National Director – Financial Aid

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Provide comprehensive operational leadership and adaptable financial aid support across all campuses of Arizona College of Nursing.

• Direct the National Team of Financial Aid Officers and associated roles.

• Assess workload and capacity, reallocating staff, caseloads, and priorities to campuses that require the most assistance.

• Collaborate with Regional Directors of Financial Aid and campus leaders to ensure stable coverage, tackle backlogs and vacancies, handle escalations, and deliver consistent service.

• Recruit, onboard, cultivate, and retain a high-performing National Financial Aid team.

• Develop a cross-trained team that can support any campus and adapt to changing priorities.

• Provide technical and professional development through coaching, performance metrics, and quality assurance insights.

• Conduct team meetings and individual check-ins, offering feedback, reinforcing accountability, and addressing performance or coverage deficiencies.

• Oversee comprehensive financial aid support across all campuses and allocate National Team resources according to institutional needs.

• Monitor staffing levels, workload, vacancies, backlogs, service quality, and compliance risks.

• Manage distribution of caseloads and temporary campus coverage.

• Ensure accurate and compliant student records in Anthology/Nexus and pertinent federal systems.

• Supervise proactive student outreach via phone, email, and text.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of Title IV, state, and institutional financial aid regulations.

• Perform risk-based file reviews and internal audits, identify root causes, and coordinate corrective measures.

• Guarantee precise documentation for awarding, packaging, verification, and disbursement processes.

• Collaborate with QA, Regional Directors, and campus leaders to address findings and enhance compliance.

• Advise students and families on federal aid, institutional loans, scholarships, agency assistance, and repayment strategies.

• Address escalated student and campus issues.

• Work with campus departments to eliminate obstacles and encourage student persistence and success.

• Standardize procedures, disseminate best practices, and spearhead cross-functional enhancements.

• Travel to AZCN campuses for operational evaluations, training, coaching, backlog reduction, and temporary leadership or hands-on support.

• Meet established goals related to coverage, packaging, backlog, responsiveness, service levels, QA, compliance, and stakeholder satisfaction.

⛳️ Requirements

• High School Diploma or equivalent experience.

• A minimum of 3-5 years of experience in the administration of financial aid within higher education.

• Strong understanding of Title IV regulations, financial aid operations, and financial aid systems.

• At least 1-2 years of formal leadership experience or proven leadership in a student services environment.

• High level of professionalism, sound judgment, and discretion when handling confidential information.

• Ability to prioritize competing demands, manage multiple campuses or workstreams, and adapt resources in a dynamic environment.

• Strong orientation towards student service and campus partnerships.

• Must be eligible to access the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).

• Willingness to travel up to 15% to AZCN campuses, including occasional short-notice travel.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field from an accredited institution preferred.

• Expertise in financial literacy, including knowledge of student loan repayment options and financial aid processes preferred.

• Experience with multi-campus operations, capacity planning, workload balancing, change management, or turnaround support preferred.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive compensation.

• Opportunities for professional development.

• Supportive work environment.

• Generous paid time off and holiday benefits.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.

• 401(k) plan with company matching.

• Completely remote work location.