Financial Aid Systems Analyst: Systems and Automation - Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Overview and Responsibilities · Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is seeking candidates who are eager to contribute to its Lasallian Catholic mission of awakening, nurturing, and empowering learners to ethical lives of service and leadership. We invite individuals to help tran ...

Job description

Overview and Responsibilities

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is seeking candidates who are eager to contribute to its Lasallian Catholic mission of awakening, nurturing, and empowering learners to ethical lives of service and leadership. We invite individuals to help transform lives through education, inspired by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition's quest to understand the human experience through faith and reason and its embrace of all who are dedicated to learning from one another through authentic conversations in search of the truth. We are especially interested in and give preference to candidates who demonstrate a vision to create and nurture initiatives that will advance our mission within the scope of their duties and who will foster a culture of dialogue that, with respect for all people, supports the search for meaning and purpose in pursuit of excellence.

Job Summary

The Financial Aid Systems Analyst: Systems and Automation serves as the primary technical leader for the Financial Aid Office and the key lieutenant to the Director for all system-related operations. This position is the institution's subject matter expert (SME) for Jenzabar Financial Aid (JFA) and is responsible for designing, configuring, testing, and maintaining the automated rules, packaging logic, workflows, and data integrations that drive financial aid awarding.
This role ensures that financial aid processing is accurate, compliant, efficient, and aligned with institutional goals by translating regulatory requirements into system logic and functioning as the primary liaison to Information Technology. The Systems Analyst also provides high-level guidance to staff on technical processes, data integrity, loan systems, and backend troubleshooting. This role exercises significant independent judgment in translating complex federal regulations into automated system logic, ensuring the department's technical infrastructure is robust, compliant, and scalable.
While other staff members may focus more on counseling, professional judgment, and relational case management, this position anchors the technical, operational, and automation functions of the financial aid operation.

Salary Range: $55,000 - $65,000

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Systems Ownership and Automation

• Serve as the institution's technical expert for Jenzabar Financial Aid [JFA], including configuration, maintenance, workflow design, and optimization
• Build, configure, test, and validate automated packaging logic, algorithmic rules, budget structures, and eligibility calculations for all academic years and student populations
• Conduct system testing and quality assurance for awarding, disbursements, and communications prior to mass awarding
• Design and maintain automated workflows, population selections, and batch processes to maximize efficiency and reduce manual intervention
• Identify system improvements, coordinate enhancements with It and Jenzabar, and lead implementation of new features or regulatory updates

Data Integrity and Technical Compliance

• Ensure accuracy of all financial aid–related data between SIS, JFA, COD, NSLDS, EdConnect, and other integrated platforms
• Oversee the origination, disbursement, reconciliation, and reporting of Federal Direct Loans, Pell/TEACH Grants, State Grant programs, MN SELF, and private loans
• Manage timely and compliant transmission of Direct Loan data files (COD), including troubleshooting rejected records and ensuring full reconciliation each term
• Design and oversee the automated logic for R2T4 and SAP; provide high-level audit support to ensure system-generated outcomes match federal regulatory requirements.
• Conduct semester Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) processing and notifications

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with Information Technology to diagnose and resolve system issues, identify root causes, and implement long-term solutions
• Act as the primary translator between Financial Aid policy and IT technical specifications, ensuring that IT-led projects (e.g., SQL server updates or API integrations) do not disrupt aid delivery.
• Collaborate with the Business Office, Registrar, Student Central, Academic Advising, and other departments to ensure seamless student support and operational alignment
• Contribute to annual audits, compliance reviews, and reporting requirements
• Provide high-level technical guidance to Financial Aid team members, particularly on system-driven processes, loan processing, and data corrections

Operational and Student Support

• Support staff in resolving complex loan-related questions, adjustments, or troubleshooting needs.
• Review financial aid application data (in context of system rules) and ensure awarding aligns with federal methodology and institutional policy
• Occasionally counsel students regarding aid eligibility and financial planning, as needed
• Participate in the Professional Judgment Committee when technical insight is required

Other Responsibilities

• Maintain current knowledge of federal and state regulations, especially as related to system and data compliance
• Contribute to a student-oriented, process-efficient financial aid office
• Perform other duties as assigned that support the mission and operational excellence of the Financial Aid Office

Qualifications

Experience and Education Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in student financial aid.
• Minimum of 5 years of higher education administration experience, including at least 2 years in financial aid system operations, technical processing, or aid automation (strongly preferred)
• Experience with Jenzabar/JFA or another enterprise-level financial aid management system (strongly preferred)
• Candidates with significant comparable systems experience—particularly in configuring complex rules, workflow automation, data integrations, or SIS/ERP environments—and a demonstrated capacity to rapidly learn financial aid regulations and processes will also be considered.

Essential Knowledge & Skills

Technical & Analytical Skills

• Demonstrated ability to configure algorithmic packaging rules, manage academic years, and troubleshoot backend errors in a financial aid system (JFA/Jenzabar strongly preferred).
• Strong understanding of data structures, file transmissions, system integration concepts, and batch processing.
• Advanced proficiency in creating and managing Population Selections to drive batch processing and communications.
• Experience using data analytics to identify trends, test logic, and evaluate aid-leveraging strategies; familiarity with regression or predictive modeling is preferred.
• Ability to write basic to intermediate SQL queries for data validation and custom reporting.
• High-level proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables and complex formulas.

Financial Aid Knowledge

• Solid understanding of federal and state aid regulations, loan programs, R2T4, SAP, and compliance requirements.
• Experience with federal systems including COD, NSLDS, EdConnect, and related platforms.

Leadership & Communication

• Ability to serve as a trusted technical adviser to the Director and as a mentor to staff on system-related functions.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical processes to non-technical colleagues.
• Ability to organize, prioritize, and independently manage multiple complex projects in a dynamic environment.
• Commitment to serving a diverse student population with professionalism and empathy.

Physical Demands

• Sedentary work. Sedentary work involves lifting no more than 10 pounds at a time and occasionally lifting or carrying articles like docket files, ledgers, and small tools. Although a sedentary job is defined as one which involves sitting, a certain amount of walking and standing is often necessary in carrying out job duties. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required occasionally and other sedentary criteria are met.

Physical Hazards – Health and Safety Concerns

• General office environments

Application Requirements

Apply online at and include a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references.

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota believes inclusion and human dignity contributes to a robust academic and work environment and is critical to achieving the University's mission in an increasingly diverse society. Individuals with expertise and diverse skills from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. The successful candidate must support, respect, and advance the mission of Saint Mary's University as a Lasallian Catholic institution.

Saint Mary's offers a comprehensive benefit package including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, flexible spending, retirement pension plan, and both undergraduate and graduate tuition remission plans.

All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.