Financial Aid Program Specialist - Renton, United States - Renton Technical College

Description

Salary: $5, $6,480.00 Monthly

Location : 3000 NE 4th Street Renton, WA

Job Type: Classified

Job Number: 24-P0012

Department: Financial Aid Office

Opening Date: 05/30/2024

Closing Date: 6/14/2024 11:59 PM Pacific

Position

Are you a financial aid professional looking to make a positive impact with students in a diverse environment? Join our team at Renton Technical College The Financial Aid Program Specialist is a full-time, overtime eligible position and is a member of the Financial Aid Office, reporting to the Director of Financial Aid. This position maintains the processes and operations of Federal Student Loans and Financial Literacy programs, institutional, federal, state, tribal and other agency-sponsored funding programs.

The Financial Aid Program Specialist is represented by The Renton Professional Technical Association (Prof-Tech). The pay range for this role is $5,037-$6,480 monthly and salary placement is based on applicable work experience. New hires may not be placed above Step 10 ($6179.) Prof-Tech employees receive a yearly degree stipend if they have an Associate's degree $150, Bachelor's $250, or a Master's $350. Other benefits are listed on our page and in the

Renton Technical College, located southeast of Seattle, has provided quality education in a variety of occupations for over 80 years. Our professional-technical certificate and degree programs offer entry and mid-level training in the areas of allied health, trades and industry, culinary, business, technology, and automotive. Our outstanding college & career pathways program with classes in adult basic education, English as a second language, and GED preparation is available to those who need additional preparation before entering a training program and for those who simply wish to improve their math and English skills. Career Education and apprenticeships degrees round out our offerings.

As an Achieving the Dream and an Aspen Institute top 10 finalist in Community College Excellence, RTC is also proud to be a Military Friendly School, serving those who chose to serve. Renton Technical College is committed to increasing its cultural diversity with an emphasis on equity and inclusion among its faculty and staff. The students that we serve come from a variety of backgrounds and are over 60% of color. We strongly encourage members of historically minoritized groups, veterans, and bi- or multi-lingual individuals to apply for this position to help meet the needs of our diverse students and service district.

Key Responsibilities / Essential Functions Include

Program Support

• Demonstrate multicultural competence (including an awareness and understanding of historically disadvantaged populations) and create an educational and work environment that affirms commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion
  
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the Federal Student Loans default prevention service and work with the financial staff and third-party servicers.
• Lead the default management, encompasses Entrance Interview, Master Promise, and Exit delinquent borrower, reporting and other requirements.
• Support monitoring federal and private students, PLUS loans allocations, disbursements, and cancellations, while maintaining reconciliation, by executing multiple queries, extracting data, analyzing student account activities, and collaborating with the Business Office and other departments.
• Serve as the liaison for Financial Literacy program, collaborate with third-party servicers and other departments, provide financial and student repayment education/workshop while maintaining federal and state regulation.

Student Aid Processing

• Determine eligibility and award financial aid based on policies and regulatory requirements while adhering to federal and state regulations and institutional policies and compliance regulations.
• Analyze student records in multiple databases, including Financial Aid, Enrollment Service, Student Academic, Student Financial, and other in-house, state, and federal databases.
• Complete the financial aid verification process, which includes but is not limited to citizenship, residency, assets, federal IRS taxes, obtain documentation, resolve discrepancies, and make the necessary changes and adjustments.
• Conduct student federal aid identity verification and analyze fraudulent record process and collaborate with other departments and CTC colleges to maintain timely status updates and reporting requirements.
• Work with the SBCTC ctcLink (PeopleSoft) support team, other departments, and institutions to maintain the system configuration/setup for Student Group/Attribute, Service Indicators, and Item Type to assure the integrity of program coding and school reporting requirements.
• Package student aid, process award adjustments, authorization, disbursement, BankMobile student refund, and repayment and maintain funding reconciliation.
• Evaluate Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and perform professional judgment independently for extenuating and change of circumstances that students/family encounter, audit students record, and maintain institutional compliance and Risk-based survey duties.

Direct Student service and Support

• Provide individualized student and public services via multiple platforms including but not limited to virtual, email, phone, and in-person, with excellent customer service skills focused on bringing racial equity and social justice equity lens.
• Exhibit cultural competency and a commitment to equity in all interactions with students, faculty, staff, and community members of a broad-spectrum diverse range of languages, nationalities and ethnicities, socio-economic levels, identities, and educational experiences.
• Independently advise students and parents regarding federal, state and institutional financial aid application process and program criteria, acknowledging and mitigating systemic barriers for first generation, undocumented, disabled, domestic violence and formerly justice involved students.
• Maintain the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and respect the privacy/confidentiality of individuals.

