Financial Aid Counselor (Non-Exempt)

POSITION : Financial Aid Counselor (Non-Exempt)

H SU JOB FAMILY CLASSIFICATION : Financial & Accounting Professional I

D EPARTMENT : Financial Aid

S UPERVISOR TITLE : Associate Vice President for Student Financial Services

F LSA STATUS : Non-Exempt

E XEMPTION : N / A

L OCATION : HSU Campus, Abilene, Texas

TARGET HIRE DATE : As Soon As Possible

HSU CHRISTIAN STANDARD REQUIREMENT FOR EMPLOYMENT - Candidate must profess aChristian Faith, maintain membership in a local congregation, and respect thevalues and distinctives central to the historically Baptist values of HSU as reflected in theUniversity's Statement of Faith.

CONTACT INFORMATION : Human Resources 325-670-1259 or careers@hsutx.edu

SUMMARY / SCOPE :

Functions as an integral memberof the Financial Aid Office, counseling and serving students. The Financial AidCounselor should be a highly organized and student-focused individual.

This position is responsible forefficiently managing student inquiries and providing exceptional support viacalls, office visits, and emails.

The primary objective will be toassist students in navigating the financial aid process and ensuring timely andaccurate responses to their inquiries.

This is an excellent opportunityfor someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, possesses strongcommunication skills, and is passionate about helping students achieve theireducational goals.

This position will be dedicatedto collaborating with other members of the financial aid team to streamlineprocesses, share knowledge, and contribute to continuous improvementinitiatives that serve our students well.

HSU JOB FAMILY CLASSIFICATION INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING :

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES : These examples do not include all possible tasks & do not limit theassignment of related tasks.

Interacts with students applying forfinancial aid, such as loans, grants-in-aid, or scholarships, to discuss eligibilityfor assistance in college or university by performing the following duties.

Conferswith individuals and groups to disseminate information and answer questionsrelating to financial assistance available to students enrolled in college oruniversity.

Meets with students to obtaininformation needed to discuss eligibility for aid.

Compares data on students' applications,such as proposed budget, family income, or transcript of grades, witheligibility requirements of assistance program.

Determines amount of aid, consideringsuch factors as funds available, extent of demand, and needs of students.

Authorizes release of funds to studentsand prepares required records and reports.

BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES :

Partner with other FinancialAid team members to serve HSU students.

Provide superiorcustomer service to students, parents, and other HSUstaff.

Possess superiorcommunication, both written and verbal.

Collaborate acrosscampus departments to ensure student success.

Area of specialty(loans, grants, scholarships, verification, etc.,) determined after hire.

Providefinancial aid counseling and serve as a main point of contact for studentvisits, emails, and calls regarding financial aid awards.

Applyknowledge of basic federal and state financial aid policies as well asinstitutional aid policies.

Striveto retain current students and recruit new students by offering and promotingeffective customer service.

Gatherthank-you notes from student recipients of endowed scholarships.

Coordinatewith various internal departments regarding endowed scholarship budgets.

Adhereto guidelines in the University Personnel and Safety Handbooks and departmentalpolicies.

Performsother duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES :

Thisjob has no supervisory responsibilities.

COMPETENCIES :

Thisis your opportunity to demonstrate how your education and / or experience in yourcurrent or previous job relates to each function of this position.

On a separate sheet of paper, write aparagraph for each competency listed below describing your background andqualifications in each area.

Interviewdecisions are partially based on this information.

To perform the job successfully, an individual shoulddemonstrate the following competencies :

Job Knowledge -Competent in required job skills and knowledge; exhibits ability to learn andapply new skills; keeps abreast of current developments; requires minimalsupervision; displays understanding of how job relates to others; usesresources effectively.

Customer Service -Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; responds promptly tocustomer needs; solicits customer feedback to improve service; responds torequests for service and assistance; meets commitments.

Quality Management - Looksfor ways to improve and promote quality; demonstrates accuracy andthoroughness.

