Senior Assistant Director for Financial Aid Operations and Student Experience

The Office of Scholarships and Student Aid (OSSA) seeks an experienced financial aid professional to serve as Senior Assistant Director for Technology and Student Experience. This position provides leadership for financial aid operational readiness, technology development, process improvement, and student experience initiatives. The Senior Assistant Director applies extensive knowledge of financial aid regulations, program administration, and business processes to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant operations while leveraging technology, automation, and project management to improve efficiency and student success.

Working closely with financial aid leadership, including the Associate Director for Training and Summer Strategy, this position leads aid-year startup activities, regulatory implementation, and operational improvements. Responsibilities include coordinating updates to verification requirements, forms, procedures, and student-facing processes in response to federal, state, institutional, and University policy changes; maintaining financial aid processing expertise; and providing operational support during peak periods. The position develops quality assurance practices and ensures operational processes remain accurate, consistent, and responsive to changing requirements.

The Senior Assistant Director supervises two staff members and leads operational projects, technology initiatives, and process improvement efforts. Responsibilities include managing project plans, timelines, assignments, and deliverables through Asana; coordinating work across processing, counseling, systems, communications, and training teams; establishing priorities; developing staff expertise; maintaining documentation; and identifying opportunities to improve workflows, accountability, and operational effectiveness.

This position serves as a functional expert in Slate CRM, developing and maintaining queries, communications, automated workflows, forms, schedulers, and shared portals that support financial aid administration and collaboration. The Senior Assistant Director evaluates and implements technology solutions that streamline processes, improve data accuracy, reduce manual effort, and support compliance with changing regulations and business needs. The position partners with stakeholders to assess needs, design solutions, test functionality, and ensure technology resources remain effective and sustainable.

The Senior Assistant Director also leads efforts to improve the student experience across financial aid processes and digital interactions. Responsibilities include maintaining accurate and accessible website content and student-facing resources; reviewing communications for technical and regulatory accuracy; improving forms, surveys, and checklists; and developing targeted communications through Slate. The position collaborates with office leadership to promote plain language, accessibility, usability, and consistency across student and staff experiences.

Successful candidates will possess extensive knowledge of financial aid regulations, policies, processing, and program administration; experience with Slate CRM, technology-enabled workflows, project management, and staff supervision; and strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills. The ideal candidate will be proactive, adaptable, and committed to improving operational effectiveness, staff efficiency, and the student experience through technology and continuous improvement.

This position includes flexibility for a hybrid work schedule.