Financial Aid Coordinator

Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America's leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Updated: 11-29-2023

Occupational Summary

The Nicholas School of the Environment (NSOE)'s Student Services Office provides academic and administrative support, services, and leadership for on-campus Master of Environmental Management (MEM) and Master of Forestry (MF) programs, an International Master of Environmental Policy (iMEP) program, undergraduate and doctoral degree programs, a distance learning MEM program (DEL-MEM), and the Career & Professional Development Center. This department supports all day-to-day operations for approximately 350 master's students and provides program coordination for approximately 130 doctoral students and 200 undergraduate students.

This position will support FINANCIAL AID administration and back-end processing and packaging for MEM, MF, and DEL-MEM students, as well as adhoc FINANCIAL AID data requests, analysis, and prospective and current student FINANCIAL AID question triage. This position also works closely with the Admissions Office, the Business Office to support various FINANCIAL AID management and analysis, student and faculty data analysis, and survey administration.

The position reports to the Assistant Dean of Student Services who serves as the Financial Aid Manager and works closely with the Associate Dean of Student Services and multiple program managers.

This is a full time, exempt position, and is based at Duke University's Durham, NC campus. This position requires a Monday through Friday work schedule. Some remote work flexibility may be considered dependent upon candidate and business needs. During peak FINANCIAL AID administration periods, occasional evening and weekend hours may be required to support critical deadlines and school events.

Work Performed

Financial Aid Packaging, Analysis and Administration (50%)

Manage PeopleSoft system set up for aid year activation, checklist assignment, Financial Aid Notifications (FANs). Develop customized communication strategies for student FINANCIAL AID information, utilizing system functionality. Maintain all PeopleSoft 3C engine, CommGen, and FINANCIAL AID related processes. Monitor the audit queries designed to detect errors in or problems with the awarding process. Take corrective actions as appropriate. Establish and manage aid packaging plans.

Perform testing of systems when new patches are applied, or systems modified to ensure that system functions as intended for NSOE FINANCIAL AID purposes.

Manage the backend packing and coordination of FINANCIAL AID programs for professional students in the School, including monitoring ISIRs, FANs; analyze financial information submitted by applicants utilizing established federal and University standards and guidelines to determine financial needs and eligibility. Identify issues and work with appropriate staff to correct issues and generate accurate FAN and award letters.

Allocate federal work study funding to students per school and university protocols.

Support student assistantship process, including identifying and assignment of awards, monitoring process, and coordinating with HR and payroll, as directed by the Assistant Dean.

Coordinate annual FINANCIAL AID letter template review; implement and test updates. Generate and send FINANCIAL AID letters as appropriate.

Collect, review, and process incoming student award allocations in collaboration with scholarship committee. Create and update master FINANCIAL AID tracking spreadsheet weekly with key student data from PeopleSoft and admissions CRM during admissions cycle.

Coordinate need-based aid program process for professional students, including timelines and data collection tools. Update CSS profile/IDOC configuration within CollegeBoard system. Review and provide an analysis of data to faculty and staff leadership. Package need-based awards according to final decisions.

Package returning student merit and need-based aid awards. Process FANs.

Manage petition for additional aid process, including organizing scholarship committee meetings, summarizing requests, verifying institutional data, tracking scholarship committee decisions, communicating with students, implementing updated award letters, and summarizing end of process results.

Create, modify PeopleSoft queries to support student data and reporting needs.

Monitor and reconcile admitted student deposits in coordination with NSOE admissions and registrar.

Monitor dual degree transitions in student records as it relates to FINANCIAL AID and tuition changes.

Coordinate annually with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations and the Business Office to identify the allowable list of endowments to utilize for scholarships, as well as budgets for scholarship assignments, including returning student scholarships expenditures. Communicate with the scholarship committee regarding scholarship assignment parameters.

