Associate Director, Financial Aid Operations

Full Job Description

Who We Are

With three campuses along Colorado’s Front Range, FRCC is the state’s largest community college. We enroll close to 28,000 students annually from our diverse service area, which offers a variety of cultural and recreational activities.

Each year approximately 5,000 FRCC students transfer to four-year universities and FRCC offers more than 36 career training programs that prepare students for immediate employment and rewarding careers.

Last year, more than 5,000 high school students took concurrent enrollment classes with us, earning college credit without having to pay college tuition.

And we were recently ranked as one of the “Top Online Colleges” in the country by Newsweek.

One of FRCC’s main goals is to offer educational excellence for everyone.

The college’s strong commitment to student success means we start by creating an inclusive and equitable environment—one where both students and employees feel they belong and are supported.

FRCC’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is woven into the fabric of our college conversations and decision-making processes.

We are actively seeking to hire a workforce that reflects the diversity of our student body.

The college is also an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution. For us, becoming an HSI is an intentional commitment to being a college where our Latinx (and other historically marginalized) students thrive.

FRCC employees and leaders work hard to create a culture of collaboration, innovation and pride. We’re looking to hire people who share these values—along with our commitment to student success, equity and excellence.

Requirements

Who You Are

As the Associate Director of Financial Aid Operations, you will play a critical leadership role in advancing the College’s strategic plan by ensuring equitable, timely, and compliant access to financial aid for all students.

You will support student enrollment, persistence, and completion by leading operational excellence in financial aid processing, fund management, and systems management.

Working collaboratively with Financial Aid leadership, you will ensure that financial aid policies, processes, and technologies remove barriers and expand opportunity.

You will champion continuous improvement, data-informed decision-making, and staff development, helping to create a student-centered, inclusive financial aid experience that reflects FRCC’s commitment to equity, transparency, and student success.

In this role, you will assist the Director Financial Aid in fiscal budgeting, funds management and quality assurance measures in all areas of federal, state and institutional aid.

You will plan for the future and respond quickly to changes in federal, state or institutional policy. You will keep the staff engaged and apprised of current and changing processes.

Ideally, you are analytical, well organized, self-motivated, with a process improvement mindset who thinks critically, solves problems and adapts well to change.

This position is based out of the Westminster campus and requires a strong on-campus presence. The position will have the opportunity to work remotely occasionally and will occasionally need to travel to all three FRCC campuses.

Please note: You need to be a Colorado resident on your first day of employment. Also, Front Range Community College is an E-Verify employer.

SALARY: $65,579 - $68,858 annually

The salary range reflects the minimum and maximum starting salary for the position.

When determining the starting salary for a new employee, FRCC takes into consideration a combination of the selected candidate’s education, training and experience as it relates to the requirements of the position, as well as the position’s scope and complexity, internal pay equity and external market value.

BENEFITS: For information about benefits, please view APT & Faculty Benefits.

SELECTION PROCESS:Position will remain open until filled with a priority deadline of March 2, 2026. This posting may be used to fill multiple or similar positions.

The selection process for the Associate Director of Financial Aid Operations will be conducted through a competitive, merit-based evaluation of all qualified applicants.

Preliminary screening will be based on the completed application package submitted by the candidate.

In your application, please include a resume and cover letter that specifically address how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.

Primary Duties

Aid Application Review and Awarding:

• Lead and continuously improve processes for the daily import, review, and awarding of FAFSA and CASFA applications, including federal verification and comment code resolution, ensuring timely and equitable distribution of financial aid.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations by maintaining current knowledge of guidance from Federal Student Aid, NASFAA, and CCCS and integrating updates into operational workflows.
• Manage automated student communications and batch awarding processes to provide accurate, timely notifications regarding requirements, awards, and adjustments in Banner.
• Partner with the Associate Director of Financial Aid Advising to address student inquiries, resolve complex issues, and identify opportunities to strengthen processes and the student experience.

Fund Management and Reconciliation:

• Direct reconciliation and management of federal, state, and institutional financial aid funds, including Pell Grants, Direct Loans, SEOG, CSG, work-study, institutional grants, and scholarships, ensuring accuracy and regulatory compliance.
• Coordinate grant and loan origination and disbursement data exchanges through Federal Student Aid systems and monitor allocation of limited funds to maximize responsible use of resources.
• Ensure timely and compliant Return of Title IV calculations and serve as liaison with external institutions regarding transfer monitoring and overpayment resolution.
• Collaborate with Fiscal Affairs and Accounts Receivable to resolve financial aid–related issues affecting institutional and student accounts.

Supervision and Leadership:

• Supervise Financial Aid Specialists and the Financial Aid Coordinator – Operations, cultivating a collaborative, inclusive, and accountable team environment.
• Hire, train, evaluate, and support staff development, promoting professional growth and operational excellence.
• Assess and improve operational workflows across Financial Aid Operations, identifying opportunities for automation, efficiency, and compliance, including programs such as Work-Study and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
• Develop, document, and update operational procedures and deliver training in collaboration with Financial Aid leadership when regulatory, process, or system changes occur.

Systems Management:

• Provide advanced leadership in the effective use of Banner and related financial aid systems to ensure data integrity, accurate processing, and operational efficiency.
• Maintain expert knowledge of FAFSA and CASFA data integration to support seamless system functionality and accurate awarding.
• Coordinate system-related responsibilities within the team to ensure timely completion of projects and continuous improvement of automated processes.

Foundation Scholarships and COSI Grants:

• Administer the FRCC Foundation scholarship platform and partner with Foundation leadership to establish timelines, develop processes, and define awarding procedures.
• Support reconciliation efforts and prepare required reports for the Foundation Board.
• Coordinate awarding and reporting for Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI) programs in partnership with the COSI Program Manager, recommending best practices to strengthen program effectiveness.

Qualifications

Required Competencies

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Demonstrates behaviors that convey the importance of diverse lived-experiences and using an equity lens to guide decisions. Embraces diversity, promotes equity and creates an environment of inclusion.
• Building a Diverse Team: Seeks to understand the individual strengths on the team and uses those talents to make the most impact for students. Hires individuals from diverse backgrounds that support values and appreciation for individual differences.
• Commitment to Values: Demonstrates leadership and collaborative behaviors and actions that support FRCC values. Promotes an environment where equity creates opportunities for all students to achieve their educational goals.
• Student Success Focus: Makes decisions that support a student-first culture.
• Operational Planning: Ability to turn the strategic plan into an operational roadmap that guides the division. Supports teams in tying their goals to the college’s strategic plan and charges them to do the same with the employees they supervise.
• Change Catalyst: Ability to be nimble and willing to pivot if new data becomes available that can influence outcomes; understands that change is constant and requires flexibility.
• Communication: Communicates effectively with individuals with different backgrounds; ability to communicate in a way that is effective. Chooses words carefully in communications.
• Motivation: Ability to inspire oneself and others to reach goals and/or perform to the best of their ability.
• Collaboration: Willingness to work with colleagues across departments, specifically when job processes are integrated to strategically focus on ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness for students.
• Data Analysis: Prioritizes data analysis in the department and communicates the importance of having concrete information on outcomes to base decisions.
• Relationship Building: Outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to establish positive and respectful working relationships with students, staff, and faculty.
• Coaching & Mentoring: Coaches and/or mentors direct reports and emerging leaders within the college. Willingness to offer professional development opportunities for staff on topics that contribute to their success.
• Evaluation for Improvement: Uses ongoing evaluation as a process and program improvement tool. Works with the team to ensure everyone is aware of how the evaluation process works and why it is important.
• Problem Solving: Demonstrates the ability to examine problems and identify the root causes(s). Develops and implements processes to address problems so the process works as intended.

Compliance Framework: Knowledgeable about the rules, regulations, and policies that the college must comply with, most specifically in relation to the department.

Ensures that teams also understand the compliance framework. Routinely assesses the department’s operations to ensure compliance is being maintained.

• Customer Service: Provides friendly, timely, helpful and transformational assistance to students and their families regarding the financial aid process.
• Stress Management: Maintains emotional resilience and has the ability to deal with difficult situations while working with students and their families. Seeks support from others when necessary and uses appropriate coping techniques during stressful times.
• Attention to Detail: Thoroughly researches student’s accounts and provides accurate and consistent information.
• Adaptability: Willing to adapt to constantly changing rules, regulations and policies.

Qualifications

Required Education/Training & Work Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Three years of increasingly responsible professional experience which includes supervision of staff and a background in financial aid.
• Experience with technology systems such as Banner, or other Student Information Systems (SIS).
• Experience working with Federal Student Aid systems; CPS, COD, and NSLDS
  
  

Preferred Education/Training & Work Experience:

• Ability to communicate effectively in Spanish

Additional Information

Welcoming. Respectful. Inclusive. Together, we are FRCC.

For information on Front Range Community College’s Security, including Clery Act/Crime Statistics for the campuses and surrounding area, view FRCC’s Annual Security Report(Download PDF reader).