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Career Opportunities at Ohio Northern University

Job Summary:

As a key leader on the enrollment leadership team, the Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Enrollment Management and Director of Financial Aid supports the strategic vision and execution of the university's financial aid leveraging, administration, compliance, and yield-retention strategies. Serving as a vital operational partner to the Vice President for Enrollment Management (VPEM), the AVP plays a critical role in reaching the university's annual new student enrollment goals, maximizing net tuition revenue, and hitting retention targets through data-driven financial aid optimization. The AVP focuses on leading and monitoring the financial aid processes, awarding, disbursing, and reporting required regarding all student aid for the university.
This leadership role contributes heavily to Deposit to Start initiatives, collaborates on cross-campus campaigns to reduce summer melt below the national average, and manages the operational execution of institutional financial aid leveraging. The AVP holds full operational command over Federal, State, and Institutional aid structures, the FISAP, and the data exchange between the CRM and SIS. Dynamically leading by example with an optimistic and high-performing presence, the AVP ensures the financial aid office seamlessly aligns its predictive analytics, Slate CRM workflows, and bottom-line cost counseling to achieve the university's overarching enrollment goals.

Job Description:

Strategic Enrollment Planning & Pipeline Development

• VPEM Support: Collaborate with the Vice President for Enrollment Management to support and execute the university's Strategic Enrollment Plan (SEP).
• Vendor Implementation: Work with external enrollment marketing vendors to execute and align financial aid leveraging strategies with the prospective student application pipeline.
• Data Integration: Ensure financial aid leveraging strategies maximize yield from the top of the funnel to census day in alignment with marketing vendor initiatives.

Institutional Accountability & Enrollment Goals

• Goal Contribution: Hold departmental accountability for successfully reaching the financial aid targets necessary to achieve the university's annual new student enrollment goals and net tuition revenue targets.
• Retention Alignment: Support strategic financial aid initiatives that directly assist institutional retention targets annually, ensuring that packaging, optimization, and cost-counseling efforts actively mitigate student attrition.
• Data-Driven Evaluation: Continuously evaluate financial aid trends and funnel data to adjust leveraging strategies proactively under the direction of the VPEM.

Principal Responsibilities

Financial Aid Leadership, Culture & Operations

• Division Representation: Represent the financial aid sector across the University and assist with division initiatives under the direction of the Vice President for Enrollment Management.
• Positive Leadership: Model a culture of optimism, resilience, and high performance; lead by example to inspire dedication, collaboration, and professional excellence within the financial aid department.
• Plan Execution: Execute and maintain tactical elements of the strategic enrollment plan in alignment with institutional goals.
• Cross-Campus Collaboration: Cultivate and maintain functional partnerships with key campus constituents-including academic Deans, the Registrar, Student Accounts, Student Success, and other critical departments-to streamline the student enrollment experience, resolve complex registration and billing barriers, and optimize retention.

Financial Aid Team Management & Professional Development

• Leadership Team Collaboration: Collaborate with the Director of Admissions, Senior Director of Enrollment Communications, and AVP of Enrollment Operations/Slate Expert to ensure a cohesive, forward-thinking enrollment management framework.
• Financial Aid Staff Supervision: Direct, mentor, train, and formally evaluate full-time financial aid staff members, ensuring clear pathways for growth, accountability, and professional development.

Yield, Retention & "Deposit to Start" Strategy

• Summer Melt Execution: Serve as a key operational member of the Deposit to Start team to implement comprehensive strategies designed to reduce and mitigate summer melt.
• Melt Rate Benchmark: Partner across key campus departments to keep student deposits "sticky," focusing on top student success indicators to achieve an institutional melt rate below the national average of 10-12%.
• Targeted Communication: Coordinate with the Senior Director of Enrollment Communications to maximize the impact of prospective student parent/family communications and optimize the use of the family portal.

Financial Aid Administration & Fund Management

• Leveraging & Budget Oversight: Manage data-driven efforts in financial aid leveraging and oversee the comprehensive financial aid budget of approximately $44 million. Monitor offered and accepted packages to ensure strict alignment with budget boundaries. Work closely with aid leveraging consultants as directed.
• FISAP Management: Take full operational accountability for the accurate compilation, analysis, and timely submission of the annual Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP) to ensure continuous campus-based federal funding.
• Diversified Aid Allocation: Oversee the strategic distribution, compliance, and auditing of all Federal aid (Pell, Direct Loans, SEOG, FWS), State aid programs, and Institutional aid structures to maximize equity and enrollment yield.
• Appeals Management: Manage and oversee the comprehensive financial aid appeal process with equity, empathy, and strategic fiscal responsibility.
• Cost Counseling: Implement, and scale bottom-line cost counseling sessions to provide transparent, actionable financial paths for students and families.

Regulatory Compliance & Professional Development

• Compliance Maintenance: Annually assess the financial aid regimen and guarantee total compliance with all federal regulations for Title IV financial aid.
• Proactive Monitoring: Actively track and analyze shifting federal regulations by routinely reviewing Federal Student Aid (FSA) Handbooks, Department of Education electronic announcements, and Federal Register notices.
• Professional Engagement: Maintain active institutional engagement with prominent professional bodies such as NASFAA (National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators) and regional associations to implement industry best practices and proactively navigate shifting compliance landscapes.

Training & Recruitment Support

• Departmental Training: Conduct quarterly training sessions for the financial aid and admissions teams covering evolving financial aid regulations, new operational processes, general updates, and progress-to-goal metrics for the financial aid leveraging strategy.
• Admissions Empowerment: Partner with and support admissions counselors, training them to make meaningful connections after financial aid offers are sent and equipping them to properly handle financial aid objections.
• Recruitment & Events: Present on financial aid strategies at admission visit days, assist with recruitment travel, and represent the university at special events.

Required Skills & Technology Expertise

• Advanced Field Knowledge: Deep mastery of professional financial aid theories, leveraging models, regulations, and enrollment management practices.
• Communication & Influence: Exceptional organization, professionalism, and communication skills. Ability to manage delicate relationships, obtain cooperation from diverse stakeholders, and resolve highly intricate challenges.
• CRM Expertise (Slate): Possess a deep understanding of Slate (Technolutions) to maximize recruitment tracking, communication workflows, financial aid integration, and predictive data analytics within the financial aid division.
• Enterprise System Migration (Banner to Workday): Manage the financial aid division's transition from Ellucian Banner to Workday. Hold operational accountability for ensuring a seamless transition, maintaining full understanding and command of these technology tools to successfully execute, package, and issue financial aid to university students without disruption.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution.
• Experience: Seven to ten years of progressive, similar work experience in financial aid and/or enrollment management leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Master's Degree.
• Experience: Previous foundational experience as a Director of Financial Aid or Associate Director of Financial Aid.

Your next professional chapter begins here!

ONU is an equal employment opportunity employer. Accordingly, no person shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, transgender status, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law. This policy applies to all areas of employment including recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, transfer, compensation, benefits, discipline, separation and other terms, condition and privileges of employment.