Western Washington University, with over 16,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western is the highest-ranking public, master's-granting university in the Pacific Northwest, according to the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

The Financial Aid Counselor is a Professional Staff position that provides financial aid counseling services and may be assigned liaison work with other offices on campus, special projects and/or support for Private Educational Loan and Alaska Loan processing and certification.

Duties/Responsibilities include counseling to students, parents, faculty, high school counselors and others regarding financial aid application procedures, eligibility, student budget development and financial literacy. Responsible for reviewing files, awarding financial aid, making financial aid presentations, counseling students on a drop-in or appointment basis and making informed and well-documented professional judgment decisions. Maintains an up-to-date knowledge of financial aid regulatory requirements and institutional policies and procedures. Provides customer service support for the FASC center, serving as an information resource for students, parents and staff. May be assigned liaison work with other areas on campus or special projects based on operational necessity and individual experience and skills, including support for Private Educational Loan and Alaska Loan processing and certification.

Specialized duties may be offered, based on previous financial aid experience and demonstrated potential to complete specialized duties, which will result in an offer of Financial Aid Counselor 2 or 3 level position. Examples include:

• Provides Leadership/Mentorship to the Counseling Team
• Oversight of Training for Counseling Team
• Writes and maintains policies and procedures for training documentation
• Oversight of Private Educational Loan and Alaska Loan Programs
• Support for Return of Aid Calculations
• Support for Federal Pell Grant Administration
• Support for Administration of Student Employment Programs
• Support for Administration of Scholarship Programs
• Support for Administration of Financial Aid support for Special Populations
• Oversight, Training and Completion of Federal, State and Institutional Return of Aid Calculations and Related Processing
• Oversight and Training of the Federal Pell Grant Program and Related Processes
• Systems Support for Financial Aid Regulatory Compliance

• Bachelor’s degree
• Demonstrated excellent written and interpersonal communication skills
• Demonstrated attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to efficiently organize and prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and work independently within a highly computerized environment
• Demonstrated public speaking experience
• Demonstrated ability to effectively provide services to diverse populations
• Demonstrated ability to obtain, analyze and evaluate data
• Demonstrated ability to apply and adhere to complex regulations
• Demonstrated ability to contribute positively to a team-oriented environment
• For level 2 appointment, candidates must demonstrate at least two years of experience as a financial aid counselor or financial aid administrator for an institution of higher education or equivalent experience
• For level 3 appointment, candidates must demonstrate at least three years of experience as a financial aid counselor or financial aid administrator for an institution of higher education or equivalent experience

• For level 1 appointment, minimum one year of student financial aid office experience
• For level 2 appointment, experience working with private educational loan, return of aid calculations, and/or Pell Grant administration OR experience with student scholarships or student employment
• For level 3 appointment, higher level experience working with return of aid calculations, and/or Pell Grant administration 
• Experience using Ellucian Banner Financial Aid software
• Experience working with document imaging software
• Fluency in the Spanish language strongly preferred

Benefits Overview for Administrative Professional Position.

A cover letter and resume are required and should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications. Please include the names and contact information of three professional references. References will only be contacted if necessary, with notice provided beforehand. 

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. In compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and parenting status), disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or genetic information in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policy on Ensuring Equal Opportunity and Prohibiting Discrimination and Retaliation. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); crtc@wwu.edu

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3303 or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services at vpsa.office@wwu.edu. The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires which includes a sexual misconduct background check.