Associate Director of Financial Aid - Middlesex Community College - Military veterans preferred

Middlesex Community College


Middlesex Community College (MCC) is one of the largest community colleges in the Commonwealth, employing people in full-time, part-time, faculty, professional, administrative, and support positions at campuses in both Lowell and Bedford, and online. We are focused on equity to transform lives and shape futures. MCC values equity and inclusion as the foundation for excellence, innovation, and success for our employees and students. MCC is committed to a policy of affirmative action, equal opportunity, equal education, non-discrimination, and diversity to provide a learning and working environment that values the diverse backgrounds of all students and employees. MCC strives for a faculty and staff that reflect its richly diverse community of students. Women, people of color, persons with disabilities and others are strongly encouraged to apply.
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Location: Lowell, MA Category: Full-time Staff Posted On: Wed Sep 17 2025 Job Description:

Title: Associate Director of Financial Aid

Unit: Non-Unit Professional (NUP)

Department: Financial Aid

Reports to: Director of Financial Aid

Date: September 17, 2025

General Summary: The Associate Director of Financial Aid is responsible for the comprehensive operation of the student financial aid program and ensures compliance with all regulations while maximizing resources for students and the College. The Associate Director of Financial Aid collaborates with the Director of Financial Aid to formulate and determine policies associated with the operation of the Financial Aid Department including the implementation of all Title IV Federal Student Aid Programs, state and institutional funds, and all other avenues for student financing, procedures, and regulations. The Associate Director handles confidential decision making and policy making matters and the day-to-day direct supervision of the Financial Aid Office on the Lowell Campus and personnel.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Decision making and Leadership Responsibilities:

• Formulates and determines financial aid policy through participation in ongoing discussions and high-level decision making with the Director of Financial Aid to maintain compliance with state and federal regulations
• This position is integral to the operations of the Financial Aid Office, with direct fiscal oversight of a $12.1 million state financial aid portfolio. This role ensures the accurate management, disbursement, and reconciliation of funds, while maintaining compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations
• Fills in for the Director of Financial Aid when the Director of Financial Aid is on vacation or absent from the College
• Collaborates with the Director of Financial Aid to formulate and create financial aid policies and procedures to ensure students are provided with quality service and ensure that the College's core mission and vision of student success continues to be met
• Makes independent decisions regarding financial aid policy advice and problematic and/or complex financial aid cases
• Researches, analyzes, and interprets state and federal financial aid regulations; establishes departmental policies and procedures to ensure both continued compliance with regulations and exceptional customer service to a diverse population of college students and their families is provided
• Prepares and updates all financial aid publications including consumer information, instructional materials and training manuals, designs and revises financial aid forms, applications and brochures
• Maintains current working knowledge of all federal, state and institutional financial aid regulations and communicates regulatory changes to staff.

Supervisory Duties:

• Handles the direct day-to-day supervision of the Lowell Financial Aid Offices, including the direct supervision of Financial Aid Counselors, Senior Financial Aid Counselors, Financial Aid Coordinators, and administrative support staff
• Conducts performance evaluations for direct reports and supervises the processing of timesheets and time off requests through HR/CMS system to ensure proper office coverage
• Assists in onboarding and professional development needs of the department, including: participating in the selection of new staff, the implementation of employee training, dissemination of state and federal information to employees through webinars and presentations, and assisting in all other onboarding needs
• Resolves personnel matters through ongoing communication with direct reports, the Director of Financial Aid and Human Resources, where appropriate
• Manages and directs the administration of caseload assignments with Financial Aid Counselors
• Provides leadership and direction to financial aid staff by assessing work flow issues and reviewing work for quality and accuracy to ensure program integrity
• Assists counselors and coordinators in complex and problematic counseling issues of current and prospective students regarding costs, available resources, the FA application process, and alternative financing option

Duties Specific to Financial Aid:

