Director of Financial Aid

Director of Financial Aid

Financial Aid

Full-time, Administrative and Professional Faculty, Exempt Position #FA139

Longwood University, a historic public liberal arts institution, invites candidates to apply for the position of the Director of Financial Aid. The Director of Financial Aid is responsible for leading a comprehensive multi-million dollar financial aid program and team to meet Longwood’s enrollment goals.

A comprehensive university with a strong liberal arts foundation, Longwood has a distinctive mission to develop citizen leaders who are prepared to make positive contributions to the common good. Longwood recently celebrated its 175th anniversary and is the third-oldest public university in Virginia, behind William & Mary and the University of Virginia, and hosted the U.S Vice Presidential Debate in 2016.

Longwood is part of the proud tradition of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Roughly one- hour’s drive from Lynchburg, Charlottesville and Richmond, Longwood is located in the historic two-college community of Farmville, at a historic crossroads near where the Civil War drew to a close and powerful strides in the civil rights movement began. Today Longwood has more than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students and more than 34,000 alumni. It maintains affiliations with the neighboring Robert Russa Moton Museum of civil rights history and the Longwood Center for Visual Arts, one of just a few dozen nationally accredited university art museums. A member of the Big South Conference, Longwood competes at the NCAA Division I level. Longwood’s 26th president, W. Taylor Reveley IV, took office in June 2013.

The Director of Financial Aid is responsible for successfully leading and managing a comprehensive multi-million dollar financial aid program, while serving on the enrollment management team to develop and implement a competitive and strategic awarding philosophy to meet Longwood’s enrollment and retention goals and comply with Title IV federal and state financial aid regulations. The incumbent will provide supervision, mentoring and training to ensure Office of Financial Aid staff can achieve the organization’s goals through a student-centered and service-oriented approach; and generate a spirit of teamwork and collaboration to support and promote enrollment and student success. He or she must be a highly efficient, effective, results-oriented, driven individual with strong leadership skills, business acumen, and the ability to develop, manage and inspire a talented and diverse professional staff. Preference will be given to candidates who have a successful record of implementing new and innovative approaches to improve aid allocations to meet student enrollment goals. This position reports to the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Success and supervises the Office of Financial Aid, which currently has a staff of nine employees.

For more information about Longwood and the position, please visit:

http://go.longwood.edu/fa139

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide leadership in planning, developing and executing a strategic financial aid awarding philosophy to meet new and returning student enrollment goals
• Oversee the administration and awarding of financial assistance funds from federal, state, and institutional sources to ensure consistency, efficiency, and appropriate use of funds to achieve institution goals
• Monitor trends and interpret federal and state regulations, as well as proactively develop institutional policies and procedures that are compliant with regulations for the administration of financial assistance programs in conjunction with other departments as required
• Work closely with Enrollment Management, Admissions, Registrar, Student Accounts, and the Longwood Foundation to create and implement a high-touch, seamless and holistic student experience (counseling, financial literacy, etc.) to support the enrollment process
• Hire, supervise, mentor and train Financial Aid staff; develop and implement office policies and procedures in response to organizational needs and to improve business processes

• Manage budget to strategically achieve established goals in compliance with state and federal regulations
• Supervise completion and submission of external and internal reports (including, but not limited to IPEDS, SCHEV, FISAP, National Student Loan Data System, NAIA, private funding, aid program participation rates and trends, Satisfactory Academic Performance comparisons, impact of aid on enrollment, etc.)

• Utilize technology and data to effectively achieve student enrollment objectives
• Serve on various campus committees and in professional financial aid organizations
• Represent Longwood University at both on-campus and off-campus events

• Perform other duties as assigned that support the purpose and initiatives of the Financial Aid Office and Enrollment Management unit of the University

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s Degree in an appropriate field, or Bachelor’s Degree with equivalent combination of training and work experience
• Experience developing and implementing a strategic financial aid program that aligns with articulated enrollment goals through innovative and forward-thinking avenues
• Demonstrated ability to energize, inspire, develop and leverage a team to implement a strategic financial aid program and proactively respond and adjust to a rapidly changing environment
• Deep understanding of Title IV federal financial aid regulations and ability to appropriately interpret and communicate regulations and policies
• Demonstrated ability to develop relationships with key stakeholders on- and off- campus
• Excellent oral and written communication, ability to address multiple audiences, organizational and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to create a unique, high-touch, seamless and holistic customer service experience that consistently exceeds expectations
• Supervisory experience; ability to attract and retain talent
• Collaborative, energetic, and resourceful work style; enjoys strategic thinking as well as rolling up one’s sleeves
• Working knowledge of technologies (student information systems, CRM, social media, workflow, etc.) and use of data analytics in strategic planning, organizing, and execution efforts to award aid to meet Longwood’s enrollment goals

Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. Commonwealth of Virginia benefits accompany this position. A successful fingerprint-based background investigation is required. The selected candidate must complete a Statement of Personal Economic Interests. Position will be posted a minimum of five business days. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni are encouraged to apply. To apply, please submit a letter of application, current resume/curriculum vitae, contact information for three professional references, “Release of Information” form (http://solomon.longwood.edu/media/human-resources/solomon/RELEASE_form04.05.doc), and “EEO Data Collection Form” (http://solomon.longwood.edu/media/human-resources/solomon/EEOFormrevJuly2012.pdf). The EEO form is voluntary. Please indicate Position #FA139 and submit documents to:

Human Resources

Longwood University

201 High Street

Farmville, VA 23909

Phone: 434-395-2074

Fax: 434-395-2666

Email: humres@longwood.edu 

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Longwood University will provide, if requested, reasonable accommodations to applicants in need of accommodations in order to provide access to the application and/or interview process. You are not required to note the presence of a disability on your application. If, however, you require accommodations in the application and/or interview process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at 434-395-2074 or humres@longwood.edu.

The Annual Fire and Security Report(s) include campus security information, campus fire statistics, safety procedures, and provides statistics for criminal and disciplinary offenses. The report(s) are provided annually in compliance with the Clery Act and the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA). Longwood University’s Annual Safety and Security report and the Annual Fire Safety report is available at: http://www.longwood.edu/media/police/solomon/2017-Annual-Security-and-Fire-Report.pdf. A hard copy of the Annual Security and Fire Safety reports and/or a copy of the Fire Log are maintained at the Longwood Police Office and will be provided upon request.

A diversified workforce is an important part of our strategic plan. EOE/AA (01-26-2018)