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POSITION:  Financial Aid Counselor (Non-Exempt)

HSU JOB FAMILY CLASSIFICATION: Financial & Accounting Professional I

DEPARTMENT:  Student Financial Services/Financial Aid

SUPERVISOR TITLE:  Associate Vice President for Student Financial Services

FLSA STATUS:  Non-Exempt

EXEMPTION:  N/A

LOCATION: HSU Campus, Abilene, Texas

TARGET HIRE DATE:  As Soon As Possible

HSU CHRISTIAN STANDARD REQUIREMENT FOR EMPLOYMENT – Candidate must profess a Christian Faith, maintain membership in a local congregation, and respect the values and distinctives central to the historically Baptist values of HSU as reflected in the University’s Statement of Faith.

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

SUMMARY/SCOPE:

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

This position is responsible for efficiently managing student inquiries and providing exceptional support via calls, office visits, and emails.

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

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, possesses strong communication skills, and is passionate about helping students achieve their educational goals. 

This position will be dedicated to collaborating with other members of the financial aid team to streamline processes, share knowledge, and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives 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 the assignment of related tasks.

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

Confers with individuals and groups to disseminate information and answer questions relating to financial assistance available to students enrolled in college or university.

Meets with students to obtain information needed to discuss eligibility for aid.

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

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

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

BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Partner with other Financial Aid team members to serve HSU students.

Provide superior customer service to students, parents, and other HSU staff.

Possess superior communication, both written and verbal.

Collaborate across campus departments to ensure student success.

Area of specialty (loans, grants, scholarships, verification, etc.,) determined after hire.
Provide financial aid counseling and serve as a main point of contact for student visits, emails, and calls regarding financial aid awards.  

Apply knowledge of basic federal and state financial aid policies as well as institutional aid policies.

Strive to retain current students and recruit new students by offering and promoting effective customer service.

Gather thank-you notes from student recipients of endowed scholarships.

Coordinate with various internal departments regarding endowed scholarship budgets.

Adhere to guidelines in the University Personnel and Safety Handbooks and departmental policies.

Performs other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

COMPETENCIES: 

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

On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph for each competency listed below describing your background and qualifications in each area.

Interview decisions are partially based on this information.

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

Job Knowledge - Competent in required job skills and knowledge; exhibits ability to learn and apply new skills; keeps abreast of current developments; requires minimal supervision; displays understanding of how job relates to others; uses resources effectively.

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

Quality Management - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness.

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

Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; changes approach or 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 business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.  Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information 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, and volume.  Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.

REASONING ABILITY: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete 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: To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Word Processing software; Spreadsheet software; Payroll systems; Project Management software; Order processing systems; Internet software; Human Resource systems; Database software and Contact Management systems.

Experience with Ellucian/Colleague preferred.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:

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

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

Strong attention to detail 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-player and self-starter with a positive attitude and be able to complete tasks with minimal supervision.

Must possess excellent multi-tasking skills.

Must possess exceptional time management. 

The above requirements will be validated through the written competencies provided by the applicant in addition to the interview process and reference checks regarding past employment experience, etc. 

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

None are required for this position at this time.

 PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

This position is sedentary in nature. Must be able to sit for long periods of time while performing office and computer operations.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally 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 close vision.

 WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

This is a Non-Exempt, Full-Time Hourly Staff Position.  

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

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

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

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

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

Some travel and irregular work hours are required at times.

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

NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT:

HSU complies with all applicable anti-discrimination laws including those prohibiting discrimination on the basis of age, sex, pregnancy, race, color, national origin, disability, genetic information and military service. HSU is a private university affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and may lawfully consider an applicant’s religion as a selection criterion. HSU is committed to hiring faculty and staff who share an active Christian faith and fully support HSU’s mission. 

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), HSU provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment, except when the accommodation would impose an undue hardship. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be directed 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.