addition to those factors, Occidental complies with applicable pay equity laws and considers internal equity among current employees when developing the final offer. Please keep in mind that the range mentioned above is the base salary range for the role. Hiring at the maximum of the range would not be typical in order to allow for future and continued salary growth. We also offer a generous compensation and benefits package.