Student Financial Services Counselor

  • Full-time

Job Description

Summary: This role’s focus is to assist students and families proactively in affording an education at Queens by optimizing funding from federal, state and institution resources within the framework of established regulations and policies. This position reports to the Senior Director of Financial Aid and is exempt from provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is not eligible to earn overtime pay or compensatory time off for additional hours worked.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Counsel and advise current and prospective students as well as their families on institutional, state and federal student financial aid programs, private alternative funding sources and payment plans administered by the university.
• Communicate with students and their families along with appropriate agencies regarding student accounts.
• Advise students and their families on payment plan options and monitor payment plan activity.
• Work with the Office of Admissions personnel to further University objectives for freshmen and transfer student enrollment.
• Have working knowledge of federal regulations, state law and university policies in awarding financial assistance to ensure compliance and audit requirements.
• Determine eligibility and award various types of institutional, state and federal assistance in full compliance with state and federal regulations, university policies and audit requirements.
• Administer and coordinate scholarships, both University awards and off-campus sources.
• Provide superior customer service to students and their families.
• Work with student and families to generate/collect necessary verification documentation as necessary to submit to the Assistant Director for completion of the verification process.
• Work with students and families to address FAFSA C-flags situations as outlined in the FSA Handbook.

Secondary Functions:
• Prepare billings for third party payments on student accounts.
• Verify information for accounts receivable holds.
• Evaluate and make independent decisions in relation to unusual cases, special requests, and verification issues.
• Present information sessions both on-campus and in the community.
• Perform statistical reporting functions.
• Special projects and additional duties as assigned to enhance the level of service and commitment to students, their families and the University.

Nonessential Duties
• Other duties as necessary to meet Student Financial Services and University needs.

Qualifications

Experience, Knowledge & Skills Required
• Minimum three years of financial aid or related experience is preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to quickly establish and nurture rapport.
• Working knowledge of federal and state regulations regarding student financial assistance preferred.
• Strong organization and analytical skills, including ability to perform statistical reporting.
• Excellent judgment and decision making skills.
• Ability to quickly learn and apply new information.
• Proven customer service skills and enthusiasm for providing exceptional service to diverse populations including undergraduate and graduate students, parents, staff, faculty and other constituencies.
• Sensitivity to the financial concern and stress of students and their families, and an aptitude for explaining complex financial information in terms that are easily understood and enhance the customer’s experience.
• Experience in multi-tasking and strong attention to detail.
• Ability to be flexible and adapt to stressful circumstances and difficult customers.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively towards the optimum delivery of service to the customer.
• Flexibility in work schedule to accommodate limited evening and weekend hours to accomplish objectives of the position.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Word and Excel.
• Preference given to candidates with PowerFaids and/or Jenzabar software experience.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Physical Requirements (with or without reasonable accommodation)
• Visual Abilities: Read reports, create presentations and use a computer system, 75-100% of the time
• Hearing: Hear well enough to communicate with co-workers, vendors, and students, 75-100% of the time
• Dexterity, Grasping, Feeling: Write, type and use the telephone, copier, and computer systems, 75-100% of the time.
• Mobility: Open files and operate office machines; move between departments and attend meetings across campus, 50-74%of the time.
• Talking: Frequently convey detailed or important instructions and ideas accurately, loudly, or quickly, 75-100% of the time.
• Lifting, Pulling, Pushing: Exert up to 30 pounds for force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects, 0-24% of the time

Work Conditions
• Work in office environment involving contact with students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, service providers and vendors.
• Work has deadlines, multiple interruptions, high volume and may be stressful at times.
• This position is expected to occasionally work extended hours &/or weekends to achieve objectives of the position.

Additional Information

Benefits

Queens offers comprehensive benefits to eligible employees, including: medical, dental & vision insurance, domestic partner benefits, defined contribution supplemental retirement plans, vacation and paid holidays, tuition remission & tuition exchange, Queens-paid life insurance, supplemental life insurance, dependent life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, flexible spending accounts (medical, dependent care, Health Savings Account), sick leave and long-term disability leave, FMLA leave, reduced cost meals at Morrison Dining Hall, employee assistance program (EAP), wellness programs. In addition, employees may choose benefits such as pet insurance, critical care insurance and legal assistance.

The above description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the duties and responsibilities of this position, nor are they intended to be such a listing of the skills and abilities required to do the job. Rather, they are intended to describe the general nature of the position.


About Queens

Queens University of Charlotte is a private, co-educational, Presbyterian-affiliated comprehensive university located in the heart of Myers Park in Charlotte, NC, and is consistently ranked in the top tier of Southern Regional Masters Universities. The university has over 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students in programs offered by the College of Arts and Sciences, the McColl School of Business, the James L. Knight School of Communication, the Wayland H. Cato Jr. School of Education, the Andrew Blair College of Health and the Presbyterian School of Nursing. Additional information about may be found at http://www.queens.edu.

Queens values campus diversity and demonstrates this in campus initiatives; we particularly encourage members of historically under-represented groups to apply. Only candidates who best match requirements of job will be contacted. The position will be removed from the website once an offer is extended and accepted, or when a sufficient candidate pool is identified. Due to limited staff resources, phone calls cannot be accepted or returned.

Queens University of Charlotte is an equal opportunity employer and is firmly committed to supporting and celebrating all forms of diversity. Queens does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sex (including pregnancy, child birth and conditions related to pregnancy or child birth), gender orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, national origin, disability, political beliefs, veteran status, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law in the administration of its educational and admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic programs, employment and hiring policies, or other university-administered programs. Any applicant for employment who needs any reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the Director of Human Resources at 704.337.2297.