Support assistant dean with current and prospective student FINANCIAL AID questions, including triage of FINANCIAL AID email inbox. May include responding to applicant and student questions concerning FINANCIAL AID programs, policies and procedures and answer inquiries via email, and/or in person, as directed by the Assistant Dean. Work with students to troubleshoot FINANCIAL AID and account matters, as directed by the Assistant Dean.

Prepare reports and compile information concerning student FINANCIAL AID for utilization by university officials and Federal agencies (National Student Loan Data Systems (NSLDS), North Carolina Higher Education Data (NCHED), etc.).

Provide ad hoc data summaries and analysis related to, but not limited to, FINANCIAL AID expenditure summaries for both admitted and matriculated student populations.

Respond to ad-hoc queries from faculty, other offices within the school, and external data requests.

Maintain knowledge of FINANCIAL AID requirements and administration by actively seeking professional development and training through university networks, SISS and FINANCIAL AID office colleagues.

Student Enrollment Data (25%)

Coordinate with Admissions as it relates to admissions data, reporting and use of Slate CRM for data management and reporting (dashboard). Provide ad-hoc data reports to support various decision-making needs.

Work with Student Information Services and Systems (SISS) Office and Slate annually on developing/updating the required export and import templates.

Coordinate with NSOE Registrar and program coordinators as it relates to student enrollment numbers, status, dual degree, and active student auditing. Utilize PeopleSoft queries to monitor and manage student records in collaboration with the Registrar.

Create, modify PeopleSoft queries to support student data and reporting needs.

Provide student data (applicant, admitted, matriculated) per regular and ad-hoc data requests, including but not limited to diversity, biodemographic data, admissions and enrollment numbers, course registration, leadership reports and presentations, etc. Maintain year over year data. Present data in various forms, including pivot tables, charts, trends, etc. 

Support professional master's application processing, evaluation, reading, as needed.

Institutional Research and Analysis (15%)

Interpret, summarize, and prepare data reports and analyses for annual student employment and internship reports in collaboration with the career and professional development center.

Interpret, summarize, and prepare data reports and analyses for annual student surveys.

Conduct ad hoc analysis and reports as requested to inform leadership decisions.

Departmental Budget Reporting (5%)

Provide monthly departmental budget reports for Student Services to support budget monitoring.

Provide monthly financial reports for student internship, Stanback Fellowship, and conference and enrichment fund codes for professional student programs.

General Duties (5%)

Engage in Student Services meetings, retreats, team building activities.

Support general Student Services activities and events, as directed, including orientation, symposiums, admitted students programming, and graduation. Participate in Nicholas School community events, as appropriate.

Support the School's and University's sustainability and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and community building initiatives.

Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein. The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified.

Work requires analytical and communication skills as well as familiarity with the academic setting generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program.

Work requires three years experience in administering student FINANCIAL AID programs at a college, university or private school.

OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with higher education FINANCIAL AID implementation and management is a must.
• Experience in PeopleSoft and PS query skills to design and support queries is required.
• Must have excellent problem solving/judgment skills, and high level of attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong knowledge of best practices and emerging technologies within higher education; especially with regards to PeopleSoft, Perceptive Content & Slate.
• Advanced Excel skills for data projects is required. Must have strong analytical skills and demonstrated experience in managing datasets. Must be able to appropriately communicate data depending on project objectives.
• Experience with survey/evaluation tools, including Qualtrics, is a must.
• Demonstrated documentation skills are a must.
• The successful candidate is a process-oriented, critical thinker who will increase efficiency and effectiveness of relevant policies and procedures to benefit the populations served. Ability to exercise good judgment, discretion, and maintain confidentiality is a must.
• Strong team-oriented organizational and time management skills are essential. Must be able to work independently and communicate progress.
• Demonstrated customer service experience and interpersonal skills are required.
• NSOE is a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community that values open-mindedness, experience. 

Work requires analytical and communication skills as well as familiarity with the academic setting generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program.

Work requires three years experience in administering student OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE FINANCIAL AID programs at a college, university or private school.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.