Posting Number: 20244060S

Position Title: Associate Director of Technology for Financial Assistance

Position Type: Staff

Location: Villanova, PA

Recruitment Type: Internal/External Applicants

Work Schedule: full-time/12-months

Department: 291-Dean - Enrollment Management

Position Summary:
The Associate Director of Financial Aid Technology Solutions (AD) serves as the lead project manager for financial aid technology and business analysis initiatives related to the Office of Financial Assistance (OFA). This position provides support within the OFA related to management of technical projects, Banner processes and upgrades, and population selections. The position works closely with the Director of Technology for Financial Assistance, Director of Financial Assistance, and the Director of Law Financial Aid. In addition, the position provides system administrative support to OFA staff as needed.

The AD leads project teams comprised of both technical and functional counterparts within the office and is responsible for communication within the office as well as across the division and outside interested offices as needed. The position assists in the development of scope documents, business requirements and follow through to ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget. The AD is expected to understand and stay current with Department of Education requirements for the processing of student aid as well as trends in financial aid.

The AD evaluates and participates in financial aid systems selection and enhancements that are determined to be beneficial to students, prospective students and staff. This position demands a detailed level of understanding of the mission of Enrollment Management and the capabilities of the software required to support OFA. This role is key in designing software testing plans for OFA and assisting the Director of Technology for FA in providing training as needed.

This position serves as the OFA representative on the Enrollment Systems and Analytics team. On-Campus preferred; hybrid/remote work may be considered for this position.

Villanova is a Catholic university sponsored by the Augustinian Order. Diversity and inclusion have been and will continue to be an integral component of Villanova University’s mission. The University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and seeks candidates who understand, respect and can contribute to the University’s mission and values.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Act as lead project manager for all financial aid projects. Assemble teams consisting of OFA staff and other campus staff, as necessary. Ensure projects are moving forward and meeting deadlines.

With a working knowledge of Ellucian’s Banner product, as well as office and regulatory needs, evaluate releases, patches and fixes from Ellucian to determine if the changes are necessary. Test updates in coordination with the Director of Technology for FA and UNIT, as well as non-technical staff as necessary. Create working groups as needed, document and train staff on changes to processes.

Collaborate with the Director of FA as well as the Director of Law FA on current policies and procedures and work toward improving efficiencies. Review current procedures and offer strategies for improvements. Identify redundancies between offices and propose suggestions to rectify.

Collaborate with OFA and UNIT to develop needs analyses and selection of new third party strategic partners in support of programs and initiatives. Develop strategies to evaluate, test and implement new software that works in conjunction with Banner to increase functionality and support EM and University strategic plans.

Support the needs of OFA especially in the areas of testing new systems and training new staff on new and existing systems.

Assist OFA Technical Assistant in providing first tier support for FA staff members with troubleshooting systems and operations that are not performing as expected.

Provide reports on a regular and ad hoc basis for OFA as needed to carry out OFA functions.

Represent Financial Assistance on the Banner Coordination Committee and the Information Management Group team meetings. As part of these committees, act as OFA liaison for campus wide testing initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications:
Formal Education:

Baccalaureate degree required

Work Experience:

Minimum three years’ project management experience with preference to technical experience

Work Skills (e.g., written and verbal communication skills)

Ability to effectively communicate with a variety of constituents including the ability to train functional users on new and existing technologies as applicable to their positions

Ability to develop full use of existing software systems including Banner, Softdocs reporting tools and web applications

Ability to act as a team leader and partner with variety of constituents

Ability to problem solve systems problems as related to applications

Ability to successfully manage multiple tasks with competing deadlines Excellent analytical and planning skills

Specific Job Knowledge:

Knowledge/familiarity with ERP operation

Familiarity with the purpose and function of financial aid offices

Knowledge of database query language (SQL)

Proficiency in Microsoft applications

Proficiency in population selection and reporting software such as Argos, Excel, and/or Tableau or other reporting tools.

Equipment Knowledge:

Familiarity with basic office hardware (PC’s, printers, peripherals, hardware and software) required for Financial Assistance technical work

Preferred Qualifications:
Formal Education:

Baccalaureate degree in Information Systems or related field

Work Experience:

2-3 years’ experience in higher education, financial aid or student enrollment

Specific Job Knowledge:

Knowledge of Banner Financial Aid and Student systems

Physical Requirements and/or Unusual Work Hours:
Normal office environment, may need to work extra hours at peak business times.

Special Message to Applicants:
Posting Date: 07/03/2024

Closing Date (11:59pm ET):

Salary Posting Information: Commensurate with experience.

Salary Band: 15

Job Classification: exempt

References Needed
Minimum Number of References Needed: 3

Maximum Number of References Needed: 3

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