Compensation: $44,319.64 - $53,737.57

Position Summary:

Financial Assistance Services provides the means for students to pursue their post-secondary educational endeavors. By providing students with the financial assistance needed to help cover the costs of obtaining a higher education, we are helping to make dreams come true each and every day.

St. Petersburg College (SPC) takes pride in helping students finish what they start, therefore assisting students with the financial aid process is critical in getting the student started in the best possible position to succeed. SPC is seeking a dynamic and energetic Financial Assistance Services Officer for our fast-paced financial assistance services department. To be a strong candidate for consideration, we are looking for someone who:

• Has 2 years of well-rounded financial aid experience;
• Has a minimum of 1 year of counseling/advising experience;
• is a self-starter, passionate about seeing students succeed;
• is willing to work in a team environment to solve problems;
• Reliable transportation and Flexible enough to be used at different campuses;
• possesses excellent customer service skills;
• has a positive outlook and attitude;
• Able to de-escalate tense situations in person and on the phone;
• Innovative and creative enough to help remove barriers and help students succeed.

The Financial Assistance Services Officer typically assists students in person on campus; however, assistance is also provided via phone, email, and virtually via Microsoft Teams and Zoom with a full spectrum of financial aid related inquiries. The Financial Assistance Services Officer will provide more detailed advising for students and parents. A thorough understanding of the FAFSA, verification, and SAP are just a few items that the Financial Assistance Services Officer will need to be familiar with. Additionally, we are seeking a candidate who has strong critical thinking skills and who can learn new systems and processes fairly easy.

This position will be called upon to assist at multiple campuses from time to time. As well as assist with outreach initiatives in the surrounding communities, and default prevention initiatives as well.

Typical duties include but are not limited to the following:

• collect, review and verify financial aid & academic records submitted by students;
• verify eligibility for Federal and State financial aid programs;
• process appeals for re-calculation of needs analysis based on changes in student's circumstances (special & unusual circumstances);
• monitor and evaluate students' standard of academic progress,
• review and render decisions for SAP appeals, and
• perform federal verification of the ISIR in accordance with Title IV guidelines.

Prior financial aid experience is a must.

Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, and customer service experience is also required.

This is the first of six levels in the Student Support Professional series. The classification is responsible for providing complete organizational information and services to students and prospective students in single areas or across a number of disciplines that may include admissions, financial aid, academic advising, career services, international students, and disability services. This level is differentiated from the previous level by the focus on providing professional-level career counseling and/or academic advisement and providing direct student assistance in career development activities; incumbents are responsible for coordinating internal and external partnerships to enhance services; making referrals for resources to assist in the students' career and educational success; and serving as a liaison between high schools, students, employers, and departments within the college.

Requirements:

Education:

Bachelor's degree.

Experience:

Three (3) years related experience. Some positions may require higher level of education.

* An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job may be acceptable in lieu of those requirements listed above.

Knowledge:

• Applicable student support programs, academic advising, and/or related programs;
• Program development and program management principles and practices;
• Customer service principles;
• Career planning principles and practices;
• Community networking principles and practices;
• Applicable Federal, State, and local laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures;
• Diverse populations and cultures;
• Recordkeeping principles;
• Computers and related software applications.

Skills:

• Coordinating student support programs or services;
• Planning and developing programs;
• Advising students on academic, finance or career issues;
• Providing customer service;
• Promoting services;
• Researching service delivery methods;
• Creating resumes and cover letters;
• Maintaining records;
• Using a computer and related software applications;
• Communication, interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with subordinates, coworkers, supervisor, the general public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to give and receive work direction.

Physical:

• Positions in this class typically require: reaching, standing, walking, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, seeing and repetitive motions.
• Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Responsibilities: