Associate Director of Financial Aid (4527C), Berkeley Law - #81168

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Departmental Overview

Berkeley Law is committed to providing one of the best suites of financial aid programs of any top law school in the country. The Financial Aid Office helps a diverse array of students obtain grants, fellowships, and scholarships based on need and/or merit, as well as an array of federal, private, and institutional student loans.

Position Summary

The Associate Director of Financial Aid oversees the Financial Literacy program, Need-Based Aid Eligibility Appeal application, and Loan Modification Requests process. This position works closely with other stakeholders to post awards for the J.S.D. and LL.M. programs, Edley Grants, and student group awards in a timely manner, and is responsible for sending financial aid monthly newsletters and other financial aid communications.

This position provides excellent financial aid counseling and customer service by resolving student questions and issues surrounding institutional, private, state and federal student aid. The incumbent is expected to interpret financial aid regulations, analyze student data, and implement procedures to ensure regulatory compliance and timely delivery of financial aid. This position reports to the Director of Financial Aid.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: 10/09/2025.

Responsibilities

FINANCIAL AID PROCESSING:

• Manages the Financial Literacy program independently by identifying useful resources to share with current and graduated students, updating the website, preparing materials for financial literacy presentations, and hosting info sessions.
• Processes federal loan modification requests for reduction, addition, and return of federal student loans.
• Analyzes reports to resolve financial aid eligibility and award issues.
• Oversees the need-based aid eligibility appeal and makes recommendations to the Director of Financial Aid for an annual budget for the need-based aid appeal.
• Uses professional judgment and problem-solving skills to determine student financial aid eligibility in accordance with federal, state, and institutional rules and regulations.
• Collaborates with other stakeholders to post departmental awards in Campus Solution (CS) Student Information System, such as LL.M., Career Development Office, and student group awards.
• Launches the Continuing Student Scholarship (CSS) application, sends the CSS award letters out to students, posts the awards in CS, and updates the award information to the historical spreadsheets.
• Navigates institutional databases to identify issues affecting an individual student's aid processing.
• Analyzes reports and works with campus Financial Aid, Billing & Payment Services, Graduate Division, and the law school's Business Services office to troubleshoot payment of financial aid and other systems issues.
• Advocates on behalf of students to ensure fair, thorough, and timely processing.
• Recommends and implements decisions on administrative and operational issues affecting students' financial aid.
• Identifies reports and queries that would be helpful for improving the quality of our service and creates the reports using resources and tools available.
• Collaborates with the Director of Financial Aid and other partners on campus to pinpoint the available resources and tools.
• Maintains and updates the Financial Aid Operational Calendar at least annually.
• Identifies and resolves mismatches and errors.
• Reconciles large volumes of student data from multiple sources.
• Serves as a backup to process the Cost of Attendance Adjustment Requests (COAAR) using professional judgment.
• Performs special projects and other duties as assigned.

FINANCIAL AID ADVISING:

• Provides individual counseling on non-routine, sensitive aid issues.
• Exercises professional judgment to authorize changes in financial aid awards.
• Responds to financial aid emails daily and ensure that all student emails are responded to within 1-3 business days.
• Provides advice and information to current and prospective law students on financial aid options, policies, procedures, and regulations with regard to financing an education at Berkeley Law.
• Provides financial aid advising in person, by email, phone, or virtually to prospective, current, and graduated law students.
• Advises and provides information to students on federal loan repayment options available.
• Provides information to prospective, current, and graduated law students regarding the loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) at Berkeley Law.
• Appropriately identifies issues requiring escalation to the Director of Financial Aid.

FINANCIAL AID PRESENTATION & COMMUNICATION

• Creates and presents Financial Aid webinar, info sessions, and workshops both virtually and in person.
• Develops financial literacy event schedule annually with the support of the Director of Financial Aid and invites outside speakers to financial aid events when necessary.
• Sends financial aid email communication to current, prospective, and graduated students.
• Revises and updates the FinAid Wiki Instructions, forms, and website annually.
• Prepares Financial Aid Monthly Newsletter and distributes the newsletter to current students upon Director's approval.
• Implements improvements to internal operational processes given available resources.
• Suggests recommendations to existing financial aid procedures given available options to benefit students.
• Develops online content and email campaigns to improve communications to law student populations across all law programs.
• Updates and maintains procedure guides annually.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COLLABORATION

• Consults with other UC departments or external agencies on procedural issues affecting an individual student's eligibility for aid when needed.
• Participates on department committees, such as Grad/Professional financial aid, LRAP, and financial literacy committees.
• Actively participates in departmental and partner meetings.
• Trains student employees and newly hired staff on financial aid office tasks and responsibilities, which included but are not limited to Campus Solutions, TeamDynamix, YAMM, ACES2, SGA, CSS, and CampusLogic.
• Participates in staff development and training as assigned.
• Proactively seeks out and attends webinars and training sessions relevant to the role.
• Performs other duties within the scope of this classification as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Working knowledge of policies, regulations, and practices for awarding financial aid; specialized knowledge of particular programs.
• Strong advising and counseling techniques.
• Strong ability to interpret policies and develop procedures to ensure compliance.
• Problem identification, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills; judgment and decision-making ability.
• Ability to calculate financial aid with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Organizational skills and ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Active listening skills.
• Possesses strong customer service orientation skills.
• Strong ability to assess processes and implement improvements.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to exercise tact, diplomacy and a professional demeanor.
• Strong computer skills, including proficiency with standard office software as well as internet, email applications, and video conferencing platforms.
• Ability to learn new computer programs and software systems.
• Experience using complex databases.
• Ability to define specifications for database programming.
• Demonstrated ability to consistently work at the highest professional level with students and staff in a student service oriented academic setting.
• Ability to work with a variety of constituency such as faculty and staff across all academic and administrative units and students from variety of ethnic underrepresented backgrounds as well as those who have been educationally or economically disadvantaged.
• Ability to acquire specialized knowledge of a variety of aid programs (e.g. programs for student loans, law school grants, scholarships, fellowships in addition to campus scholarships and federal work study).
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaborate with individuals and groups from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment that promotes collaboration and mutual respect among all members of the UC Berkeley community and its stakeholders.
• Must demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to engage with and understand individuals from varied academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Bachelor's degree and 3 years of financial aid experience; OR Associate's Degree and 6 years of financial aid experience; and/or equivalent experience/training.
• Progressive work experience with student financial aid and billing systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of and/or can quickly learn University policies, processes, and procedures.
• Working knowledge of and/or can quickly learn common University-specific computer application programs such as SIS Campus Solutions Financial Aid and Student Financials modules.

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted annual salary range that the University reasonably expect