Description

The Associate Dean of Financial Aid Technology, Training, & Reporting provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for financial aid systems, data integrity and privacy, compliance reporting, analytics, and training. This role ensures that all technologies and processes support accurate awarding, regulatory compliance, efficient operations, and excellent student service.

The Associate Dean serves as the primary liaison with Information Technology Services, Institutional Research, Student Accounts, the Registrar, and external agencies to ensure seamless system integration and adherence to federal, state, and institutional requirements. The position also leads cross-functional training and technology initiatives, establishes consistent data stewardship practices, and drives modernization efforts that enhance student outcomes, operational efficiency, and regulatory assurance.

Responsibilities and Duties:

*Provides strategic oversight and leadership for the financial aid management system, ensuring alignment of financial aid technology with broader institutional objectives.

*Supervises and mentors assigned staff, fostering a culture of trust, accountability, professional growth, and equity.

*Leads annual setup and maintenance for financial aid (yearly parameters, budgets, packaging rules, SAP indicators, automations, workflows, and communication management

*Manages system upgrades, patches, and releases in collaboration with IT and system-level partners; ensures appropriate testing and user acceptance prior to deployment.

*Ensures accurate bi-directional integrations across internal and external systems (e.g., Self-Service, Communications Management, NSLDS, COD, SAIG, NCSLP, CFNC; queue management tools such as QLess; imaging/workflow tools such as OnBase; reporting/BI tools such as Entrinsik Informer).

*Troubleshoots complex system issues, data mismatches, configuration errors, awarding logic problems, and integration failures; coordinates incident resolution with IT and vendors.

*Assists with testing of SIS updates and delivers sign-off on changes relevant to Financial Aid, Registration, and Records collaborations.

*Creates and distributes operational reports (e.g., waitlist or enrollment-related indicators impacting aid eligibility) and collaborates with departments on developmental education enrollment implications for aid packaging.

*Creates and modifies queries, dashboards, and reports; validates results and formats for end users inside and outside the department.

*Oversees federal, state, and institutional reporting (e.g., FVT/GE, FISAP, IPEDS, COD, NCHEDS, Net Price Calculator, auditor requests, operational dashboards, Informer extracts).

*Monitors and reconciles post-screening updates, loan-limit flags, SAP indicators, enrollment-level changes, housing changes, residency changes, chosen name/address confirmation impacts, and other eligibility-impacting data.

*Designs and maintains data models and analytics that support strategic planning, forecasting, operational productivity, compliance monitoring, and student success insights (e.g., Pell eligibility, loan usage, demographic shifts).

*Trains Financial Aid staff on new software, systems, features, and policy impacts; develops training materials and job aids.

*Validates awarding parameters, rate/budget tables, SAP recalculations, mass updates for program codes and statuses, and ongoing attendance/enrollment monitoring impacting financial aid eligibility.

*Communicates system changes, regulatory impacts, milestones, and known issues to leadership and staff; facilitates campus-wide awareness during technology transitions

*Supervises and mentors assigned staff, fostering a culture of trust, accountability, professional growth, and equity.

Collaborates closely with ESS partners (Admissions, Advising, Registration and Records, Care Teams, IT, Institutional Research, Financial Services, etc.)

Establishes cross-training plans to ensure coverage, continuity of operations, and staff resiliency.

Engages regularly with AVP/VP leadership to provide vital data for marketing, recruiting, special funding eligibility, and external partner initiatives (e.g., InsideTrack, Clarus).

Leads special projects requiring cross-functional engagement (e.g., adoption of delivered SIS features that improve student navigation, registration alignment, and financial aid clarity).

Participates and/or chairs committees related to technology, data governance, and student systems; upholds data integrity standards and access approvals.

Supports audit readiness; responds to auditor requests and ensures documentation of workflows, controls, and validation processes.

Ensures data security, access controls, and compliance with FERPA , Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and institutional policies.

Maintains current knowledge of Title IV regulations, FAFSA changes, Need Analysis methodologies, and industry best practices.

Identifies and supports technology-based solutions that improve efficiency while maintaining compliance with federal, state, and institutional financial aid requirements.

Represents the Financial Aid Office on campus committees (e.g., Self-Service Team, Data Governance Committee, Data Integrity Group) and external agency collaborations.

Delivers exemplary customer service to prospective and continuing students and families; simplifies complex processes and enhances student user experience.

May be required to represent Financial Aid and supervise staff in the absence of the Dean of Financial Aid, as appropriate.

Stays current on regulatory changes and technology developments; promotes continuous improvement and innovation.

Requirements

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

In-depth knowledge of federal and state financial aid programs, Title IV regulations, FAFSA, need analysis, SAP, and compliance reporting.

Skill with enterprise reporting tools (e.g., Entrinsik Informer, Argos, Tablaeu), spreadsheet and database tools (e.g., Excel, Access), and data validation methodologies.

Proven success leading cross-functional projects, managing upgrades/patches, and implementing new workflows and automations.

Proven ability to handle confidential data and maintain compliance with data protection and privacy standards

Advanced organizational and resource management skills; ability to manage multi-task projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to make data-driven decisions and translate insights into action.

Excellent communication (written and oral) and interpersonal skills; ability to work effectively with students, families, faculty, and staff.

Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire teams; foster a culture of customer service, equity, and professional development.

Skilled in budget management, strategic planning, and risk mitigation for systems and data.

Ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments, implement changes/upgrades/new systems, and maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.

Innovative, creative, detail-oriented; maintains a high degree of accuracy and consistency.

Advanced skills in MS Office; ability to learn and optimize new systems and software quickly.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree

Three years of experience in higher education financial aid administration, systems, or analytics

Three years of supervisory experience

Experience administering complex information systems, such as an SIS (ex. Ellucian Colleague, Banner, Oracle, PeopleSoft) with responsibility for managing data integrations with third-party systems to include federal (e.g. NSLDS, COD, SAIG) or state (e.g., NCSLP, CFNC), or private (e.g. ScholarNet) and/or nonprofit (e.g. Iceptia).

Preferences:

Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Information Technology, Higher Education Administration, Data Analytics, or a closely related field.

Three (3) years’ experience with Colleague Financial Aid, Informer, OnBase, and QLess.

Proficiency with SQL and data integration concepts; familiarity with HTML/XML and content tools that support communications management or web self-service (Drupal, Publisher, Dreamweaver, Adobe InDesign or similar).

Experience in a large or complex higher education institution and with modernization of legacy processes.