Clerk Iv - Student Financial Services For El Centro

Holyoke Community College is housed on a multi-million-dollar, 135-acre campus, equipped with state-of-the art technology in specialized learning facilities. HCC serves over 9,000 students annually, and provides a variety of recreational and cultural activities, from sports programs to music festivals, for students and community members alike. The college's strongest assets continue to be an innovative spirit, a sincere concern for students and a commitment to strive for even greater success. These are the values which have created a tradition of excellence spanning more than six decades, and which are enabling Holyoke Community College to meet today's challenges.

Under the general supervision of the Director of El Centro, the Student Financial ServicesClerk IV of El Centro is responsible for supporting development, implementation, and management of El Centro. HCC is looking to hire one (1) Student Financial ServicesClerk IV. The Clerk IVStudent Financial Services will support the overall future efforts for this new Latinx centered department. El Centro will provide a centralized bilingual and culturally responsive space that creates the opportunities and conditions to address inequity by providing equitable solutions, resources and services that intentionally support and align with the specific needs of Latinx students, family, faculty, and staff. The drop-in service center will have a culturally responsive bilingual team-based case management approach. Offering these bilingual services:

Academic & transfer advising

Career readiness & exploration

Financial aid advising

Community engagement opportunities

El Centro is an equity-driven initiative that provides HCC Latinx students integral services. El Centro’s vision is to provide a Hispanic Thriving learning community to meet the needs of Latinx students where they can receive culturally responsive guidance and support essential to achieve academic success, advancement, and a sense of belonging. This position is responsible for being the liaison in the day-to-day operations between El Centro and the Student Accounts and Financial Aid Offices. This is a cross-trained professional that supports students and families seeking assistance with Financial Aid and Student Accounts. This individual will work with students to get financial aid and financial support to continue through to completion of degree. This position will assist with FAFSA completion and helping students gain financial literacy skills and ultimately work toward increasing rates of early/on time FAFSA and financial aid application documents completion. Works as a team with the Academic, Community Outreach and Student Success Counselors to create a seamless one-stop shop for Latinx students.

Customer Service for Financial Services Information for El Centro:

1. Serves as a front-line resource for prospective, current, and former students, as well as their families, providing exceptional customer service to all parties. Works to support a culture of joy and belonging for all visiting students, community members, and staff by engaging with kindness and proactive inquiry.
2. Answers questions regarding Financial Aid and Financial Services over the phone and monitors voice mail/email and return messages.
3. Assists with all inquiries in regards to Financial Aid regarding academic progress, support with SAP appeals, scholarships, FAFSA preparation, completion, and submission, loan procedures and reviewing awards.
4. Assists with all inquiries in regards to Student Accounts; billing, understanding payment plans, health insurance waivers, bus pass applications, and account review.
5. Protects the confidentiality of student records and files within Student Financial Services.
6. Promotes self-service tools among students, including web-based resources; assists with training students on the functionality of these tools to increase self-sufficiency and increase student's financial literacy.

Special Projects and Related Responsibilities:

1. Works a flexible schedule including some nights and weekends as required to meet grant objectives.
2. Makes connections with community-based organizations, local school districts, and adult education programs.
3. Establishes and maintains confidential records and contribute to program record keeping system.
4. Meets with the El Centro Director regularly.
5. Attends the Financial Aid Office, Student Accounts Office, & Enrollment Service meetings and informs El Centro on updates as needed.
6. Collaborates with other relevant departments as necessary.
7. Performs other related duties as assigned.
8. Undertakes special projects and related responsibilities as requested.

*A comprehensive list of duties may be found at the Massachusetts Human Resources Division- Classification Specification under the “Clerk Series” series. https://www.mass.edu/forfacstaff/classificationspecs/home.asp
Are you excited and interested in this role but don't meet every requirement? We encourage you to apply anyway. A LinkedIn Gender Insights study shows that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every qualification.Holyoke Community College is dedicated to Equity, Diverse, Inclusive, and Belonging, so we genuinely courage you to apply even if your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description.

EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: We welcome and encourage applicants, who do not meet the qualifications as stated below, to put in writing precisely how their background and experience have prepared them for the responsibilities of this position. It is preferred that this document be uploaded separately from the resume, cover letter, and references. Applicants who do not meet the minimum qualifications and do not have an equivalency statement will not be considered for the position.
REQUIRED:

• Three years of full-time or equivalent part-time experience in office work or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience;
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) - reading, writing, and speaking capabilities;
• Ability to effectively use Microsoft Office Suite software, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to support financial aid office operations and presentations;
• Experience working on multiple high-priority projects;
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and the ability to work effectively with all faculty, staff, and students.

PREFERRED:

• Associates degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Human Services, Sociology, or closely related field;
• Ability to understand, explain and apply financial aid laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures;
• Experience working with Ellucian/Banner software;
• Community college work experience;
• Experience at the community college level.

Full-time, AFSCME unit position
Bi-Weekly salary: $1,803.41 Grade 13, plus a comprehensive State benefits package. Funding Source: Grant/StateHours: 37.5/week
- All candidates must have legal authorization to work in the United States. HCC is not sponsoring H1B Visa.
- Pre-Employment Background check, including Criminal History will be conducted for all positions.

Holyoke Community College is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, genetic information, gender identity or sexual orientation in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and college policies. The College prohibits sexual harassment, including sexual violence. Inquiries or complaints concerning discrimination, harassment, retaliation or sexual violence shall be referred to the College’s Affirmative Action and/or Title IX Coordinator, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission or the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.