TBR | The College System of Tennessee

We have an opening for a Financial Aid Coordinator at our Chattanooga State campus!

Our Purpose - We support and empower everyone in our community to learn without limits.

Our Values: 

We cultivate a welcome and supportive environment.

We care about the well-being of each other.

We instill trust through integrity and transparency.

We encourage fearless innovation and resilience.

We collaborate to build a better future.

Our Mission - We are Chattanooga State, a dedicated team that delivers accessible, innovative learning opportunities that surpass expectations.  Together, we enrich the lives of students, and their families; develop a talented workforce; and partner with our community to lead boldly into the future.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Coordinator position is the primary point of contact for the TCAT Student Services and TCAT students on our campus. The Coordinator is responsible for the administration for state grants: TCAT TN Promise, TCAT Reconnect, TCAT TSAA, and Wilder Naifeh Technical Skills Grant, as well as the administrator for federal Title IV aid for all TCAT students which encompasses Federal Pell Grant and federal student loans. This includes verification of application and eligibility, calculation of award amounts and adjustments, monitoring of enrollment and engagement, and certification and reconciliation of award payments. The Coordinator serves as the liaison with state agencies (THEC/TSAC) and utilizes the FAST student information system for downloading eligibility reports, updating eligibility data, certifying award payments, and making payment adjustments. In addition, the role maintains extensive knowledge of clock hour programs, federal and state eligibility, and college financial aid requirements, policies, and procedures.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Holistic Student Support

• Serve as primary liaison between TCAT and Office of Financial Aid
• Daily monitoring of award applications, eligibility changes, registration, engagement, and academic progress with timely responses to and communications with TCAT students and parents (within FERPA guidelines)
• Builds positive working relationships with colleagues in other Chatt State offices, TCAT offices, TCAT instructors, and outside agencies
• advise students and families and answer questions related to aid eligibility requirements, missing or incomplete documentation, and aid status

Fiscal Stewardship

• Ensure accurate administration of federal, state, and institutional financial aid funds in accordance with all applicable regulations.
• Monitor fund expenditures and reconcile accounts regularly to prevent over-awards, aid discrepancies, or compliance risks.
• Adheres to consistent, accurate policies, procedures, and processes for awarding TCAT students, making award adjustments, and evaluating eligibility in accordance with federal, state, and institutional guidelines
• Develops and adheres to consistent, transparent business practices, both within the Financial Aid Office and in collaboration with outside offices, for accurate fund reconciliation, monitoring of award payments/adjustments, and requests or returns of state funds

Organizational Culture & Inclusive Practices

• Collaborates with TCAT for proactive outreach and engagement of students
• Establishes clear communication channels with students, faculty, staff, and outside agencies
• Coordinate with other Financial Aid staff to maintain constant coverage of escalations and emails from other offices on campus
• Contribute to a positive, collaborative, and respectful team culture focused on shared goals, continuous improvement, and high-quality student service.
• Engage in ongoing professional development

Program Innovation

• Monitor attendance and eligibility requirements for all students in clock hour programs
• Provide input regarding compliance and processing for clock hour programs
• Develop innovative approaches to ensure ongoing compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations.
• Evaluate changes in financial aid regulations and adjust internal processes to maintain compliance while optimizing operational efficiency.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND WORK CHARACTERISTICS

• Effective time management and prioritization of job demands
• Attention to detail and understanding of data analysis, mathematical & financial computations, and identifying/resolving data discrepancies
• Ability to work collaboratively and establish positive, productive working relationships
• Excellent communication and customer service skills
• Demonstrates continuous learning and improvement in knowledge of and compliance with state regulations, technical processes, and professional development
• Works independently, with minimal supervision, meets goals and deadlines, is self-directed and seeks innovative ways to perform job responsibilities efficiently and effectively
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Must possess at least an Associate’s Degree in a related field, such as Accounting, Finance, Business, or Education – Bachelor’s preferred
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and other commonly used office applications
• Prefer experience working with a student information system, such as Ellucian Banner, Ellucian Colleague, or PeopleSoft.
• Extensive experience working in a finance, customer service, or educational setting, preferably at a postsecondary institution
• Comfortable working in a stressful, fast-paced environment with a high level of sensitivity towards confidentiality and working with a diverse student population
• Demonstrated skills in basic accounting and clerical functions

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDS

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands

Work is typically performed in an office environment. While performing the duties of this position, employees are regularly required to sit, walk and stand; talk or hear, both in person and by telephone, use hands repetitively to operate standard office equipment; reach with hands and arms; and lift up to 25 pounds.

Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Mental Demands

While performing the duties of this position, employees are regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; read and interpret data, information and documents; analyze and solve non-routine and complex office administrative problems; observe and interpret situations; learn and apply new information or skills; perform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks.

Salary Range: $48,572 - $60,715

* Application review will start 30 days after posting *