Director of Financial Aid

California State University, Bakersfield, a comprehensive public university committed to offering excellent undergraduate and graduate programs is seeking an accomplished professional to serve as its Director of Financial Aid.

 About the University

 CSUB serves more than 10,000 students and counts approximately 47,000 alumni from its four schools: Arts and Humanities; Business and Public Administration; Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering; and Social Sciences and Education. CSUB’s extended university serves the community by offering additional professional development, certificate, and degree programs. The University was recently ranked as the “Best Bang for the Buck” in the western United States by Washington Monthly, Number 10 in the United States for best economic value of the degree programs by The Economist, and Number 3 in the United States for Upward Mobility in improving the socioeconomic status of its graduates.

CSUB is committed to academic excellence. The high quality undergraduate and graduate programs advance the intellectual and personal development of its students. The University is committed to scholarship and lifelong learning and currently offers more than 50 different Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs.

The entire local community benefits from the energy, expertise, and enthusiasm of CSUB students, faculty, and staff. The University continues to help shape the future of Kern County through student internships, research, campus institutions, and community events. Each year CSUB contributes more than 2000 new alumni to the community’s educated and skilled workforce.

 About the Position

The Director of Financial Aid is responsible for the timely and accurate awarding and disbursing of financial aid (grants, athletic grants-in-aid, federal student loans, scholarships, fellowships, work-study, and tuition fee waivers). The director provides leadership and direction for the financial aid department staff with regard to the policies, procedures, and operations involved with the awarding and delivery of the federal, state, and institutional financial aid and scholarship programs. The director is responsible for policy development, legislative and regulatory analysis and compliance; funds and program management; and community support. The director presents financial aid information at outreach events, insures the completion of fiscal reports, and is responsible for all federal, state, and university reports as required for financial aid audit compliance.

With an experienced staff of 14 financial aid professionals, the office administers more than $86 million dollars of aid through a variety of programs.  Between 83% and 85% of CSUB students receive some form of financial aid. Most would not be able to attend the university without the aid and a very high percentage (75%) are first generation college students. The director has the opportunity for direct contact with students and can make a significant difference in their lives. 

The Director:

  • Facilitates a high-quality, effective, and comprehensive financial aid program responsive to the needs of the students and the campus;
  • Possesses an in-depth knowledge and experience working with federal, state, California State University Chancellor’s Office, and institutional aid programs;
  • Leads strategic planning, departmental budget, and resource management;
  • Supports and moves new initiatives forward;
  • Provides financial aid counseling and information at local area college nights at high schools, community colleges, and other organizations;
  • Ensures accurate processing of student aid applications, e.g. FAFSA, CA Dream Act, and proper administration of programmatic responsibilities;
  • Manages the application, selection, and awarding of scholarships;
  • Maintains compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations;
  • Collaborates with information technology, student financial services, and admissions to ensure technological integration.  Implements and maintains upgrades to financial aid modules within the PeopleSoft system;
  • Oversees the work of the staff, including staff recruitment, development, and performance evaluations according to contractual guidelines;
  • Works effectively with colleagues and students across campus units in a team environment; leads and participates in collaborative problem-solving; builds trusting relationships by acting with integrity, empathy, and courtesy, even in stressful or demanding situations.

The Successful Candidate

The successful candidate must possess:

  • A Master’s degree is preferred/ a Bachelor’s degree is required with relevant experience.
  • Five years required/ ten years preferred of progressively responsible professional experience in a college or university financial aid or related office;
  • At least three years required/ five years preferred of successful leadership and management of student financial aid services at the director or assistant/associate director level.
  • Thorough working knowledge of federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs, policies, procedures, and reconciliation practices;
  • The ability to supervise, train, and motivate staff;
  • The ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, productive work atmosphere across the university with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse population and with those from various cultural backgrounds;
  • Ability to interpret, communicate and apply policies and procedures;
  • Demonstrated ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality and
  • Excellent technology skills and knowledge of a variety of computer applications including word processing, spreadsheets, data bases, and student information systems.

 How to Apply

 Interested candidates should send a cover letter describing their interest in and qualifications for the position and a resume electronically to CSUBDFA@wspelman.com. The subject line in the email should be CSUBDFA. Confidential inquiries may be made by contacting Mike Geffen by email to mike@wspelman.com or by telephone at 951-201-8800.

For full consideration, all application material should be submitted by June 30, 2017.

California State University, Bakersfield is committed to equal employment opportunity.  Applicants will be considered without regard to gender, race, age, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, marital status, disability or covered veteran status.