Director, Financial Aid
Full-Time 12-month Position (1.0 FTE)
40 hours per week plus benefits
Salary Range: Management Salary Schedule, Track 4
Currently: $103,851.65 - $135, 194.83
About Gavilan:
Located in the heart of California between San Jose and Monterey, Gavilan College's main campus in Gilroy serves a diverse student population in a beautiful, park-like setting. In addition, we have campus centers located in Hollister, San Martin, and South San Jose, which offer students a variety of courses and programs. Our community recently voted to pass Measure X, a bond to renovate the main campus and build a full-service campus in Hollister. Gavilan is proud to meet the needs of our growing community, offering high-quality education in more than 70 transfer-related fields and over 30 industry-relevant career pathways; in 2020-21, we awarded more than 600 Associate Degrees and 797 career education certificates.
Gavilan College, a Hispanic Serving Institution with a 58% Latinx student population, is committed to achieving educational equity for all students. We work to provide students with a rich and relevant learning experience that emphasizes student engagement in and out of the classroom, encouraging students of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to realize their goals and become socially responsible leaders. When you join our team at Gavilan College, you will become part of an innovative and equity-focused community that approaches higher education as a matter of social justice requiring broad collaboration among faculty, staff, administration, students, and community partners.
Gavilan College fosters justice, equity, diversity and inclusion through its Principles of Community. As a member of the Gavilan College community, you will join us in valuing the worth and dignity of every person, the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence, and the principles of democratic citizenship. All Gavilan employees strive to maintain these ideals in an environment of inclusiveness and mutual respect. We live these shared Principles of Community and work collaboratively to serve as a model of an exemplary, student-centered community-serving college.
Ideal Candidate:
Gavilan College is committed to recruiting individuals that embody our Principles of Community by:
• actively demonstrating a commitment to embracing and celebrating diversity;
• committing to collaboration, effective communication and the development of strong working relationships;
• promoting purposeful inclusion of all groups and the free exchange of ideas in a respectful, trusting and considerate environment; and
• demonstrating commitment to a college which prioritizes equity in resource allocation.
The ideal candidate for this position is an equity-minded individual who understands the importance of holding ourselves accountable for closing equity gaps and engaging in equitable practices. Gavilan strives to attract candidates who view the elimination of inequities as an individual and collective responsibility and who are able to reframe inequities as a problem of practice. In addition, they are able to demonstrate a commitment to student-centered practices, effective cross-disciplinary and cross campus collaboration, transparent decision-making, and purposeful service to the community. The ideal candidate will understand the importance of and embrace shared governance in all levels of decision-making at the college.
The Director of Financial Aid will lead collegially to improve student outcomes in a meaningful manner within a Guided Pathways framework. The Director will foster a culture of collaboration, mutual respect, innovation, and continuous improvement in the delivery of student financial aid services. The Director will encourage professional excellence among the staff and promote an organizational culture of customer service, innovation, and quality services. Demonstration of successful college leadership within financial aid is desirable.
The Position:
Are you interested in creating an exceptional educational environment for students who are part of a dynamic, inclusive community? If you see yourself as a professional who empowers students of diverse backgrounds to reach their potential through innovative, structural change, we invite you to apply for the Director, Financial Aid. At Gavilan College, we welcome your commitment to fostering a learning environment where resources are devoted to developing opportunities for students to break barriers and thrive as scholars and community members.
Under direction, to plan, organize and supervise the daily operations of the financial aid office, including scholarship and veteran's programs; to conduct outreach and training regarding financial aid; to prepare and maintain the unit budget; to prepare and maintain a variety of reports and records; to participate in the determination and awarding of financial aid; and to perform related duties as assigned.
Distinguishing Characteristics:
This is single position supervisory job with delegated authority for daily operations of the financial aid office including veteran's and scholarship programs. This job is distinguished from Financial Aid Technician which is a support class performing more limited duties under the supervision of this position.
Essential Duties: The following duties are typical of those performed by employees in this job title; however, employees may perform other related duties, and not all duties listed are necessarily performed by each employee in the job title.
