The mission of the Financial Aid Specialist is to provide assistance with federal, institutional, private, state, and scholarship awarding and processing. To serve as an assistant to the Executive Director and the Senior Associate Director with special projects. Assist with the annual audit and coordination of third-party vendor processing and set-up. Serve as the liaison between partnering departments, admissions, student accounts, OneStop, and registrar.

Duties

• Assist with aid processing as needed during the busy season. Auditing, awarding, counseling, scholarships, check processing, scholarship management, credit card allocation, payment requisitions, and other duties as assigned.
• Review and work various reports to resolve disbursements, and other issues. Assist to resolve reconciling items with federal and state grants.
• Assist the Executive Director of University Financial Assistance and the Senior Associate Director with special projects throughout the year.
• Serve as a department liaison with student accounts, OneStop, admissions, and registrar.
• Communicate effectively with individual contributors within the Financial Aid Office and maintain collegial relationships to ensure efficient working relationships.
• Keep Financial Aid management informed through regular updates via meetings or other communication resources about upcoming deadlines, or departmental challenges.
• Perform student outreach as needed for specific data as requested by senior management.
• Provides secondary support and coverage as needed during staffing challenges.
• Serve as a resource to internal/external partners, analyzing data to resolve aid issues and discrepancies.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Uphold the University mission through work performed.

The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Skills and Qualifications

• Required
  • College degree.
  • At least 2 years of current experience in financial aid or experience working with student financial aid systems.
  • Knowledge of federal student aid application process.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks simultaneously with close attention to detail and prioritization to meet deadlines.
  • Ability to maintain good working relationships with various internal and external stakeholders related to the ongoing operations of the department.
  • Strong computer skills with proficiency in MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
  • Ability to work effectively both independently and within groups.
  • Ability to handle confidential information with tact and discretion and recognizes the private nature of the business.
• Preferred
  • Prior experience in a financial aid office, working with students.
  • Advanced skills in Excel and other Microsoft products.
  • Technical knowledge and experience with scholarship systems and outside vendor management.

Qualified individuals should be able to articulate a strong commitment to diversity, and have the ability to work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds.

Offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal, education, and employment screening. The University conducts such screenings in compliance with applicable laws and with the objectives of evaluating risk and supporting a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and guests; safeguarding key University assets including people, property, information, and the University’s reputation; and providing comprehensive job-related information to University leaders to enable them to make prudent hiring decisions. Qualified individuals with criminal histories will be considered for employment in compliance with applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.

This is a Regular, Nonexempt, 40 hour per week position.

Expected Pay Range: $24.23 - $26.92 per hour

The above pay range reflects what Pepperdine University reasonably expects to pay for this position at time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on relevant factors such as work experience, market conditions, education/training, and skill level. In addition to base pay, Pepperdine offers a robust and highly competitive benefits package.

Pepperdine is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.