Position Title:
Director of Financial Aid

Institution:
Columbia Gorge Community College

Position Contact Name:
Karly Aparicio

Position Contact Email:
[email protected]

Position Contact Phone:
541-506-6232

Job Post Website Address:
https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/2935963

Salary Range:
$63,980 - $76,397

Deadline or Close Date:
04/30/2025

Job Location - City, State:
The Dalles, Oregon

Position Description:
We offer an opportunity for…

A collaborative, equity-minded leader to serve as CGCC’s Director of Financial Aid. The Director of Financial Aid is responsible for creating, assessing, and continuously improving the policies, processes, and practices necessary to: facilitate equitable student learning and success, deliver excellent service, and accomplish the work of the Student Services division. The Student Services division includes Enrollment Services, Advising, Outreach, Housing, Student Life and Athletics.

This role reports directly to the Vice President of Student Services and serves as the liaison to the Business Office, CGCC Foundation on grants with direct financial support to students. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders and be driven by a genuine desire to advance the College’s Mission and Priorities. Accordingly, the Director of Financial Aid will provide excellent service with a focus on closing equity gaps in educational access and attainment. They will work to promote inclusive prosperity throughout the Columbia Gorge region.

What you will do…

The Director of Financial Aid plays a central strategic role in dismantling systems and barriers for our students to achieve equitable student access and success. This role is an excellent opportunity for an experienced problem solver who promotes equity-minded systems reorganization and ensures compliance with state and federal requirements.

Financial Aid Operations:

• Provides leadership and direction in administering federal and state financial aid programs.
• Serves as primary liaison to the US Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) and manages federal financial aid reporting (e.g., FISAP, E-App updates, IPEDS)
• Hires, supervises, and promotes training and professional development of financial aid staff.
• Manages, maintains, updates, and troubleshoots financial aid systems processes, including data exchanges with the U.S. Department of Education (e.g., COD, NSLDS) and OSAC, as well as the Federal Pell Grant and Federal Direct Loans.
• Reviews FAFSA and ORSAA data to determine applicants’ eligibility for financial aid; sends requests for additional information as needed
• Manages the Federal Work-Study program, including posting job announcements and acting as liaison to on-campus and off-campus employers.
• Manages financial aid and scholarship awarding and revision processes.

• Ensuring that the College maintains compliance with all applicable federal law, state law, and any other applicable rules and regulations related to the administration of Financial Aid funds.
• Responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring all operational functions within financial aid and for the strategic use of institutional aid in achieving enrollment objectives in accordance with the College's strategic plan and overall mission.
• Maintains net price calculator.
• Performs return of federal funds (R2T4) calculations.
• Performs monthly external reconciliation of Federal Pell Grants, Campus-Based funds, and Federal Direct Loans.
• Assists with yearly closeout of federal and state financial aid programs.
• Reports on Oregon Opportunity Grant and Oregon Promise Grant expenditures (OSAC).

• Supports the creation of and updates to annual financial aid publications (e.g., college catalog, marketing materials).
• Serves as a leader or advises campus-wide committees (e.g., Leadership Council, Equity Action Committee, Foundation, etc.)
• Use culturally responsive practices to benefit students, employees, and communities with historically marginalized identities.
• Dismantle systems and barriers in order to achieve equitable student success.

• Ability to analyze, interpret, and implement technical procedures or governmental regulations.
• Extensive knowledge of the administration of federal financial aid programs, processes, and regulations.
• Team builder with excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work well with students, parents, faculty, college staff, and regulatory entities.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
• Experience promoting equity-minded and diversely represented communications and materials; experience responding to and understanding the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students and employees as these factors relate to the need for equity-minded practices.
• Five years of experience working directly related to financial aid, with two years of related management experience.
• A master’s degree is preferred for highly qualified candidates.
• Bilingual (Spanish) preferred.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field from an accredited four-year College or university.
• Five or more years of direct financial aid experience, including management
• Must successfully pass verification through the Federal System for Award Management (SAM).
• Commitment to a student-centered learning environment and student success.
• Experience managing a third-party processor, such as Global Financial.