Campus and Community OUTREACH / engagement

• Represent the college at professional meetings, workshops, and serve as a departmental liaison to community organizations and other public agencies.
• Facilitate statewide FAFSA/WASFA completions and financial literacy workshops through campus-wide and community-centered outreach efforts and presentations.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering and supporting a discussion, teaching, learning and working environment that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
• Apply equitable tools and tactics learned from numerous training opportunities in your daily work.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated experience or participation with persons from diverse backgrounds such as sexual orientation, racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic, gender, age, socio-economic, physical and learning abilities, and a commitment to an inclusive and equitable working / learning environment.
  
• Expertise and advanced experience in financial aid and/or funding-related transferable skills.
• Associate degree required, bachelor's preferred or equivalent education and relevant professional experience/ credential.
• Ability to demonstrate high skill levels in extracting and analyzing data, generating reports, and applying fund reconciliation and basic accounting principles.
• Knowledge of PeopleSoft, BankMobile (BMTX), Washington Student Achievements Council (WSAC) portal, Common Origination and Disbursements (COD), National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), Federal Aid Administrator Access (FAA Access) to Central Processing System (CPS Online), and other similar programs.
• Strong organizational skills, the ability to work independently and prioritize multiple tasks, the ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, and handle multiple interruptions while completing multiple tasks.
• Knowledge of computers and software, especially Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, Booking, Forms etc.), Zoom and other software and application programs.
• Ability to speak a regionally top spoken language other than English is preferred (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese)

REQUIREMENTS, LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS:

• Able to pass and maintain a background check
• Must not be in default on any student loans

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Working hours are generally aligned to business hours, Monday - Friday. Occasional evening and weekend work is required. Work is mostly sedentary in nature, performed in an office environment. Frequent use of a computer and exposure to terminal screens is required. Work and meetings may take place across campus. May drive/travel to trainings, conferences, and/or college events. This is mostly an in-person/on-campus position; remote work may occur as business permits.

Terms of Employment

In the interest of providing a healthy, safe and secure educational and work environment, and in order to meet the requirements of federal legislation, it is the policy of Renton Technical College to maintain an alcohol and drug-free workplace for our employees and students.

The person hired is required to provide authorization for employment in the United States. All offers of employment are contingent to background checks, including employment and required degree/credential verification. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform successfully in the position. Finalists are required to complete the Sexual Misconduct Disclosure form as required under RCW Post offer, pre-employment criminal background checks are also required.

For questions regarding this position contact Nia Wiliams or Crystal Dumo

EEO STATEMENT: Renton Technical College provides equal opportunity in education and employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color national origin, age, perceived or actual physical or mental disability, pregnancy, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, creed, religion, honorably discharged veterans or military status, or use of a trained guide dog or service animal, as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act and ADA Amendment Act, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Violence Against Women Re-authorization Act and Washington State Law Against Discrimination, Chapter 49.60 RCW and their implementing regulations. The following college official has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Title IX / EEO Coordinator, Vice President of Human Resources 3000 NE 4th Street Renton, WA ,

Jeanne Clery statement: Notice of Availability of Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: In compliance with Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act of 1998, and as a part of the College's commitment to safety and security on campus, Renton Technical College reports the mandate information about current campus policies concerning safety and security issues, the required statistics, and other related information for the past three (3) calendar years. Renton Technical College's Annual Safety and Fire Report is available online at: For information on how to access the RTC Daily Crime Log follow this link:

We acknowledge that RTC sits uninvited on the ancestral land of the Puget Salish people, including the , , , , and Nations. We are grateful to the original inhabitants of this land, upon which we gather and dialogue. We also acknowledge our increasingly virtual world, in which RTC's work is done across multiple indigenous lands, in some cases, away from Puget Salish territories. We thank the original caretakers of our local lands and waters, who are still here.

Beyond acknowledgment, we each have an obligation to learn about and support our local tribes. Find out how on our resources page, which includes scholarships for Indigenous students.

