[Hiring] Director of Student Finance @Sonoran Desert Institute

Role Description

The Director of Student Finance oversees the entire student funding lifecycle, from initial funding determination and packaging through ongoing funding administration, graduation or withdrawal, and repayment processes. The Financial Services Department strives to create an environment where students understand their financing options and how they impact their current educational experience as well as their financial future, and students can complete the Financial Services process quickly and accurately in order to focus on their studies.

• Provide leadership for the department to ensure students are properly serviced throughout their funding lifecycle.
• Ensure timely, accurate, and compliant administration of all applicable funding sources, including Title IV, Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits, Department of Defense Tuition Assistance (TA), employer assistance, self-pay, and other institutional or third-party funding sources.
• Oversee both student-facing funding and packaging functions and back-office Student Finance processing and operations.
• Collaborate across departments to support the student experience and effective administration of student funding.
• Oversee development and maintenance of Student Finance procedures, SOPs, training materials, and operational controls.
• Partner with the Director of Funding Compliance on institutional policy and regulatory interpretation.
• Maintain strong working knowledge of all applicable federal, state, accreditor, VA, DoD, and institutional funding requirements.
• Oversee required data exchanges and processing between the SIS and applicable federal, military, and other funding systems.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex student funding, operational, and cross-functional issues.
• Ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained.
• Oversee operational reporting, data quality, and processes necessary to ensure student funding information is timely and accurately reflected.
• Maintain current professional and operational knowledge through ongoing training, professional development, and collaboration.
• Manage employees including hiring, disciplinary action, annual reviews, and termination.
• Participate in institutional committees and leadership meetings as assigned.
• Oversee accurate and timely R2T4 determinations, calculations, post-withdrawal disbursements, and required returns for other funding types.
• Oversee timely and accurate processing of credit balance stipends and refunds, in conjunction with Student Accounts.
• Ensure compliant and timely batching of Title IV funding and posting to student ledger cards.
• Ensure all student funding communications, counseling, award notifications, and outstanding-item outreach are timely, accurate, clear, and compliant.
• Maintain sufficient working knowledge of institutional, federal, VA, DoD, and third-party funding systems.
• Work closely with employees, peers, and Online President to identify process gaps and inefficiencies.
• Provide Student Finance operational insight and recommendations to institutional leadership as requested.
• Oversee front-end eligibility and packaging functions, including FAFSA/ISIR processing, verification, C-code resolution, conflicting information, professional judgment, file completion, packaging, and repackaging.
• Maintain relationships and oversight of third-party vendors and consultants.
• Serve as the primary Student Finance operational contact for funding-related audits, program reviews, VA compliance surveys, TA audits, and other regulatory examinations.
• Provide operational input to Compliance and institutional leadership regarding proposed or changing funding requirements.
• Establish and monitor processing timelines, service levels, workload, staffing needs, quality indicators, and other performance measures for Student Finance.
• Partner with Compliance and Quality Assurance to address identified errors, trends, findings, and corrective actions.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, education, administration, or related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in student financial aid, student finance, or related higher education operations.
• Strong knowledge of student funding operations, Title IV administration, VA and TA benefits, scholarships, employer reimbursement, internal controls, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Proficiency with student information systems, financial aid and federal funding systems, and data/reporting tools.
• Knowledge of online, modular delivery models is a plus.
• Proven leadership skills with a player-coach mentality.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, interpersonal, and influencing skills.
• Highly organized, results-oriented self-starter with strong multitasking skills.

Benefits

• Highly competitive compensation.
• Award winning culture.
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
• Comprehensive benefits package with 100% company-paid medical option for employee.
• 401(k) with generous company match.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Pet Insurance.
• Company-paid Life insurance.
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick, and Volunteer time off!).
• 14 Paid holidays.
• Referral program.
• Education Tuition Benefit program.
• Career development opportunities with a growing company.
• A team who is dedicated to your success!

Company Description

Sonoran Desert Institute (SDI) has been changing lives since 2000. As a DEAC accredited school, our mission is to provide students with current, industry-driven, quality education, delivered through online distance education and practical applications. SDI is an employee-owned company creating a culture with an ownership mentality at the foundation. We believe in rewarding our employees through the success of the institution. We’re proud to be recognized by the Great Place to Work Institute as a Great Place to Work for four consecutive years 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.