• Conducts student academic progress review and communication to ensure Title IV compliance, student success and College retention
• Responsible for academic and financial appeals and official student record adjustments to ensure Title IV compliance
• Oversees and administers the Federal Direct Lending Program for the College
• Manages and oversees the electronic transmission of all loan data through the Department of Education Common Origination and Disbursement system (COD software). Resolves errors, rejects and processes problems that may arise. Oversees the exceptions resolution as part of the Direct Loan reconciliation process.
• Monitors student enrollment to ensure accurate disbursement of financial aid
• Originates and certifies student loans, completing R2T4 calculations, completing book advancements, and other responsibilities related to the aid process.
• Manages the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) automation process, Evening Nursing system set up and implementation including manual awarding, specialized communications and trouble shooting and coordinates Adopted and Foster Child tuition and fee waiver program including identifying, awarding, certifying, disbursing, and reconciling state and institutional funds
• Assists with the year-end reconciliation of funds.
• Manages academic progress "Maximum Time Frame" review including running of manual reports through Degree Works.
• Assists with audit data review to provide policy and procedure analysis for required audit responses.
• Manages implementation and updates to Banner, SoftDocs Etrieve, and other FA systems. Including participating with annual setup and analyzing system requirements for regulatory changes.
• Updates the monitoring for and reviews the account of transfer students on National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).
• Completes book vouchers during opening weeks of each semester or session.
• Participates in MCC functions and conducts presentations, represents MCC in off-campus functions

Relationships with College Community and Outside Entities:

• Participates in College committees responsible for developmental of institutional plans and provides financial aid concerns and prospective while maintaining a high degree of confidentiality
• Works with the Registrar to resolve data conflicts between the National Student Clearinghouse and the National Student Loan Data System. Updates the monitoring for and reviews the accounts of transfer students on the National Student Loan Data System.
• Collaborates with FA Systems Manager to identify potential unofficial withdrawals via the end of term attendance verification processes and to set up Banner for summer processing, analyzes academic calendar to set up budget types and awarding periods, prepares and distributes processing instructions and awarding guidelines, runs reports to identify cohorts and sorts for academic and financial eligibility.
• Works in conjunction with the representatives from the Student Success and TRIO programs regarding the process of awarding offices' grants.
• Acts as a liaison to the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, the Rehabilitation Commission and the Department of Children and Families in order to manage the exchange of award/cost of attendance information for financial aid recipients.
• Responsible for maintaining a strong working relationship with other college offices such as Admissions/Recruitment, Registrar/Student Information Center, Advising, Information Technology, Communication Center, etc.
• Acts as a liaison with Student Accounts, financial aid staff, and Comptroller to ensure accurate and timely return of federal funds for uncashed refund checks.
• Other duties as assigned

• Master's degree in Education, Business Administration, Accounting, Human Services, or closely related field; with a minimum five (5) years' experience and/or training involving financial aid operations, or loan processing; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Broad knowledge of state and federal financial aid programs and record-keeping requirements
• Comprehensive understanding, interpretation, and application of federal and state financial aid regulations
• Knowledge of supervision and personnel practices, training methodologies and communication techniques.
• Ability to form strong coalitions with internal and external constituencies
• Experience using integrated higher education student information systems,
• Ability to resolve problems and to develop relevant alternatives and recommendations
• Financial management and strong analytical skills
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and to be organized and detail oriented
• Ability to recognize departmental priorities and work cooperatively to support their accomplishment
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; to establish positive public relations for the college; and to interact effectively with a variety of people
• Able to work independently and as part of a project team to meet deadlines.

Salary Range: $83,000-$93,000 actual salary commensurate with academic background and experience. Employees of Middlesex Community College are considered employees of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and receive benefits, which include:

• High-quality and affordable health insurance through the Commonwealth's Group Insurance Commission (GIC)
• Competitive Dental and Vision Plans
• Flexible Spending Account and Dependent Care Assistance programs
• Low-cost basic and optional life insurance
• Retirement Savings: State Employees' Pension or Optional Retirement Program (ORP) and Deferred Compensation 457(b) plan or 403(b).
• 12 paid holidays per year and competitive Sick, Vacation, and Personal Time
• Tuition Benefits for employees and dependents at state colleges and universities
• Short-Term Disability and Extended Illness program participation options
• Professional Development and Continuing Education opportunities
• Cell Phone Bill Discounts with Verizon and T-Mobile Cell Phone Carriers
• Access to the Commonwealth's Mass4You, employee assistance program
• Free employee parking on Bedford and Lowell campuses
• Eligibility towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Location: Lowell campus with occasional travel to Bedford as needed

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, schedule to be determined upon hire, This position will be eligible for a maximum of one day of telework in accordance with the College's telework policy.

Expected Start Date: November 2025

Application Deadline: October 8, 2025

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