Associate Director of Processing

Position Number: 40033396

Payroll Title: FINANCIAL AID MGR 1

Job Code: 0307

Job Open Date: 12/4/2025

Application Review Begins: 12/19/2025

Department Code (Name): FINC (Financial Aid Office - Operation)

Percentage of Time: 100%

Union Code (Name): 99 Non-represented

Employee Class (Appointment Type): Staff: Career

FLSA Status: Exempt

Salary Grade: MSP/24

Pay Rate/Range: The budgeted salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $97,20.000 to $125,184.00/year. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience; the budget for the position; and the application of fair, equitable, and consistent pay practices at the University. The full salary range for this position is $97,200.00 to $182,00.00/year.

Work Location: 2101B SAASB

Working Days and Hours: Monday - Friday, 8AM - 5PM

Benefits Eligibility: Full Benefits

Type of Remote or Hybrid Work Arrangement, if applicable: Hybrid (Both UC & Non-UC locations)

Special Instructions:

For full consideration, please include a resume and a cover letter as part of your application.

Department Marketing Statement:

The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships plays an integral role in assisting UCSB students achieve their higher educational goals. Our office oversees and disburses approximately $400 million in student aid to over 16,000 students annually at UCSB. We work closely together in a fast-paced, detail-oriented environment, dedicated to supporting the mission of our Office and the University. OFAS Mission Statement: The University of California, Santa Barbara Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships provides students with the financial resources and related services necessary to achieve their educational goals. We are committed to providing accurate, user-friendly, responsive, and respectful service to students and their families. We administer federal, state, and university aid and scholarship programs in accordance with applicable policies and regulations while striving to be an innovative and service-minded department.

Benefits of Belonging

Working at UC means being part of this vibrant institution that shines a light on what is possible. People make UC great, and UC recognizes your contributions by making this a great place to work. Excellent retirement and health are just one of the rewards. Learn more about the benefits of working at UC

Brief Summary of Job Duties:

Serves as a member of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (OFAS) management group, provides direct leadership and management of the Operations Units, which includes Advising, Customer Service, Need Analysis, Direct Loans and Business Systems as well as providing leadership to the Fiscal Operations/Scholarship Programs unit. Oversees and reviews Federal, State, UC system-wide, student fee, and financial aid policies and advises the Executive Director and Vice Chancellor on the impact to UCSB students and the UCSB financial aid process. Serves as the primary resource for the department and resolves the most complex problems. Clarifies and interprets federal and state statutes. Reviews the administration of all financial fund sources, totaling approximately $400 million. Responsible for all student aid program development, implementation, monitoring, assessment, and review. Interprets federal policy in compliance with the Department of Education's regulations and reporting format. Responsible for long range planning and the development of policies and services as they apply to need analysis and all major federal, state, and university aid programs. Responsible for communicating and working cooperatively with campus departments. Addresses faculty concerns and oversees departmental interaction with academic departments, including college deans. Represents the Financial Aid Office and the Director at meetings and task forces. Chairs or serves on continuing or ad hoc administrative committees. Provides supervisory leadership for Operations staff, which includes recruitment, hire, training, evaluation, assignment of duties; establishment of performance standards; and staff reviews. Provides leadership and general oversight to the Fiscal Operations/Scholarship programs unit through supervision of the Fiscal Manager. Responsible for an annual application cycle which reviews approximately 17,000 financial aid applications, using federal software to ensure adherence to federal aid eligibility regulations. Leads the annual testing process for all applicable programs related to the Need Analysis process including edits, web communication, verification documents and federal software updates. Leads a team of Business Systems Analysts to identify areas that can be improved using technology and creates and implements solutions designed to improve UCSB's business processes. In the absence of the Director, the Sr. Associate Director assumes full management responsibility for the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. In this capacity the position directs the office operations and staff.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education or experience.

• Demonstrated strong communication skills and ability to work with frequent interruptions while paying close attention to detail

• Ability to exercise initiative and independent judgement while overseeing complex projects.

• Substantial experience in fund accounting and a strong background in complex compliance areas.

• Extensive knowledge of state and federal Financial Aid programs.

• 4-6 years experience in financial aid or financial experience.

• Excellent supervision and leadership skills, analytical abilities, initiative, and problem-solving ability.

Special Conditions of Employment:

• Seasonal periodic mandatory overtime and occasional evenings and weekends required.
• Mandated Child Abuse Reporter.
• Satisfactory criminal history background check
• UCSB is a Tobacco-Free environment

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement:

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegation or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

Job Functions and Percentages of Time:

• 45% Financial Aid Management - As a member of the Financial Aid Office's management group, provides direct leadership and management of the Operations Units managed by the Assistant Directors for Advising, Customer Service, and Need Analysis and Direct Loans. Provides direct leadership and management of the Fiscal/Scholarship Programs unit managed by the Fiscal Manager. Gives general direction and manages the utilization of staff resources to maintain the desired level of services. Oversees and reviews Federal, State, UC system-wide, student fee, and financial aid policies and advises the Director and Vice Chancellor on the impact to UCSB students and the UCSB financial aid process. Resolves the most complex problems. Clarifies and interprets federal statutes. Reviews the administration of all financial fund sources, totaling more than $375M, including University Student Aid Programs, PELL Grants, College Work Study, Perkins Loans, CAL Grant A & B State Graduate Fellowship, Scholarships, Direct Student Loans, Veteran's Affairs, Short-Term Loan Program, and Perkins Loan. Manages the federal need analysis process that analyzes and verifies information for 16,000 financial aid applicants annually. Responsible for identifying and promoting continuous improvements in work and services. Recommends strategies and plans that identify innovative approaches to problem solving, developing departmental goals, planning resource allocations, adjustments to office processes, procedures, and staff assignments. Optimizes resources and computer systems to meet new requirements and efficiency. Responsible for reviewing the service functions of the department and developing and/or changing policies and procedures when needed. In the absence of the Director, the Sr. Associate Director assumes full management responsibility for the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. In this capacity the position directs the office operations and staff.

