Job Description for the Associate Director, Student Financial Services position. Review job description, requirements, and qualifications. Apply or register interest for the position.

Title: Associate Director, Student Financial Services

Position Type: Staff Full-Time

Days Per Week: Monday - Friday

Hours Per Week: 40

VP Area: Finance and Administration

Department: Student Financial Services

Location: Elon Main Campus

Position Summary

The Associate Bursar reports directly to the University Bursar and works as an integral part of a team to ensure compliance with university, state, and federal regulations governing student billing and payments including federal loans. This position will collaborate with colleagues across multiple departments, and programs, including Financial Aid and Accounting. This position serves as the principal reconciler with receivables and other deposits to the bank. Other responsibilities include processing all electronic payments, institutional loan programs, and audit assistance. This position supports third party billing and payment plan software as well as serves as primary liaison for PCI requirements and electronic deposits through gateways such as PayPal.

Benefits of Working at Elon

As an Elon University employee, you’ll join an internationally acclaimed university with a commitment to fostering a thriving community. Ranked among the most innovative, creative and best-run universities in the nation, Elon’s personal approach to education extends to employees, whose growth, professional development and success is a hallmark of our training and advancement opportunities.

Elon University’s home is the charming town of Elon, North Carolina, a small, friendly community located a short distance from the beach and the mountains, and among the vibrant cities of Greensboro, Raleigh and Durham. In addition to the beautiful canopy of historic oak trees iconic to our campus, you’ll find boundless opportunities for family-friendly recreation, cultural events and outdoor activities. Hiking, water sports, fine dining and entertainment are just a few of the many happenings in the Elon area, making the region one of the nation’s premier travel destinations.

Employees at Elon enjoy a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes:

28 annual days off, including holidays and vacation.

Immediate tuition remission for undergraduate courses

Tuition remission for approved graduate-level courses after 12 months of employment.

Retirement plan with an 8 percent contribution from the university.

Immediate eligibility for health, dental and vision insurance, along with free acute care and lab services at our onsite Health & Wellness Clinic.

Free use of campus fitness facilities.

Free admission to musical and theater performances, guest speakers, religious and ethnic observances, recitals, art exhibitions, entertainment and our Division I Phoenix athletics.

Eligibility for tuition remission at Elon for spouses, qualifying domestic partners and dependents begins at two years of service. After two years of employment, eligibility begins for participation in the Tuition Exchange, a national scholarship exchange program that enables dependents to enroll in nationally recognized partner colleges and universities.

Elon values and celebrates the diverse backgrounds, cultures, experiences and perspectives of our community members. As an equal opportunity employer, Elon’s principles of diversity extend to race and gender identity, age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of one’s identity. At Elon, our employees respect human differences, passion for lifelong learning, emphasis on personal integrity and an ethic of service.

Minimum Required Education and Experience

· Bachelor’s degree required, concentration in business administration/accounting/finance/management or related field.
· 3 years progressively responsible experience in student financial services, banking, or related fields.
· Strong experience with electronic spreadsheets such as Microsoft Excel
· Experience demonstrating a focus on customer service and managing sensitive situations.

Preferred Education and Experience

· 5 to 7 years of relevant experience including accounts receivable administration, bank reconciliations, billing.
· Higher Education experience student account experience and demonstrated understanding of student financial services.
· Experience with Touchnet, Cashnet and other student billing packages.
· Experience with Ellucian Colleague or similar ERP system.
· Working knowledge of financial aid Title IV regulations and generally accepted accounting principles.

Job Duties

• Reconciliations:
  • Provide daily reconciliations for all deposits made from the Bursar’s office, account receivables, and banking institution.
  • Provide monthly journal entries and bank statement reconciliations to the Director of Budgets and Cash Management in a timely manner to support month end close.
  • Ensure all reconciling items are identified with follow through to resolution.
• Receivables:
  • Ensure compliance with federal and state regulations governing student payments and billing.
  • Manage student account receivables including follow up with students and collection processes as needed.
  • Work with collection agencies to place outstanding student account receivables.
  • Monitor outstanding student account receivables to ensure follow up with students and placement with collection agencies is timely.
  • Review the daily refund requests received online, analyze financial account activity to determine refund eligibility and process accordingly. Identify and process mandatory Title IV refunds to appropriate beneficiary.
  • Import daily file from university lockbox of payments received. Identify errors and process corrections. Research any issues that may arise such missing payments or incorrect payment amount.
• Loan Programs:
  • Direct and administer the institutional Elon loan, and Elon Law Bar loan. Includes preparing and executing loan documents, as well as submitting information to the third-party servicer for repayment.
  • Administer the federal Perkins loan program which includes working with third-party servicer for repayment and following federal guidelines for closing the loan program. · Conduct exit interviews as needed.
• Third Party Software:
  • Work with Flywire Account Rep to set payment plan parameters/dates for each billing semester, import installment payments into Colleague, trouble shoot payment plan issues with parents/students, import contract amounts onto bills prior to semester starting.
  • Maintain billing terms in Flywire system, trouble shoot any technical issues with system into Colleague, transfer authorized user data into Colleague. Manage Flywire reporting. Maintain Flywire reporting.
  • Maintain all University credit card machines on campus, serving as the contact person for maintenance and troubleshooting issues, working with provider on any account issues, uphold and ensure appropriate PCI requirements.
• Audit:
  • Prepare audit schedules as needed for the institutional loan programs and receivable/cash accounts.
  • Respond to auditor requests for additional information. 
• Other:
  • Serve as a petty cash administrator for faculty/staff/students when assistance is needed. Coordinate cash replenishment orders with Wells Fargo through Cash Vault and create journal entries to send to Accounting to process.
  • Assist with Maintaining Office webpage including updating schedule of fees, due dates, and other relevant information. Establish a social media presence for the Student Financial Service's Office to communicate important dates to remember and other relevant information.
• Inclusive Community Building Community is foundational to Elon and a shared responsibility within our residential campus. All who work at Elon should demonstrate an understanding of and engagement with Elon’s foundational commitment to relationships, mentoring and collaboration in a close-knit residential community. We embrace the shared responsibility to foster inclusive excellence within a strong residential community. Accordingly, employees are expected to join together and build connections in activities that foster an active and engaged campus environment and engage in professional development to support the shared responsibility of enriching diversity, equity, and inclusion through meaningful relationships and mentoring at Elon. Employees are encouraged to, for example, attend or participate in campus activities such as College Coffee, Numen Lumen, campus cultural events, athletic events, continuing education, professional development opportunities and trainings, employee resource groups and other university-sponsored activities to demonstrate an active commitment to the Elon community.