Assistant Director, Student Financial Aid

Assistant Director, Student Financial Aid

Salary

$52,543.10 - $66,754.05 Annually

Location

Lakeland

Job Type

Full-Time

Job Number

202600166

Org

Financial Aid Administration

Opening Date

07/28/2026

Closing Date

8/11/2026 8:00 AM Eastern

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Please label all uploaded documents with your full name (for example: Jane_Doe_Resume). This helps ensure your materials are properly matched to your application.

If you are a currently active Polk State College employee, please create an account using your polk.edu staff email address. Our HR system will not recognize you as an active employee.

Description

The Assistant Director of Student Financial Services provides operational leadership and day-to-day management of financial aid delivery at the Lakeland campus, while sharing department-wide responsibility for staff training, quality assurance, appeal review, and policy administration across all Polk State College locations. This position is the Colleges reclassification of the former Financial Aid Manager role, expanded to reflect the scope of authority the position already exercises under the Student Financial Services Policy and Procedures Manual, including escalated case resolution, professional judgment and dependency override review, high school diploma validity determinations, state program appeal review, and oversight of the departments staff training and cross-training program.

The Assistant Director works in direct partnership with the Director of Student Financial Services, serving as the Directors principal operational deputy and as a Tier 4 critical escalation point for the SFS Information Center. This position directly supports the Colleges compliance posture and student experience by ensuring consistent, accurate, and timely financial aid service delivery at the Lakeland campus and uniform policy application across all Student Financial Services locations.

Essential Functions/Duties

• Supervises Financial Aid Advisors; conduct performance evaluations and provide ongoing coaching.
• Manage daily Lakeland campus operations, including application processing, awarding, and disbursement, ensuring consistency with Winter Haven procedures.
• Assist Lakeland staff with escalated or complex student cases, serving as the first point of escalation above the Advisor and Coordinator levels.
• Communicate policy changes to Lakeland staff and coordinate operations with Winter Haven leadership to maintain consistent delivery service across both offices.
• Serve as a Tier 4 critical escalation contact for the SFS Information Center alongside the Director, resolving complaints, imminent enrollment impacts, and unresolved Tier 3 issues.
• Review Professional Judgment and Dependency Override requests, evaluate supporting documentation, and issue documented determinations in accordance with the FSA Handbook.
• Participate in high school diploma validity reviews, rendering final determinations alongside the AVP and Director when required under 34 CFR 668.16(p).
• Review flagged repeated-coursework cases in Banner, determine whether an exception applies, and perform documented manual overrides when justified.
• Review Florida state program institutional appeals (e.g., Bright Futures, FSAG) within 10 business days of a complete submission, in coordination with the Director.
• Receive and respond to formal written student complaints escalated from routine inquiry handling, per the departments complaint resolution procedure.
• Own oversight of the departments staff training and cross-training program under Section 16 of the Policy and Procedures Manual, identifying training needs based on regulatory updates, audit findings, system changes, and staff performance.
• Maintain and verify completion of training logs annually, and ensure uniform understanding and application of policy across all staff roles and both campuses.
• Monitor task reassignment logs and verify cross-training competency through observation, file review, or knowledge checks.
• Support new hire onboarding, including verification that required Title IV, FERPA, and system training is completed within 30 days of hire.
• Participate as a member of the SFS management team in the annual review of the Policy and Procedures Manual, providing input on proposed revisions to affected sections.
• Distribute the approved annual manual and conduct the mandatory staff briefing on all changes.
• Retain signed staff acknowledgment forms in departmental files and confirm review during annual staff performance evaluations.
• Support the Director in maintaining internal controls and audit-ready documentation of departmental procedures.
• Support Banner Financial Aid functional operations for the Lakeland campus, including packaging, awarding, and disbursement accuracy.
• Assist the Director with data integrity review, reporting accuracy, and coordination with IT and third-party vendors on system enhancements affecting Lakeland operations.
• Utilize reporting and analytics tools to monitor Lakeland campus service levels, processing timeliness, and compliance metrics.
• Serve as part of the emergency operations coordination team alongside the AVP and Director, supporting continuity of financial aid operations during pandemics, hurricanes, system outages, or campus closures.
• Maintain designated backup coverage for critical Lakeland campus functions and support the departments critical functions coverage plan.
• Supervise, train, and evaluate Lakeland campus staff, fostering a culture of compliance and student-centered service.
• Provide professional development and cross-training opportunities to Lakeland staff to ensure continuity of operations.
• Deputize for the Director of Student Financial Services in their absence on operational matters as assigned.

Typical Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Working knowledge of federal and state financial aid regulations, including Title IV and Florida state aid programs.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to render sound, documented eligibility determinations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage daily operations and competing priorities across multiple staff and functional areas.
• High level of integrity and commitment to regulatory compliance.
• Proficiency in Banner, data reporting tools, and financial aid systems.
• Demonstrated ability to train, coach, and evaluate staff.

