Assistant Director of Financial Aid

Bemidji State University (BSU) and Northwest Technical College (NTC) invites applicants to join our team as the Assistant Director of Financial Aid. The Assistant Director of Financial Aid assists the Director and Associate Director to plan, administer, manage, and coordinate the student financial aid programs at BSU and NTC. This position administers a number of Minnesota Office of Higher Education Programs, including but not limited to MN Postsecondary Child Care Grant,  MN Indian Scholarship Program, and MN Teacher Training Preparation Grant, along with Tribal Grants, MN GI Bill Program, and other grant programs developed at the campus or state level. This individual counsels’ students and parents, as well as verifies awards, revises financial aid awards and participates in development of policies and procedures for the financial aid office and its programs.
 
Responsibilities of the Assistant Director of Financial Aid include:  

• Administration of State Aid Programs. (25%)
  • Administering several MN Office of Higher Education programs including the Postsecondary Childcare Grant Program, Fostering Independence Grant, DREAM Act, MN Teacher Candidate Grant Programs, NSP manual awards, etc. This includes requesting allocations/payments, calculating awards, provider verification for childcare grant, notification of award, award adjustments/overpayments and completing the year-end reports. This also includes updating procedures and policies for these programs as needed.
• Financial Aid Counseling. (20%)
  • Meeting with current and prospective students and parents to discuss issues related to applying for and receiving financial aid at BSU, including financial aid eligibility, application procedures, governing regulations and debt management.
• Financial Aid Processing. (20%)
  • Identifying and resolving conflicting financial and personal information using the MinnState ISRS financial aid system edits and verification processes. Calculating student eligibility and awarding appropriate financial aid funds. Initiating and reviewing Special Situation and Special Circumstance inquiries. Providing backup assistance for NTC processes when necessary; this includes but is not limited to packaging, tracking edits and loan certification.
• American Indian Programs. (15%)
  • Administering the Office of Higher Education MN Indian Scholarship Program, the MN Teacher Training Preparation Grant, and the American Indian Scholars Program, along with any other grants that are developed at the state or university level. This includes completing budgets for each student, entering initial awards, award adjustments, and updating budgets periodically throughout the semester. This also includes reconciliation of these program awards/payments and yearly closeout procedures. This position also works closely with the Scholarship Coordinator position on Tribal Grants.
• MN GI Bill Program & Third Party. (10%)
  • Administering the MN GI Bill program for BSU and NTC which includes completing budgets, award adjustments/overpayments, requesting funds and completing the year-end report. Processing third party paperwork and other unique payments for students for BSU, including county assistance forms and tribal grant budget/aid requests.
• Outreach (5%)
  • Participating in BSU Academic Advising and Registration programs, BSU FYE classes, and financial aid nights at area high schools.
• Other Duties (5%)
  • Assisting students participating in international travel academic programs. Aiding with the development of financial aid policies, procedures, computer software and systems at BSU and NTC and other duties as assigned. 

• Master’s Degree plus one year of professional experience in a related field, OR Bachelor’s degree plus two years of professional experience in a related field, OR three years of professional experience in a related field, OR an equivalent combination of post-secondary training, education, and/or professional experience. 
• Work experience that demonstrates strong attention to detail sufficient to analyze applications, data, and numbers to avoid errors and ensure accuracy in one’s own work and in the work of others.
• Knowledge of relevant computer hardware and software applications, preferably to include MS Office, including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Publisher and Outlook.
• Demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills. 

• Three (3) years of financial aid or related higher education experience.
• Ability to work well with a team and in an individual capacity.
• Proficiency in Power BI for data visualization, report building and dashboard creation.
• Experience working with Microsoft Access for data management and developing queries
• A demonstrated commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

Working Conditions:

• Some evening and weekend work is required.
• Occasional overnight travel is required to attend conferences, training and planning sessions.

Physical Effort:

• Communicating effectively with others and understanding information.
• Some moving and transporting materials.

TO APPLY:
External Applicants: Apply for Vacancy Posting JR0000003325, on our career site: https://mn.gov/mmb/careers/search-for-jobs/ or at https://minnstate.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/Minnesota_State_Careers/job/Bemidji/Asst-Director-of-Financial-Aid_JR0000003325.
 
Internal Applicants: All current employees will need to log in to the career site in Workday to apply for the position. Employees will search for “Browse Jobs – Employees” in Workday via the search bar at the top to view open positions.

If you have any questions, please contact Mary Miller at mary.miller@bemidjistate.edu