Student Financial Aid Officer – On Campus

Consult and guide students in preparing and packaging their grant and/or loan applications to award funds in accordance with federal guidelines.

Students don’t just need a financial aid form processed. They need someone who can untangle the knot, ask the right questions, and confidently say, ‘Here’s how we make this work.

If you thrive on solving financial puzzles, care deeply about removing barriers to an education, and can hold firm numbers and human empathy in the same conversation, this is your role.

Location: Seattle, WA
Work Modality: On-Site 
Schedule: Monday - Friday
Hiring Range: $24.96 to $29.96

Don't forget to ask about the benefits of employee ownership during your interview! Yes, you would be an employee-owner!

Essential Functions:

• Interpret and apply Title IV, state, and institutional aid rules to maximize student access while maintaining full compliance.
• Interview prospective students to determine needs assessment and financial aid eligibility.  Determine financial aid eligibility for second and third-year students.  Assist students with financial aid questions.
• Maintain student files to ensure proper financial aid documentation.
• Assist students in completing financial aid forms as required.
• Counsel veteran students and ensure compliance with the Department of Veterans Affairs and State Approving Agency guidelines.
• Coordinate and arrange for required student signatures.
• Contact former students who have an outstanding balance to establish a private pay repayment plan.
• Coordinate and arrange for proof of eligible non-citizenship status, paid in full, default/Pell overpayment documentation.
• Document data into the computer for institutional financials for eligible students.  Set up a payment plan for students.  Establish payment plans for private-pay students across all programs.
• Track ISIRs for all current and future students. Complete verification on all selected ISIRs.
• Enter data into the computer for the date of packaging, releasing of Pell/SEOG funds, and status information of loans, and date loan applications to lenders.
• Ensure student files are complete to include proof of agency funding.  Complete any agency needs analysis forms and submit them to the agency.
• Audit each future start packaged file to ensure all awards/financial aid forms are in the file and the proper audit form.
• Notify Admissions staff of no-shows for Financial Aid appointments. Reschedule appointments regarding future students

Preferred Qualifications:

• Critical thinking & numerical confidence – You catch discrepancies in financial data without being told, can explain a student's aid package in plain language, and aren't intimidated by reconciling spreadsheets or interpreting federal regulations.
• Verbal and written communication skills – You can deliver bad news ("You owe a balance") without crushing a student's motivation, and you document clearly enough that another officer could pick up your files mid-stream.
• Problem-solving under pressure – You can take a complex student scenario (default, overpayment, unusual dependency override) and map it to a compliant, actionable path forward.
• Organizational & documentation discipline – You maintain auditable files without cutting corners, because you know a missing signature today becomes a student's nightmare tomorrow.
• Computer proficiency – including student information systems (SIS), MS Excel (sorting, VLOOKUP, basic formulas), and comfort with learning new financial aid software.
• Financial Aid Experience - Three (3) years of financial aid experience with direct knowledge of Title IV funding, verification, and R2T4 calculations—familiarity with ISIR analysis, packaging, and loan origination processes.
• VeteranStudent Benefits: Experience working with veteran student benefits (VA Chapter 33, 31, etc.) and state approving agency compliance.

Employee Benefits - Employee Ownership                                                   

• Medical (PPO & 2 HDHP with HSA), Dental & Vision
• Short & Long-term Disability
• Basic Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 401(k) Plan
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Paid Time Off (PTO), Sick Leave & Holidays
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Health & Wellness Program