2024 Employee Benefits Summary

Coverage begins the first day of the month following the date of hire. If the date of hire is the first working day of the month, coverage begins immediately. Spouse or same-sex domestic partner, and dependent children are eligible for coverage. Eligible employees at Renton Technical College (RTC) receive a generous benefits package in addition to their paycheck, including:

Medical Insurance
Employees pay a portion of their medical care cost through payroll deduction. The employee premium is based on the choice of plan and coverage for lawful spouses, same-sex domestic partners, and dependent children. more information can be found by visiting

2024 Employee Monthly Contribution by Family Tier PEBB medical Plans Employee Employee & Spouse Employee & Child(ren) Employee & Family

Dental Coverage
Renton Technical College provides dental coverage at no monthly premium cost to the employee. Benefit eligible employees have a choice of dental plans. Options include:

• Uniform Dental Plan (Preferred Provider Organization -PPO plan) Administered by Washington Dental Service (WDS)
• DeltaCare (Managed Care Plan)

Administered by Washington Dental Service (WDS)

• Willamette Dental (Managed Care Plan) Administered by Willamette Dental

Vision
Employees do not pay separate premium for vision coverage; it is covered under the medical plan. Optical service frequency and hardware (glasses, contact lenses, etc.) vary depending on type of plan selected.

Waiving Medical Coverage
If you have other medical insurance you can choose to waive medical coverage for yourself or any family member. If you have existing coverage through your spouse or domestic partner, please contact the plan directly to see how they will coordinate benefits.

If waiving medical coverage, the employee will still be covered under the dental insurance plan at no monthly premium cost.

Medical Flex Spending Accounts (FSA& LFA) & Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP)
The FSA, LFA and DCAP plans are offered by the College and the State of Washington. FSA is a PEBB sponsored benefit program that allows you to use pre-tax money in a calendar year to pay for certain out-of-pocket medical expenses and/or Child care expenses.

An FSA can save you % on your eligible expenses. Both plans are offered as payroll deductions.

Annual contributions in 2024 for Medical Flexible Account can be between a minimum of $120 to maximum of $3,050. As a "use it or lose it" IRC governed plan, medical expense reimbursements can be requested for employee, spouse, or their IRS eligible dependents.

Annual contributions in 2024 for the Limited Flexible Account can be between a minimum of $120 to maximum of $3,050. As a "use it or lose it" IRC governed plan, medical expense reimbursements can be requested for employee, spouse, or their IRS eligible dependents. Limited FSA is for employees enrolled in CDHP plans with HSA. Funds can only be used for dental and vision expenses only.

Dependent Care FSA (DCAP) allows you to save on child or elder care expenses
(e.g. babysitting, daycare, in-home care for an older dependent inept of self-care). Annual contribution is $5,000 for a Single person or Married couple filing a joint tax return. Contribution of $2,500 for each married participant filing separate tax returns.

Life-Insurance
Permanent employees, lawful spouse, qualified same-sex domestic partner and dependent children under 26 years of age are eligible to enroll in life Insurance. Coverage is effective first of the month following the date of employment for basic coverage; for optional coverage, amounts become effective the first of the month following approval date.

• Basic Coverage: $35,000 Basic Term Life & $5,000 Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) This is employer provided at no cost to the employee.
• Supplemental Life Coverage(s): Supplemental term insurance coverage for employee, lawful spouse, qualified same-sex domestic partner and family is available in $10,000 increments from

$10,000 up to $100,000, at additional cost to the employee.

• Supplemental AD&D Coverage: Voluntary Accidental Death and Dismemberment for employee, lawful spouse, qualified same-sex domestic partner and family is available at additional cost to employee.

Life Insurance Evidence of Insurability may be required for certain supplemental coverage amounts.

Long-Term Disability(Two Plans offered)

• Basic Plan: Employer provided and at no cost to the employee. It Provides 60% of the first $400 pre-disability monthly earnings, reduced by any deductible income. The maximum benefit $240 per month; the minimum benefit $100 per month. Benefits begin after 90 days of disability or the period of accumulated sick leave, whichever is longer.
• 2 Optional Plans: 60% and 50% of pre-disability monthly earnings, reduced by any deductible income, and is available at additional cost to employee. Maximum benefit for 60% plan

is $10,000 per month and $8,333 per month for the 50% plan. Premium for the optional plans is determined by employee type and waiting period selected.

Retirement Options(Tax Deferred Retirement Plans)

PERS Plan 2: defined benefit plan for classified staff Employee Contribution: 6.36% of gross salary Employer Contribution: 9.53% of gross salary

PERS Plan 3: defined benefit & employee defined contribution for classified staff, Administrators, and Exempt employees
Employee Contribution: Varies from 5% to 15% Employer Contribution: 9.53% of gross salary

TRS Plan 2: defined benefit & employee defined contribution for Faculty Employee Contribution: 8.06% of gross salary
Employer Contribution: 9.70% of gross salary

TRS Plan 3: defined benefit & employee defined contribution for Faculty Employee Contribution: Varies from 5% to 15% of gross salary
Employer Contribution: 9.70% of gross salary

TIAA-CREF: defined contribution plan for Faculty, Administrators, and Exempt employees
Employee Contribution: Under 35: 5% of gross salary; 35-49: 7.5% of gross salary; 50 & over: 10% of gross salary

*Employee and Employer contributions to applicable retirement plans are mandatory for benefit eligible employees. The amount of the deduction and contribution are dependent upon the retirement plan chosen and may vary by current contribution rates in effect.