Organizational Support -Follows policies and procedures; completes administrative tasks correctly andon time; supports organization's goals and values; benefits organizationthrough outside activities; supports affirmative action and respects diversity.

Adaptability - Adaptsto changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; changes approachor method to best fit the situation; able to deal with frequent change, delays,or unexpected events.

QUALIFICATIONS :

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and / or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES (Language, Mathematical, Reasoning and Computer Skills) :

LANGUAGE SKILLS : Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general businessperiodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmentalregulations. Ability to write reports,business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively presentinformation and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients,customers, and the general public.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS : Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts,interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, andvolume. Ability to apply concepts ofbasic algebra and geometry.

REASONING ABILITY : Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety ofconcrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral,diagram, or schedule form.

COMPUTER SKILLS : Toperform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of WordProcessing software; Spreadsheet software; Payroll systems; Project Managementsoftware; Order processing systems; Internet software; Human Resource systems;Database software and Contact Management systems.

Experiencewith Ellucian / Colleague preferred.

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE :

High School Diploma required.Bachelor's degree is preferred or one to two years related experience ortraining; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

2-3 years' workexperience beyond college is preferred; experience in higher education a plus.

Strong attention todetail is important as well as maintaining a high level of confidentiality.

Must have strong verbal and written communication skills,including excellent grammar, writing, proofreading, and editing abilities.

Must be a team-playerand self-starter with a positive attitude and be able to complete tasks withminimal supervision.

Must possess excellentmulti-tasking skills.

Must possessexceptional time management.

The above requirementswill be validated through the written competencies provided by the applicant inaddition to the interview process and reference checks regarding pastemployment experience, etc.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS :

None are required for this position at this time.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS :

This position issedentary in nature. Must be able to sit for long periods of time whileperforming office and computer operations.

The physical demandsdescribed here are representative of those that must be met by an employee tosuccessfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodationsmay be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essentialfunctions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularlyrequired to sit, use hands to finger, handle, feel and talk or hear. Theemployee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee isoccasionally required to stand, walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

The employee must occasionally lift and / or move up to 25 pounds.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include closevision.

WORK ENVIRONMENT :

The work environmentcharacteristics described here are representative of those an employeeencounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonableaccommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to performthe essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION :

This is a Non-Exempt, Full-Time Hourly StaffPosition.

A regular 40-hour workweek is required at minimum(plus occasional overtime).

Working beyond a normal 40-hour week is a definiteincluding occasional nights and weekends during peak season. Travel andirregular work hours are required.

All hours worked beyond 40 hours in a single workweek will be compensated at time and a half, per FLSA guidelines.

Must have and maintain a valid Class C Drivers License andmaintain a clear driving record to be insurable under the university liabilitypolicy.

Must be able to drive to complete work assignments on andoff campus, as needed.

Some travel and irregular work hours are required at times.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS : For moreinformation concerning benefits offered to HSU employees, see the HSU Benefits Summary on the HSU website.

NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT :

HSUcomplies with all applicable anti-discrimination laws including thoseprohibiting discrimination on the basis of age, sex, pregnancy, race, color,national origin, disability, genetic information and military service. HSU is aprivate university affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas andmay lawfully consider an applicant's religion as a selection criterion. HSU iscommitted to hiring faculty and staff who share an active Christian faith andfully support HSU's mission.

Inaccordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), HSU providesreasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities who areemployees or applicants for employment, except when the accommodation wouldimpose an undue hardship. Requests for reasonable accommodation should bedirected to Human Resources.

BACKGROUND SCREEN :

HSU does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, disability, genetic information, national or ethnic origin in employment opportunities, in keeping with applicable state and federal law. HSU is committed to maintaining a safe and secure campus environment and protecting the university's financial and physical assets. Therefore, Hardin-Simmons University conducts background checks. Depending on the position, applicants may also be required to consent to a credit check as part of the background check process. As a non-profit institution of higher education committed to Christian faith and values, the University exercises its rights under state and federal law to use religion as a factor in making employment decisions.