Working Conditions

• Primarily office-based environment at the Lakeland campus, with regular coordination at the Winter Haven office.
• Occasional evening or weekend work may be required during peak processing periods.
• High-responsibility role requiring attention to detail and adherence to strict regulatory deadlines.

Salary and Benefits Information

• This position is level P15.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage; short-term disability; paid holidays and sick leave; vacation (excluding faculty positions); retirement benefits for eligible employees; and college fee waivers.

Required Education:

• A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution is required.

Preferred Education:

• Masters degree in higher education, business administration, or a related field from a regionally accredited institution is preferred.

Required Experience:

• Three (3) years of financial aid administration experience in higher education is required.
• Three (3) years in a supervisory or leadership position is required.
• Experience with Ellucian Banner or a comparable student information system is required.

Preferred Experience:

• Five (5) years of financial aid experience is preferred.
• Five (5) years in a leadership position is preferred.
• Experience in a Florida College System (FCS) institution is preferred.

Supplemental Information

Submissions that do not include all parts of the following required information will not be considered:

• a resume.
• an electronic job application (all sections MUST be completed).

Important Information

• If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended, or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement.
• Polk State College participates in E-Verify. Candidates must provide documentation of eligibility to work in the United States. Polk State College does not provide visa sponsorship.
• To request Veteran's Preference, please be sure to upload all necessary documents (DD-214, etc.) to your application.
• Polk State College is a drug-free workplace.
• Polk State College is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants and employees with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation is considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Employment visa sponsorship is unavailable for this position. Applicants requiring employment visa sponsorship now or in the future (e.g., F-1 STEM OPT, H-1B, TN, J1, etc.) will not be considered.
• Reference checks, successful completion of a background check, and third-party Education Verification for all stated degrees will be required prior to employment.
• Polk State College does NOT provide relocation assistance for this position.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Polk State College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs, activities, or employment. For information about the College's equal access and equal opportunity policies and procedures, or to file a complaint, please contact:

Title IX Coordinator

3425 Winter Lake Road

Lakeland, FL 33803

863.669.2903

compliance@polk.edu

For additional information, visit polk.edu/compliance

We encourage applicants to provide feedback on their experience or request help at Careers@polk.edu.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage; short-term disability; paid holidays and sick leave; vacation (excluding faculty positions); retirement benefits for eligible employees; and college fee waivers.

To learn more details, visit our benefits page.

01

Are you over the age of 18?

• Yes
• No

02

Are you currently authorized to work in the United States for any U.S. employer?

• Yes
• No

03

Will you now or in the future require any type of employer sponsorship or immigration-related support to legally work for Polk State College? (This includes but is not limited to the following: H-1B, H-1B1, J-1, TN, E-3, O-1, F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT.)

• Yes
• No

04

Are you currently in a period of F-1 CPT or OPT or seeking employment under one of these programs?

• Yes
• No

05

Are you a United States Veteran or a qualifying family member seeking to use Veterans Preference? (Please upload your DD-214 documents to your profile/application.)

• Yes
• No

06

Are you a current employee at Polk State College?

• Yes
• No

07

Are you bilingual?

• Yes
• No

08

I am able to work 100% on campus and I do not require a remote or hybrid schedule.

• Yes
• No

09

Which statement below best describes the highest level of education you have completed?

• High School Diploma/GED
• Associates Degree
• Bachelors Degree
• Masters Degree
• Masters Degree + 18 graduate hours
• Doctorate Degree

10

How many years of professional financial aid administration experience in higher education do you have?

• No experience
• Less than 1 year of experience
• 1 year but less than 2 years of experience
• 2 years but less than 3 years experience
• 3 years but less than 5 years experience
• More than 5 years experience

11

How many years of managing or supervising staff experience do you have?

• No Experience
• Less than 1 year of experience
• 1 year but less than 2 years of experience
• 2 years but less than 3 years of experience
• 3 years but less than 4 years of experience
• 4 years but less than 5 years of experience
• More than 5 years of experience

12

How many years of professional experience with Ellucian Banner or a comparable student information system do you have?

• No experience
• Less than 1 year of experience
• 1 year but less than 2 years of experience
• 2 years but less than 3 years experience
• 3 years but less than 5 years experience
• More than 5 years experience

13

The information provided in your application must support your selected answers in the supplemental questions. The information you provide will be verified and documentation may be required. Please be honest and accurate as possible. You may be asked to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in a work sample or during the interview. By completing this supplemental questionnaire, you are attesting that the information you have provided is accurate. Any misstatements, omissions, or falsification of information may eliminate you from consideration or result in dismissal.

• Yes, I understand and agree
• No, I do not agree

Required Question

Employer Polk State College

Address 999 Avenue H NE

Winter Haven, Florida, 33881

Phone 8632971055

Website www.polk.edu