Director, Financial Aid

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $120,000 - $137,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Assistant Dean, Financial Aid and Enrollment Systems, the Director, Financial Aid oversees the Office of Financial Aid and leads a professional, efficient, and service-oriented operation that provides a full range of financial aid services to Columbia Business School students in the MBA, EMBA, MS, and PhD programs. The office administers Title IV aid, institutional scholarships, private loans, and veteran benefits totaling over $95 million annually.

The Director stays current with federal, state, and institutional financial aid regulations and policies, as well as peer school trends and practices, and recommends changes in policy and practice to maintain an innovative financial aid program. They are committed to providing a holistic advising experience and to collaborating across campus and within the higher education community. This role will provide a unique opportunity for a highly talented, student focused professional to become part of a world class, Ivy League institution.

About Columbia Business School

For over a century, Columbia Business School (CBS) has helped develop leaders and builders of enterprises who drive value for their stakeholders and society at large through our MBA, MS, PhD, and Executive Education programs. We are equally committed to cultivating new scholars and teachers and to creating and disseminating pathbreaking knowledge, concepts, and tools that advance the understanding and practice of management through our faculty research and PhD programs. Our vision is simple: to develop ideas and leaders that transform the world, from the very center of business.

Our ever-evolving curriculum, featuring pioneering courses, STEM certification, and immersive experiential learning, prepares students to excel in key areas such as digital transformation, entrepreneurship, innovation, twenty-first-century finance, the intersection of business and society, and climate and sustainability. The CBS administration enables CBS’s educational and scholarly mission through strategic and operational guidance and support, optimizing School resources through well-designed, transparent processes with a culture of respect for all.

Responsibilities

Financial Aid Strategy and Policy

• Develop and direct financial aid strategies within the framework of federal and state regulations that are consistent with the enrollment management objectives of the School.

• Implement packaging policies and procedures for awarding aid, and adjust and recommend changes in policy and practice as needed to meet changing regulations and trends in financial aid.

• Manage the committees that make funding decisions across all degree seeking programs.

• Conduct the evaluation of aid eligibility based on the satisfactory academic progress policy in collaboration with the Office of Student Affairs and the Registrar.

Leadership and Office Operations

• Supervise and manage the daily operations and staff within the Office of Financial Aid to ensure timely delivery of financial aid awards and comprehensive counseling to newly admitted and continuing students as part of the division's holistic approach to student advising.

• Oversee the hiring and onboarding process for new staff, allocate work, and conduct all yearly performance evaluations.

• Manage a specialty function or area of knowledge within the office, developing expertise and serving as a resource to other financial aid staff. Train staff to counsel and support students within specialty areas, which may include, but are not limited to, veteran, international, dual degree, and employee populations.

• Manage the office budget and perform annual reviews of the office's policy and procedures manual, including updating the student handbook and bulletin for each program.

• Complete projects as requested by the Assistant Dean, Financial Aid and Enrollment Systems.

Compliance, Audit, and Reconciliation

• Collaborate with the Columbia financial aid compliance office to ensure compliance with federal regulations. Develop internal audit mechanisms and perform internal audits in preparation for periodic program review by independent auditors and representatives of federal and state agencies.

• Oversee the reconciliation of sponsored billing, tuition benefits, and external funding to ensure students are not over awarded.

• Reconcile institutional funding on a quarterly basis in collaboration with the finance and advancement teams, including matching endowed and current use gifts to students who meet donor intent.

• Work with University partners to perform semesterly bill testing and establish cost of attendance (COA) budgets across all programs.

Systems, Data, and Reporting

• Develop strategic initiatives in support of financial aid operations, partnering with the Enrollment Systems team, Data team, University Financial Aid, Student Financial Services, and CUIT to ensure financial aid data is stored and managed effectively.

• Oversee the maintenance of all financial aid related datasets across the CRM and manage the new award year setup on an annual basis.

• Provide reporting updates to senior leadership in collaboration with the Data team, as needed.

Student Programming and Communications

• Develop and coordinate programming for students across all programs on financial aid literacy and University billing, ensuring communication outreach and materials align with CBS branding guidelines.

• Maintain the Office of Financial Aid website and all related portals, ensuring the accuracy of all public facing content for students across the entire enrollment funnel.

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required. 5 to 7 years’ minimum experience in a financial aid office setting preferred.  

• Must have exceptionally strong communication skills to interact effectively with students, faculty, administrators, executives in the academic, corporate and foundation communities.  

• Expected to manage multiple projects with changing deadlines under time constraints while overseeing the work of others. 

• Must be able to work independently, maintain confidentiality, make decisions under pressure, exercise tact and diplomacy at all times.  

• Knowledge of federal regulations regarding eligibility for financial assistance required; strong competencies in financial aid systems. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree preferred.  

• Financial Aid team management strongly preferred, graduate business school environment preferred. 

• Proficiency with PowerFAIDS, including administration and report modules highly desirable.  Knowledge of CRMs i.e. Slate or Salesforce and SIS systems i.e. Banner preferred.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.