• 10% SFS Implementation & Business Process Enhancement - - Provides project support and coordination for information systems implementation for the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships in coordination with other key campus departments: - Works in close collaboration with business analysts, managers, systems architects, system administrators, software engineers, programmers, and customers to determine the best approach for achieving particular business requirements, successful project execution, testing, and designing streamlined/automated business process solutions. - Serves as back-up liaison to ITS to define OFAS technology needs, and represents the interests of OFAS in inter-departmental meetings. - Keeps up-to-date on current business and systems analysis methodologies, notation techniques and tools, and quality assurance strategies, as well as programming and database technology.

• 10% Oversight of Major Aid Programs - Responsible for all student aid program development, implementation, monitoring, assessment, and review. Interprets federal policy in compliance with the Department of Education's regulations and reporting format. This involves the coordination of information exchange with the Department of Education's application processor, exchanging and reporting of data and processing payment information with the California Student Aid Commission, and interaction with various lenders who participate in the alternative student bank loan programs. Oversees the on-going reconciliation and annual close-out of the $57 million state (Cal Grant) and the $135 million federal (Direct Loans, Pell Grant, ACG & SMART Grants) aid programs.

• 15% Data Analysis and Long Range Planning - Responsible for long range planning and the development of policies and services as they apply to need analysis and all major federal, state, and university aid programs. Must respond to a broad range of administrative problems and issues resulting from recurring program changes and the high degree of interaction with external agencies and university departments. Responsible for developing and analyzing data. Defines departmental need analysis objectives and assesses departmental functions and activities in light of those objectives. Analyzes results of file review policies and designs quality assurance projects to validate their effectiveness. Reviews the integrity of departmental policy and procedure with respect to federal, state, and university aid programs. Reviews and evaluates the departmental aid delivery process to identify causes of error and variances, and design corrective actions to remedy them. In conjunction with the Associate Director, Compliance and Administration, performs need analysis, awarding, monitoring aid eligibility, and statistical analysis for the department. Responsible for the review of the operational functionality and accuracy all automated systems to insure regulatory integrity as well as service efficiency.

• 5% Campus Resource and Liaison - the Responsible for communicating and working cooperatively with campus departments such as Office of the Registrar, Admissions, Billing Office, Loan Collections, and the Graduate Division, Academic Affairs, and Administrative Services. Addresses faculty concerns and oversees departmental interaction with academic departments, including college deans. Oversees the departmental outreach efforts with other campus departments, outside organizations, and new students. Serves as primary resource for the department. Represents the Financial Aid Office and the Director at meetings and task forces that represent student aid interests and concerns; chairs or serves on continuing or ad hoc administrative committees; and represents the campus at inter-campus meetings or conferences.

• 5% Supervision and Training - Provides supervisory leadership for Operations staff, which includes recruitment, hire, training, evaluation, assignment of duties; establishment of performance standards; and staff reviews. Ensures tasks and functions of the organization are performed accurately, effectively, and in a timely manner. Manages the development of training programs for the professional and technical staff including training that supports their use of professional judgment in cases which merit individual review and deviation from standard federal need analysis procedures. In addition, identifies and promotes other professional development opportunities for employees in the supervised units. May perform other duties as assigned. May include projects such as special reports and analysis; drafting campus comments on proposed policies, regulation, and procedures; representing the campus at inter-campus meetings or conferences, and chairing or serving on continuing or ad hoc committees or task forces.

• 10% Need Analysis - Responsible for an annual application cycle which reviews approximately 16,000 financial aid applications, using federal software. Includes the receipt and review of electronic data, interpretation and use of the data to ensure adherence to federal aid eligibility regulations, communication with students regarding required documentation, analysis of the data and supporting documents, and the determination of eligibility for all types of aid. Leads the annual testing process for all applicable programs related to the Need Analysis process including edits, web communication, verification documents and federal software updates.

UC Vaccination Programs Policy:

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccinations Programs.
As a condition of Physical Presence at a Location or in a University Program, all Covered Individuals* must participate in any applicable Vaccination Program by providing proof that they are Up-to-Date with any required Vaccines or submitting a request for Exception in a Mandate Program or properly declining vaccination in an Opt-Out Program no later than the Compliance Date (Capitalized terms in this paragraph are defined in the policy.). Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

For more information, please visit University of California Policy on Vaccinations - https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/VaccinationProgramsPolicy

*Covered Individuals: A Covered Individual includes anyone designated as Personnel or Students under this Policy who physically access a University Facility or Program in connection with their employment, appointment, or education/training. A person accessing a Healthcare Location as a patient, or an art, athletics, entertainment, or other publicly accessible venue at a Location as a member of the public, is not a Covered Individual.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

Reasonable Accommodations:

The University of California endeavors to make https://jobs.ucsb.edu accessible to any and all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Katherine Abad in Human Resources at 805-893-4664 or email katherine.abad@hr.ucsb.edu. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

Privacy Notification Statement

Privacy Notification Statement and Notice of Availability of the UCSB Annual Security and Fire Safety Report Disclosures

Application Status: If you would like to check the status of your application, please log into the Candidate Gateway where you applied and click on 'my activities'.