• Plans, organizes and supervises the daily operations of the college's financial aid office;
• Establishes and implements college financial aid policies and procedures in accordance with federal, state and other guidelines and regulations; monitors changes in regulations and updates policies and procedures to ensure compliance;
• Prepares and maintains the financial aid office budget, keeps records, and prepares monthly and other recaps, reports and summaries;
• Plans, organizes and supervises the work of financial aid office staff; interviews and recommends selection of job applicants, trains employees, documents performance, provides counseling on work issues, and recommends discipline and improvement plans;
• Prepares and maintains a variety of federal, state, student and other reports, records and correspondence;
• Evaluates student, family and veterans information to determine financial aid eligibility and award financial aid, grants, scholarships, loans and fee waivers; approves emergency fund awards; prepares check runs and disburses checks;
• Operates and maintains financial aid computer programs;
• Works with auditors to document program compliance, furnish required information, and implement corrections;
• Advises and counsels families, students and others on financial aid issues; develops financial aid consumer information, conducts loan workshops, makes school and community presentations; disseminates scholarship information and provides training on financial aid to, and coordination with, other campus departments and programs;
• Solicits funds and prepares grant applications related to scholarships and financial aid;
• Monitors and stays abreast of developments in financial aid, and changes in regulations.
Minimum Qualifications Education and Experience: Any combination of training and experience equivalent to:
Knowledge:
• Principles and practices of student financial aid administration including grants, loans, scholarships, waivers, and emergency funds.
• Guidelines and regulations governing the eligibility, award, monitoring and reporting of student financial aid, including special veterans provisions.
• Basic accounting principles and practices.
• Computer systems and financial aid software. Systems and methods of budget preparation and maintenance.
• Basic supervisory practices.
Skills and Abilities:
• Interpreting and applying federal, state and other regulations and guidelines pertaining to student financial aid, scholarships, and veterans' payments.
• Establishing and maintaining policies and procedures for student financial aid. Analyzing student and family financial status and awarding student financial aid.
• Preparing reports, correspondence and other written materials and making presentations pertaining to financial aid.
• Establishing systems for and preparing and maintaining reports and records.
• Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with persons of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, including under tense circumstances.
• Operating and maintaining financial aid computer software.
• Supervising employees including training, assigning and evaluating work, counseling, and documentation.
Other Requirements:
Must possess a valid California driver's license and have a satisfactory driving record; may be required to attend meetings and make presentations outside of scheduled work hours. As an exempt employee, the incumbent may be asked to work variable schedules.
Illustrative Education and Experience:
A typical way to obtain the above knowledge and skill is a combination of education and experience equivalent to:
A Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting or a closely related field, and three years of experience in determining eligibility and awarding financial aid. Community college
experience is preferred.
Physical Characteristics:
Vision to read printed material and computer screens; speech and hearing to communicate in person and by telephone; mobility and dexterity to work in a standard office setting and use standard office equipment and computers. This work is performed primarily in an office setting.
The physical characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Application Process:
• CCC Registry online application (all sections are required to be completed, Education, Employment History, Professional References, General Information, and Diversity Statement). Apply at http://www.cccregistry.org *
• Cover letter detailing how you meet the characteristics specified in the ideal candidate section of the job announcement (2-pages maximum)*
• Abbreviated Curriculum Vitae or Resume*
*Denotes application materials that are required for full consideration.
As an equal opportunity employer, we are required to compile summary data on applicants. We are requesting your assistance in providing the information on the personal and ethnicity section of your CCC Registry profile. The completion of the questionnaire is voluntary. The form will remain in the Human Resources department and will be kept confidential and separate from all hiring documents. It will not be forwarded to those making employment decisions.
If you have questions related to the CCC Registry or technical aspects regarding submitting application materials on the https://apptrkr.com/4161296, please contact the CCC Registry directly at registry@yosemite.edu or call (800)245-4157.
Please make sure to contact the CCC Registry at (800)245-4157 AFTER you have applied for this job to verbally confirm that your application materials were submitted correctly and that your application is included in this recruitment.
If you have a verifiable disability and require accommodation to complete the application process, please contact the Human Resources Office at (408) 852-2823.
Please be aware, the District does not reimburse for expenses related to the recruitment process.
NON-DISCRIMINATION
Gavilan Joint Community College District is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of ethnic group identification, race, color, language, accent, immigration status, ancestry, national origin, age, gender, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, transgender, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, physical or mental disability and any other status protected by applicable federal and state laws. Applicants who require accommodations to complete the application or interview process, please contact the Human Resources Office at (408) 852-2823 for assistance.