Financial Aid Counselor - Higher Ed. jobs in Maine

The University of Maine at Farmington is seeking candidates for an Admissions/Financial Aid Counselor. This is a full-time, twelve-month position and will serve a key role in supporting prospective students through the enrollment process. This person will have knowledge of both the admissions and financial aid processes and will serve as a part-time admissions counselor and part-time financial aid counselor.This person will assist prospective students and families through all aspects of the financial aid and scholarship processes. This is a shared position; the person will work for approximately seven months a year in Admissions, and approximately five months a year in Financial Aid, and serve as a liaison between both departments throughout the year.

Essential Duties

• Serving as a well-informed ambassador both on and off campus to prospective students, parents, alumni, school counselors and community leaders.
• Providing dynamic, educational public information sessions, panels, and presentations for external audiences.
• Executing between eight to twelve weeks of Admissions recruitment travel to high schools, college fairs, community-based organizations, college night programs, receptions, and events.
• Providing weekend coverage for on-campus events (typically 4-8 days annually).
• Working with constituents to complete applications in geographic-assigned territory and evaluate admissions candidacy to Farmington.
• Meeting with applicants and their parents regarding the financial aid process and financial aid opportunities.
• Providing frontline support to incoming students and their families/mentors as it pertains to understanding financial support, checklist completion, and yield efforts.
• Building meaningful relationships and communication channels between prospective inquiries, applicants, admitted and matriculating students, their families and UMF staff, coaches, faculty, and students.
• Assisting recruited student athletes in overview of their financial aid awards.
• Learning and apply the strict guidelines for eligibility for Federal, State, and institutional financial aid.
• Dealing with sensitive and confidential matters regarding personal and financial circumstances of individual applicants and their families.
• Collaborating with the Coordinator of UMF’s Peer-to-Peer Financial Literacy and Education Program to build programming that will provide education and support to incoming students and their families around paying for college.
• Assisting with assessment, evaluation, and reports.
• Assisting with the research, coordination, and recommendation of selected scholarship decisions.
• Utilizing Technology in the position includes, but is not limited to: PeopleSoft (MaineStreet), Salesforce, SMS360, Apsona, Concur, Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, Zoom, RepVisits, Scoir, COD, EPIC, NSLDS, various social media platforms, etc.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Note: UMF reserves the right to change or assign additional duties as necessary.

About University of Maine at Farmington:

The University of Maine at Farmington has earned a national reputation for excellence, gaining stature as one of the finest state-supported liberal arts colleges in the northeastern U.S. Additionally, UMF is rated 5th in U.S. News & World Report Top Regional Public College North for 2023 and has been rated one of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News 25 times since 1998.

The campus is in historic downtown Farmington, just a short walk away from coffee shops, funky stores, restaurants, banks, bookstores, a multi-screen movie theater and a whole lot more. Our perfect location combines the active outdoor lifestyle with the arts & smarts of a small college town. With enrollment at around 1,600 full-time students, UMF is about the same size as many of New England’s most selective private colleges and offers many of the same advantages, yet at a very affordable price — providing a tremendous college value in a spectacular natural setting. Established in 1864 as Maine’s first public institution of higher education, the University of Maine at Farmington is a founding member of The Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) an exclusive national group of public colleges and universities committed to providing superior liberal arts and sciences education

Who is the University of Maine at Farmington?

A Nationally Ranked public university, recognized for its academic excellence, educational value and inclusion.

An Outdoorsy College located in the heart of world class skiing and snowboarding, hiking and mountain biking, kayaking and rafting.

An Affordable, high-quality, residential, liberal arts college.

A school that offers challenging and innovative Academic Programs in the arts and sciences, teacher preparation, and other pre-professional fields.

A small, friendly campus where Students are the center of the universe.

A place where caring Professors work side by side with students — in research, creative endeavors, in the classroom and outside.

An institution that offers unparalleled research opportunities — often at the level and depth found at graduate school.

A campus of 1,600 bright, creative, independent-minded students who thrive on challenges.

A college where students work hard but also enjoy kicking back and having Fun — lots of fun.

A quirky yet warm-hearted, accepting community where it’s OK to be you.

We may not be for everyone, but we just might be the perfect place for you.

Competencies

• Planning and organizing: Plan and organize work to manage time effectively and accomplish job duties.
• Innovative thinking: The ability to use existing and emerging technology and tools to create new and innovative solutions to problems and needs. This includes working with campus stakeholders to continually update, upgrade and develop new opportunities based on their area of focus (enrollment, advancement, advising, student affairs, etc.)
• Adaptability: The ability to react positively and effectively to change. To be able to quickly learn and work effectively with new technology as well as the changing landscape of campus focus, administrators/leadership, and strategy.
• Problem Solving and Decision Making: Observe and evaluate the outcomes of implementing the solution to assess the need for alternative approaches and to identify lessons learned; Ability to make ethical decisions and to exercise principled judgment and initiative when necessary, and to do so with a high level of attention to detail. Excellent problem-solving skills and a solution-based disposition.
• Technology Utilization: Included, but not limited to: PeopleSoft (MaineStreet), Salesforce, SMS360, Apsona, Concur, Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, Zoom, RepVisits, Scoir, COD, EPIC, NSLDS, various social media platforms, etc.

Required:

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Appreciation for the mission of a regional public institution.
• Outstanding interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills with a variety of constituencies.
• Willingness to constantly engage, reach out, connect, and keep in contact with prospective and matriculated students.
• Ability to work with students from marginalized and oppressed groups and life experiences.
• Collaborative work style.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and a solution-based disposition.
• Ability to respect confidentiality with sensitive information.
• Ability to make ethical decisions and to exercise principled judgment and initiative when necessary, and to do so with a high level of attention to detail.

Preferred:

• Experience working in an admissions office (e.g., working with high school/college bound students and families; geographic management experience: recruitment, selection, yielding, and activities, including program and event management).
• Experience working in a financial aid office (e.g., processing FAFSA information; managing loans and outside scholarships; counseling students and families on financial matters).
• Experience working in higher education.

Employees in the University of Maine System are required to comply with the UMS COVID protocols which currently inlcude, but are not limited to, being vaccinated, obtaining a qualified vaccination exemption, and/or participating in regular COVID testing. Further information can be found on our Together for Maine site.

Materials must be submitted electronically via "Apply for Position." Please create an applicant profile, complete a brief application, and upload:

1) A cover letter, which describes your qualifications, interests and suitability for the position

2) A resume/curriculum vitae

3) Contact information for three (3) professional references

You will also need to submit the affirmative action survey, the self-identification of disability form, and the self-identification of veteran status forms.

The position will close on May 1, 2023 at end of business day. Materials received after that date will be considered at the discretion of the university. Incomplete application materials will not be considered. We are not able to consider applicants who require Visa sponsorship support.

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background screening and references.

The University of Maine offers a wide range of benefits for employees including, but not limited to, tuition benefits (employee and dependent), comprehensive insurance coverage including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and short and long term disability as well as retirement plan options. View our Benefits Information Summary for additional information.

The University of Maine at Farmington employees are Mandatory Reporters with the exception of UMF’s licensed, clinical medical providers (including athletic trainers) and mental health providers and their clinical interns when working in their capacity as providers.

The University of Maine at Farmington is an EEO/AA employer and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following office has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Office of Equal Opportunity, Room 101 Boudreau Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5754, 207-581-1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).