Associate Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships

Position SummaryJoin a vibrant campus community whose excellence is reflected in its diversity and student success. West Chester University of Pennsylvania’s Financial Aid Office invites applicants for the position of Associate Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

West Chester University, a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, is a public, comprehensive institution committed to offering high-quality undergraduate education, selected post-baccalaureate and graduate programs, and a variety of educational and cultural resources for its students, alumni, and citizens of southeastern Pennsylvania. We are a community of educators dedicated to developing graduates who succeed personally and professionally and contribute to the common good.

WCU proudly offers a positive and purposeful work environment; comprehensive employee benefits including health, vision, and dental insurance along with many wellness programs; a commitment to work-life balance including generous paid vacation, paid sick time, military leave and paid time off for most major holidays; and a University mission to support employee personal and professional growth including a tuition waiver for self and family members, training and development, and advancement opportunities.

The Financial Aid Office supports the recruitment, retention, and student success efforts of the University’s diverse undergraduate and graduate student population by helping students and their influencers seek, obtain, and make the best use of all financial resources.

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Financial Aid, the Associate Director administers, tracks, and monitors the scholarship awards and expenditures in alignment with the University’s enrollment management objectives and approved scholarship budgets; oversees internal funds including dining, book, micro, and housing scholarships;  collaborates to ensure effective promulgation of scholarships as part of the student recruitment and retention effort; ensures compliance with university scholarship policy and state and federal financial aid policies and regulations; and coordinates to ensure effective utilization of privately funded scholarships.  This position supports the Senior Associate Vice President for Financial Aid and Campuses, Executive Director, and Deputy Director with the annual scholarship budget projections.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate experience managing scholarship programs and collaborating with outside agencies to improve processes; financial aid counseling experience; excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills; the ability to communicate effectively across a diverse population; and a commitment to student success.

Responsibilities include:

Administer the WCU Merit Scholarship Program
Administer scholarships from private sources
Collaborate with internal and external partners to promote scholarship opportunities, strategic recruitment, and retention efforts
Act as a liaison between donors and recipients to ensure awarding of funds
Monitor effectiveness of Scholarship Manager System
Track and monitor scholarship expenditures to reconcile spending
Repackage financial aid awards to address scholarship over-awards as needed
Provide financial aid counseling for prospective and current students and parents on and off campus
Perform outreach activities including financial aid presentations for college fairs, local high schools, open houses, music auditions and other campus or external events
Partner with Bursar’s Office to process tuition benefits from internal and external sources
Ensure compliance with regulations and guidelines
Review and update program and student files and records to ensure accuracy
Refer students and parents to other available support services
Perform other duties as assigned