POSITION: Financial Aid Counselor (Non-Exempt)
HSU JOB FAMILY CLASSIFICATION: Financial & Accounting Professional I
DEPARTMENT: Financial Aid
SUPERVISOR TITLE: Director of Financial Aid
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 preferred or one to two years related experience or training;
or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Must have at least 2-3
years’ work experience beyond college; 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.
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.