Financial Aid Coordinator Manager

Financial Aid Coordinator Manager

California Institute of Applied Technology

Pay Range: $75,000.00/yr – $85,000.00/yr

Location: Work from Home (WFH). Remote work must be performed while residing in California, New Mexico or Florida. Campus locations:
San Diego, CA and Albuquerque, NM.

Reports to: Director of Financial Aid

Employment Type: Full-time

The Financial Aid Coordinator Manager at CIAT will lead and oversee a dedicated team of Financial Aid Coordinators to support active and returning students through their educational journey. This role ensures students have a seamless, transparent, and supportive financial aid experience each term to ensure continuous funding through graduation. The ideal candidate will bring a passion for education, a strong understanding of federal, state, and institutional financial aid regulations, and proven experience managing and motivating teams in a vocational or technical school environment.

The Financial Aid Coordinator Manager will be responsible for leading a team to enhance the financial aid experience for students.

• Recruit, coach, motivate, and supervise our growing team of Financial Aid Coordinators.
• Monitor and improve critical KPIs and performance metrics for each Financial Aid Coordinator.
• Support termly financial processing goals by ensuring Financial Aid Coordinators provide accurate student financial statements, forecasts, and financial guidance.
• Coach Financial Aid Coordinators on effective processes in helping students navigate the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process and interpret their financial aid awards.
• Oversee the administration of financial aid programs, including federal, state, institutional, and private aid.
• Support student escalations by handling student inquiries and complaints with care and a customer service approach.
• Coach Financial Aid Coordinators to effectively provide counseling on financial aid applications, deadlines, and award processes.
• Assist students and families with renewing financial aid and other funding options.
• Adhere to SAP policies and guidelines, coaching Financial Aid Coordinators on effective strategies in motivating and educating students on the funding impacts of SAP.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations such as Title IV, state‑specific rules, and institutional policies.
• Monitor and track financial processing and clearance.
• Maintain current knowledge of all funding sources offered by the institution.
• Provide ongoing training to team members on policy and process changes.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including Admissions, Student Services, and Career Services, to support student recruitment and retention goals.
• Ensure that the institution follows federal, state, and institutional regulations.
• Prepare for and manage financial aid audits and reviews.
• Submit necessary reports required for various governing bodies, such as the Department of Education, and annual audits to the Financial Aid Director for final review and approval.
• Adhere to compliance deadlines and perform periodic reviews to determine compliance status.
• Work with the Financial Aid Director to develop and revise department policies and procedures.
• Communicate policy updates to students and staff as needed.
• Coach and counsel employees in partnership with HR.
• Provide professional growth opportunities for employees.
• Manage and enforce timekeeping policies to ensure accuracy and timely process of employee’s timecards.
• Contribute to team effort by accomplishing results as needed.
• Process timely, accurate, fair, without bias, performance reviews.
• Embody CIAT’s mission, values, and support the goals of the department.
• Ensure a safe, secure, and ethical work environment.

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent work experience.
• Previous Financial Aid management experience preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in higher education financial aid positions, including administering Title IV, VA, private education financing, scholarships, and employer‑sponsored funding.
• Minimum 2 years of experience using enterprise CRM systems such as Salesforce, Hub Spot, or Microsoft Dynamics.