Special Information

• This position is a hybrid position which allows the incumbent to complete their work at both an NAU site (Flagstaff Mountain Campus), campus, or facility and at a non-centralized site with or without accommodation.

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About the Department/College

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid is committed to help make paying for college simple, affordable, and transparent. We pledge to helping you through the process of applying for financial aid, finding scholarship and grant opportunities and maximizing your funding to pay for your post-secondary education. From scholarships to grants to loans and federal programs, NAU offers numerous types of financial aid opportunities for students.

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About the Position

The Financial Aid Advisor (Intermediate or Senior) position is part of the Operations and Compliance team within the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid and reports to the Assistant Manager (Loans). This position is responsible for the planning, compliance, and administration of financial aid programs, focusing primarily on federal and private student and parent loans. The role assists with processing monthly reconciliations, withdrawal calculations, FAFSA evaluations, and Title IV verification to determine and maintain student eligibility. Further responsibilities include comprehensive financial aid advising to navigate strict eligibility and compliance requirements for students and campus partners. At the senior level, the advisor exercises independent judgment to manage escalated cases, resolve complex loan origination and disbursement discrepancies, and identify and recommend policy, procedural, or systemic improvements to the Assistant Manager. This position is located on the Flagstaff Mountain Campus.

Responsibilities Include

Financial Aid Advisor, Intermediate

40% - Program Management

• Administers assigned financial aid programs, specializing in federal and private alternative loans, ensuring strict compliance with Title IV, institutional, and Arizona Board of Regents policies.
• Analyzes financial aid records to determine student eligibility, authorizing awards and adjustments through standard file review, including Verifications, Comment Code (C-CODE) resolution, and Change Flag processing.
• Resolves standard operational issues, including but not limited to federal overawards, aggregate loan limits, and loan prorations, consulting the Assistant Manager when complex regulatory exceptions arise.
• Updates internal processing guides and standard operating procedures, recommending workflow adjustments that reduce processing errors and improve turnaround time.
• Performs monthly loan reconciliations, audit support, and system testing; documents discrepancies and escalates unresolved compliance concerns.
• Monitors regulatory updates and coordinates daily workflow to ensure team processing timelines and compliance targets are met.

25% - Program Advising and Student Support

• Serves as a primary point of contact for students, families, and campus partners regarding assigned financial aid programs and loan processing steps.
• Delivers clear, timely advising via phone, email, and virtual channels, explaining eligibility criteria, disbursement schedules, and loan repayment resources.
• Researches and resolves routine account issues across institutional, federal, and private databases (PeopleSoft, COD, NSLDS, and ELM).
• Documents student interaction and account actions in PeopleSoft and Salesforce, maintaining strict FERPA and GLBA confidentiality.
• Monitors trends in student inquiries and processing delays, suggesting adjustments to student communications to reduce common questions.

15% - Team Leadership

• Provides cross-functional coverage during absences or peak processing cycles, retrieving daily reports and maintaining standard processing to prevent workflow disruptions.
• Provides situational support to operations student employees, answering routine questions regarding document imaging, indexing, and basic system navigation (e.g., PeopleSoft, OnBase) as needed.
• Assists student staff navigating document reviews or FERPA privacy questions to ensure accurate file completion.
• Logs check deliveries and secures physical deposit bags in the safe as needed or during coverage gaps, adhering to internal control protocols.

15% - Support Department and Division Priorities

• Supports the strategic enrollment objectives of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, Strategic Enrollment Management, and the university.
• Staffs financial aid outreach, recruitment, and retention events, collaborating with campus partners.
• Represents the department professionally at approved conferences, campus committees, and training workshops.
• Identifies operational pain points and proposes practical workflow changes to streamline daily procedures and student service delivery.
• Completes professional development and cross-training across the department and division as assigned.

5% - Other

• Participates in special projects within the office as assigned.
• Performs other duties as assigned, including occasional evening or weekend work and travel for university events, recruitment, or conferences. 

Financial Aid Advisor, Senior

40% - Program Management

• Serves as the subject-matter expert for all assigned financial aid programs, specializing in Federal Direct Loans and private alternative loans, independently managing complex loan processing and compliance audits.
• Interprets and applies strict federal regulations to resolve escalated student cases involving complex Verifications, C-CODEs, Change Flags, and Professional Judgment reviews.
• Leads the annual review of program policies and procedures, optimizing system controls to leverage automation and ensure strict Title IV compliance.
• Conducts monthly federal and alternative loan reconciliation to identify root causes of file transmission errors between PeopleSoft, ELM, and federal data systems, and implement corrective fixes.
• Coordinates processing schedules and deadlines, developing training materials and providing compliance risk updates to leadership.