Supplemental Retirement & Deferred Compensation Plan
Supplemental Retirement Plan: In addition to regular matched retirement, employee can voluntarily participate in a 403(b) plan and set aside a portion of their income in Pre-Tax Elective Deferral or an After-Tax (Roth) Elective Deferral. Agreements and amounts can be changed at any time.

Deferred Compensation Plan: The State of Washington 457 plan permits employee to set aside additional pre-tax earnings for retirement savings.
Certain tax regulations allow employees to participate in one or both supplemental 403(b) plans and State of Washington's 457 deferred compensation plan.

Contributions to a 403(b) or 457 plan are funded solely by the employee.

Credit Classes (Reduced Classes)
Faculty employed at 50% or more and permanent classified, exempt, or administrative staff may take almost any credit class on a space-available basis if requirements and prerequisites have been met. To get the reduced tuition rate, the employee may not register until the date listed in the enrollment calendar (usually the third day of the quarter). Hourly and probationary employees are not eligible for this reduced tuition.

Auto and Home Insurance - Liberty Mutual
PEBB members may receive a discount of up to 12 percent off Liberty Mutual's auto insurance rates and up to 5 percent off Liberty Mutual's home insurance rates. In addition to the discount, Liberty Mutual also offers:

• Discounts: based on your driving record, age, auto safety features, and more.
• A 12-month rate guarantee on their competitive rates.
• Convenient payment options including automatic payroll deduction, electronic funds transfer, or direct billing at home.
• Prompt claims service with access to local representatives.

Credit Unions
Eligible employees may join one of two credit unions. Both offer member services that include payroll direct deposit, automatic bill pays, savings and checking accounts, overdraft protection, personal lines of credit and low interest loans.
Home Street
As an RTC employee you are eligible for exclusive homeownership benefits with the Hometown Home Loan Program offered through Home Street Bank. With this benefits package, you have access to vital homeownership resources.

Washington 529 Education Saving Plans
The GET program is Washington's 529 prepaid college tuition plan that helps families with young children save for future higher education expenses. The State of Washington guarantees that the value of your account will keep pace with the cost of college tuition, no matter how much it changes in the future. More information can be found at

Paid Holidays
Eligible employees will be paid for up to twelve (12) of the following holidays:

• Labor Day
• Veteran's Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• The day after Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day
• New Year's Day
• The legally designated day for Martin Luther King Jr's birthday
• June Teenth
• Presidents' Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Personal Holiday (1 day)

Leave
Employees accrue vacation (16.67 hour per month for exempt employees), sick (8 hours per month), and personal leave based on their classification (8 hours per year for exempt employees). To determine the accrual rate, refer to the appropriate contract or collective bargaining agreement.

Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML):
This benefit offers partially paid leave to care for yourself or a loved one in times of serious illness or injury; to bond with a new child joining your home through birth, adoption or foster placement; and for certain military-connected events if you have a family member in active duty service.
Under the PFML program, the Employment Security Department (ESD) will replace up to 90% of an eligible employee's typical weekly wage (up to $1,000 per week). To learn more about this benefit, please visit the ESD PFML website at

Resources:
Health Benefits / Plan Comparisons / Plan Contact Information:
Retirement Programs:

• State Board Retirement:
• State Board Retirement Plan (SBRP)/TIAA-CREF:
• Washington State Department of Retirement Systems:

Renton Technical College Benefits Office:
Soha Qassis - Benefits Manager Phone:

01

Do you have an Associates Degree or equivalent work experience and 1-year experience in Financial Aid?

• Yes
• No

02

Give a brief overview of your knowledge of the policies, processes and practices of federal and state financial aid programs.

03

Tell us about your experience working effectively and engaging with adult learners, including individuals whose first language is not English.

04

Renton Technical College prepares a diverse student population for work, fulfilling the employment needs of individuals, businesses and industry. Our effort is to create a cultural climate that recognizes, respects and celebrates equity and inclusion. Briefly describe how you have worked in your previous/ current positions to advance equity, diversity & inclusion in your organizations and how you would do that in this position.

05

Did you complete all of the work history and education fields within the on-line application? Did you upload your cover letter and resume / CV? If you did not complete these fields or attach these required documents, your application will not be considered for further screening.

Required Question