Director of Financial Aid, School of Continuing and Professional Studies

UVA's School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) seeks a Director of Financial Aid to plan and direct financial aid programs for SCPS and to serve as a liaison and primary point of contact for the school and our students with the university's Student Financial Services (SFS) office.

SCPS helps working adults finish their degrees and advance their careers. The school offers two undergraduate degree completion programs, a master in public safety, and a full slate of certificate programs and other career accelerators. Our programs are primarily online, and our students are often juggling the demands of family and work. We believe there are many paths to a great education, and SCPS plays an important role in bringing an accessible and affordable UVA education to nontraditional students and adult learners, no matter where they are in life or the world.

The ideal candidate is a mission-driven, proactive and strategic thinker with experience building or improving financial aid processes, working with diverse constituencies and managing multiple projects, and should share SCPS's goal of creating opportunity for students who otherwise might not be able to afford to come back to school. The Director of Financial Aid can expect to work closely with the school's Director of Development, scholarship manager, and financial and administrative team to grow and improve scholarship opportunities; regularly interact with students and SFS regarding financial aid and support the recruitment and marketing teams with concise and clear financial aid information for prospective students; provide accurate and timely reporting and make presentations to school and university parties on SCPS's financial aid activities and needs; and perform other duties as needed. The Director of Financial Aid will report to the Associate Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Success and will regularly collaborate with the school's dean, leadership team and directors.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a holistic financial aid strategy for the school, in coordination with school leadership, SFS, UVA's Advancement Office, the school's scholarship manager, and other key parties.
• Oversee comprehensive and ongoing analyses of student need and utilize that data to inform scholarship programs as well as collaborative work with SFS.
• Responsible for overseeing the timely delivery of departmental scholarship awards, for regular and timely communication with prospective and current students about scholarship awards and other financial aid questions, and for maintaining accurate records and providing regular reports and presentations both internally and externally. Supervise the school's scholarships manager.
• Partner with other staff, including SCPS's recruitment team and financial and administration team, to provide counseling and guidance to students on financial issues such as payment options and debt management. Work with the school's marketing and communications team to ensure financial aid information is presented properly and clearly on SCPS's website and in other communication vehicles.
• Represent the school at regional and national conferences. Maintain awareness of current trends in the financial aid arena.
• In addition to the above job responsibilities, other duties may be assigned.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will ideally possess the following professional qualifications, skills and experience:

• Bachelor's degree required
• A minimum of six years of experience, with a preference for a demonstrated ability to manage people and run a small but complex team or unit within higher education
• Ability to meet competing deadlines while maintaining accuracy
• Excellent verbal and interpersonal communication skills
• A proven ability to work independently as well as part of a team
• A belief in the mission of SCPS to help working adults finish their degrees and advance their careers
  

This position is located in Charlottesville, VA and offers a hybrid work schedule. The incumbent will be required to travel to and work on site as needed and requested for meetings and/or other programmatic needs. F

This is a full-time, exempt level, benefited position with UVa benefits. Employees benefits package highlights include:

• 22 days of paid time off, increasing with service; 13+ paid holidays each year, in addition to paid time off
• Parental and Community Service Leave
• Health plan with options to meet healthcare and financial needs available immediately
• Competitive retirement benefits
• Tuition and professional development benefits after six months of employment
• Employee wellness program featuring activities to earn up to $500/year.

Anticipated Hiring Range: $90,000 - $110,000 commensurate with education and experience. This position will remain open until filled but preference will be given to applications received by October 20, 2024. This position will not sponsor applicants for work visas. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.

To Apply:

Create an account or log in and submit an application in the UVA Job Board , search for R0065771. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching 'Find Jobs' and attach the following:

• Cover letter
• Resume/CV

References will be completed via UVA's standardized process SkillSurvey. A total of five references will be requested via SkillSurvey during the final phase of the interview process, a total of three is required. For questions about the application process, please contact Michele Jarma n , Academic Recruiter .

Learn More About the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies here: https://www.scps.virginia.edu/ . For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please see http://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville and https://embarkcva.com/.

Physical Demands

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

The University of Virginia, i ncluding the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician's Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, and family medical or genetic information.