25% - Program Advising and Student Support

• Serves as an advanced resource for escalated or high-impact inquiries regarding Direct Loans, PLUS loans, and alternative loans, resolving complex cases across students, campus departments, and external loan servicers.
• Delivers authoritative advising on intricate eligibility, disbursement, and repayment rules, translating dense regulatory requirements into clear explanations.
• Anticipates widespread processing delays or communication breakdowns ahead of peak enrollment cycles, recommending proactive outreach and workflow adjustments to prevent student escalations.
• De-escalates sensitive student or parent concerns, promptly escalating unresolved legal, reputational, or severe compliance risks to the Assistant Manager.
• Conducts strategic training sessions for staff and campus partners to ensure consistent advising accuracy and policy interpretation across units.

15% - Team Leadership

• Serves as operational lead in the Assistant Manager's absence, managing escalated inquiries, supporting peer advisors, and ensuring workflow continuity.
• Organizes coverage during team absences, distributing PeopleSoft reports, addressing OnBase queues, and assigning ad-hoc tasks across the team.
• Advises student operations staff during peak processing cycles or primary supervisor absences, maintaining continuity for time-sensitive tasks such as document triage and imaging.
• Safeguards secure processing workflows, including physical safe access and locked deposit bags, to maintain operational integrity and prevent audit vulnerabilities.

15% - Support Department and Division Priorities

• Drives departmental initiatives, managing project deliverables to ensure alignment with established deadlines and institutional priorities.
• Leads financial aid participation in university recruitment and orientation, managing event logistics and minimizing cross-functional barriers.
• Represents the department as an experienced resource on university committees, communicating policy changes and project outcomes back to leadership.
• Initiates and leads cross-functional workflow reviews, identifying operational bottlenecks across financial aid processes and presenting actionable solutions to department leadership.
• Leads cross-training and professional development initiatives, tracking team performance metrics to ensure target goals are met.

5% - Other

• Participates in special projects within the office as assigned.
• Performs other duties as assigned, including occasional evening or weekend work and travel for university events, recruitment, or conferences. 

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Minimum Qualifications

Financial Aid Advisor, Intermediate

• Associates or Undergraduate Bachelor’s degree.
• 2 years of relevant experience.

Financial Aid Advisor, Senior

• Undergraduate Bachelor’s degree.
• 3 years of relevant experience.

*A combination of related education, experience, and training may be used as an equivalent to the above Minimum Qualifications.

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Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field.
• Experience working in a financial aid office and administering federal, state, and institutional aid.
• NASFAA U Credentials.

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Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Knowledge

• Knowledge of federal and state rules, regulations, guidelines, and procedures related to financial aid.
• Knowledge of higher education compliance and privacy laws, including FERPA, GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act), Title IX, etc.

Skills

• Skill in managing competing priorities of varying complexity within a highly regulated, deadline-driven environment.
• Advanced skill in client service, student advising, and conflict resolution.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Salesforce CRM.

Abilities

• Works with confidential and/or sensitive information.
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships.
• Communicates effectively, including the ability to present to small and large groups.
• Possesses strong problem-solving, organizational, analytical, and technical research capabilities.
• Demonstrated capacity to adapt to change.
• Demonstrated commitment to working with a variety of student, staff and faculty from different backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to efficiently and effectively solve problems and implement projects independently.

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Compensation

Financial Aid Advisor, Intermediate

Salary range is $38,628 - $42,409. Annual salary commensurate with candidate's qualifications and related experience.

Financial Aid Advisor, Senior

Salary range is $44,422 - $48,353. Annual salary commensurate with candidate's qualifications and related experience.

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Pre-Employment Check

Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, an employment history verification and a degree verification (in some cases) prior to employment. You may also be required to complete a fingerprint background check. Also, as an employer in the state of Arizona, NAU is required to participate in the federal E-Verify program that assists employers with verifying new employees' right to work in the United States.

This position has been identified as a safety/security sensitive position. Therefore, per AZ Revised Statute, Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, employment history investigation, degree verification (in some cases) and fingerprinting. If you are applying for a job that requires a CDL, you will be required to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse and adhere to the clearinghouse requirements.

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Notice of Availability of the Annual Fire and Security Report

Each year Northern Arizona University releases an Annual Security Report. The report is a result of a federal law known as the Clery Act. The report includes Clery reportable crime statistics for the three most recent completed calendar years and discloses procedures, practices and programs NAU uses to keep students and employees safe including how to report crimes or other emergencies occurring on campus. In addition, the Fire Safety Report is combined with the Annual Security Report for the NAU Flagstaff Mountain Campus as this campus has on-campus student housing. This report discloses fire safety policies and procedures related to on-campus student housing and statistics for fires that occurred in those facilities. If you would like a free paper copy of the report, please contact the NAUPD Records Department at (928) 523-8884 or by visiting the department at 525 E. Pine Knoll Drive in Flagstaff.

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Immigration Support/Sponsorship

Northern Arizona University will not provide any U.S. immigration support or sponsorship for this position.

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Submit your Application

To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply" button on this page. You must submit your application by midnight of the application deadline.

If you are an individual with a disability and need reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process, please contact the Disability Resources Office at 928-523-8773, DR@nau.edu, or PO Box 5633, Flagstaff AZ 86011.