Associate Director of Financial Aid, Natural Sciences - Military Veterans

Position Description

The Associate Director of Financial Aid, Natural Sciences leads the Natural Sciences team and works with all aspects of the financial aid process including admissions, analyzing financial aid, and registration status. The Associate Director reports to the Director of Financial Aid and manages a team focused on supporting this work.

Administration of Financial Aid

• Leads and serves as the subject matter expert of the Natural Sciences financial aid team, providing oversight and administration of financial aid as well as facilitating financial aid activities for the Natural Sciences division.
• Primary responsibility for the oversight and administration of financial aid in all 18 graduate Natural Sciences departments of approximately $160M in federal, state, institutional and private financial aid funds to a caseload of over 2,800 students, including direct oversight and administration of financial aid in 11 graduate Natural Sciences departments of approximately $50-60M in federal, state, institutional and private financial aid funds to a caseload of over 1200 students.
• Authorizes and provides oversight and management of Sponsored Programs totaling an additional $13M+ in awards to over 350 students, including NSF, HHMI Gilliam Fellowship, Hertz. Serves as part of the Natural Sciences team, which oversees a total of 17 programs and 2000+ students.
• Counsels graduate students on effective use of the financial support package, fellowship sources, loans, budget planning, debt management, and related matters.
• Interprets and administers Harvard Griffin GSAS financial aid policies for students, faculty, departments, administrative offices, and outside agencies.
• Develops and evaluates financial aid materials, website content, forms, etc.

Supervision

• Supervises staff, including planning and delegating work effectively and communicating performance expectations.

Budget Management

• Manages the financial aid budgets for 11 natural sciences departments; advises and assists in developing financially sound strategies for the awarding of departmental monies.
• Maintains accounts for departments? unrestricted and restricted funds; prepares allocations in accordance with the Harvard Griffin GSAS Financial Aid Plan.
• Collaborates with program administrators to assign and review Harvard Griffin GSAS and departmental funding resources and advises departments, as appropriate, of financial resources available.
• Manages database of student financial resources in natural sciences; gathers data from various university sources to ensure standard funding is provided and prevent funding in excess of the program?s standard support.
• Oversees the administration of the NSF Graduate Fellowship Research Program and the awarding of NSF funds.
• Assesses student financial need for extraordinary circumstances.

Strategic Management

• Strategizes with management on the effective administration of Harvard Griffin GSAS financial aid, developing and analyzing reports for use in strategic planning.
• Reviews Harvard Griffin GSAS financial aid policy, recommending to senior management policy changes.
• Collaborates with national fellowship Program Directors (NSF, HHMI, Hertz) to implement and develop policy and new initiatives, review and recommend effective administrative processes, provide guidance to grant recipients.
• Prepares reconciled program expenditure reports to Harvard?s Office of Sponsored Programs.
• Reports and uploads data on behalf of Harvard University for the NSF-NIH Survey of Graduate Students and Post doctorates in Science and Engineering.

Fellowships and Fund Management

• Oversees the annual HHMI Gilliam Fellowship, the Responsible Conduct of Research requirement for NSF Fellows, Oversees the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor?s degree or equivalent work experience required
• A minimum of 7 years? relevant work experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills

• Master?s degree with at least 5 years? experience in financial aid/student services;
• Prior supervisory experience;
• Strong counseling and customer service skills;
• Demonstrated service aptitude and ability to work with students and colleagues;
• Computer skills, finance and budget administration;
• Experience with MS Office Suite; Experience with Sharepoint and Adobe Acrobat;
• Excellent analytic abilities with effective written and oral communication skills;
• Sound independent judgment;
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy and ability to manage a demanding workload in a collaborative team-oriented environment

Working Conditions
This is a hybrid position and will be based in Cambridge, MA.
Additional details will be reviewed during the interview process.
Additional Information

• A cover letter is required to be considered.
• We are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.
• All formal offers will be made by FAS Human Resources.

Benefits
We invite you to visit Harvard's Total Rewards website ( https://hr.harvard.edu/totalrewards ) to learn more about our outstanding benefits package, which may include:

• Paid Time Off: 3-4 weeks of accrued vacation time per year (3 weeks for support staff and 4 weeks for administrative/professional staff), 12 accrued sick days per year, 12.5 holidays plus a Winter Recess in December/January, 3 personal days per year (prorated based on date of hire), and up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents who are primary care givers.
• Health and Welfare: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, disability and life insurance programs, along with voluntary benefits. Most coverage begins as of your start date.
• Work/Life and Wellness: Child and elder/adult care resources including on campus childcare centers, Employee Assistance Program, and wellness programs related to stress management, nutrition, meditation, and more.
• Retirement: University-funded retirement plan with contributions from 5% to 15% of eligible compensation, based on age and earnings with full vesting after 3 years of service.
• Tuition Assistance Program: Competitive program including $40 per class at the Harvard Extension School and reduced tuition through other participating Harvard graduate schools.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Program that provides 75% to 90% reimbursement up to $5,250 per calendar year for eligible courses taken at other accredited institutions.
• Professional Development: Programs and classes at little or no cost, including through the Harvard Center for Workplace Development and LinkedIn Learning.
• Commuting and Transportation: Various commuter options handled through the Parking Office, including discounted parking, half-priced public transportation passes and pre-tax transit passes, biking benefits, and more.
• Harvard Facilities Access, Discounts and Perks: Access to Harvard athletic and fitness facilities, libraries, campus events, credit union, and more, as well as discounts to various types of services (legal, financial, etc.) and cultural and leisure activities throughout metro-Boston.

Work Format
Hybrid (partially on-site, partially remote)

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Harvard University views equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging as the pathway to achieving inclusive excellence and fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive. We strive to create a community that draws upon the widest possible pool of talent to unify excellence and diversity while fully embracing individuals from varied backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and values.

EEO Statement
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.