Financial Aid Counselor II – Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid

Job Posting Title:

Financial Aid Counselor II – Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid

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Hiring Department:

Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

Our goal is to recruit and support staff and students with a wide range of backgrounds, ideas and viewpoints. A deep passion for promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and access among our university community. Diversity in our community strengthens teaching and learning, research and creativity and our positive contributions to society. Must be eligible to work in the United States on a full-time basis for any employer.

Purpose

The Financial Aid Counselor II position is responsible for ensuring compliance with federal, state, and university regulations throughout assigned processes.  The FAC II possess a level of knowledge that allows them to assist with setting procedures, monitoring various reports, and ensure completion of projects as assigned by their direct supervisor and upper management. 

Responsibilities

• Run reports and automated processes to verify compliance in regards to scholarship criteria, and program and institutional goals. Work as a member of a designated team within the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, including specialized tasks as assigned.
• Maintain and provide content support for specialized activities within assigned team.  Monitor and resolve escalations from Texas One Stop, including any issue that is beyond a general understanding of scholarships.  Develop and maintain policies and procedures manual and provide assistance to the section supervisor as needed. Design, prepare, and maintain forms, reports, and files. Maintain important dates on the Operational Calendar as it relates to scholarship activities.  Assist Team Manager and/or Assistant Director in completing timely tasks within specified deadlines.  Assist with developing and updating written informational materials regarding the policies and procedures involved in applying for financial aid and scholarships.  Assist with developing and updating presentations for scholarship workshops.
• Assist Team Manager in the ongoing creation and management of scholarship tools and systems. Assist in assessing eligibility of scholarship applicants and recipients. Handle data related to scholarship applications and awarding which may include data entry, processing, and validation. Communicate with scholarship applicants and system users to clarify discrepant information, as needed.  Communicate with students regarding thank-you letter/acknowledgement submissions; collect, edit, and track submissions. Resolve conflicting data as needed. 
• Manage complex escalations within assigned team, including direct counseling of students and requesting of information by phone or email.  Review information provided for conflict and completeness.  Have a high level of understanding of the financial aid and scholarship process and professionalism to accurately and understandably present and request information and documentation.
• Interact with other University departments and industry partners. Serve as scholarship liaison for department to other parts of the university; exchange information and coordinate activities, as needed.  Provide training to staff on information required based on assigned team.
• Attend professional development and training meetings. Assist students during orientation and registration as requested.  Assist supervisors as directed.   Perform other related duties incidental to the work needed.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree. Combination of at least two years’ experience in student financial aid/scholarships, student personnel administration, student services, or related experience. Must be organized, detail-oriented, and customer-focused. Must have superior communication and time-management skills and a professional demeanor. Must be capable of multi-tasking in a high-stress environment. Should be willing to work evenings and weekends during peak processing periods. Must be able to prioritize work assignments to complete work within required time periods. Knowledge of and proficiency with software including MS Word and Excel.  Comfort with learning new processes and technologies.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s Degree.  Extremely detail-oriented. Excellent interpersonal skills. Ability to handle stressful situations with composure. Ideal candidate will be able to set priorities and manage multiple projects. Knowledge of state and federal financial aid programs typically acquired from two or more years of experience working in the Office of Financial Aid or more than two years working in the financial aid/scholarships industry. Ability to remain productive in a fast-paced, shared space environment with frequent interruptions. Ability to make presentations to individuals and groups of various sizes. Demonstrated public speaking skills.

Salary Range

$46,350

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer , complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031 .

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the 2021 report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe, Suite UTA 2.206, Austin, TX 78701.