Job Details

Director of Financial Aid

Location: Columbus, GA (Columbus State University)

Job Summary: The Director of Financial Aid reports directly to the Vice President for Enrollment Management and serves as a key member of the Enrollment Management leadership team. This role is instrumental in advancing the strategic enrollment and student success goals of Columbus State University, a proud member of the University System of Georgia. The ideal Director is a strategic, student‑centered leader who combines operational excellence with a forward‑thinking approach to access and affordability. An innovative problem solver who embraces technology, values collaboration, and leads with empathy and integrity, the Director will help shape a financial aid experience that empowers students to achieve their educational and professional goals, advancing CSU's mission to transform lives through learning.

Responsibilities

• Provides visionary leadership and operational oversight for all federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs, ensuring compliance, accuracy, and timely service delivery.
• Supervises all departmental operations related to awarding systems, data management, reporting, and fiscal accountability.
• Develops and enforces policies and procedures that align with federal and state regulations while enhancing affordability and access for CSU students.
• Leads a team of dedicated professionals, fostering a culture of innovation, integrity, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the Financial Aid Office.
• Works closely with Enrollment colleagues and campus partners to establish financial aid awarding guidelines consistent with institutional goals and external funding criteria; manages fund allocation, reconciliation, and year‑end reporting; and leverages technology to create an efficient, transparent, and responsive financial aid experience.
• Champions student recruitment, retention, and academic success by providing excellent service to students, families, and university stakeholders while expanding awareness of financial aid opportunities throughout the CSU community.

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
• Minimum of five to seven years of progressive experience leading and supervising financial aid activities and personnel at the Assistant Director level or above at a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
• Comprehensive knowledge of federal and state financial aid regulations, compliance standards, and reporting requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience using BANNER Administrative Forms and CampusLogic student information systems.

Proposed Salary

The proposed annualized salary for this position is $110,000 and includes full benefits.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Comprehensive knowledge of federal and state financial aid regulations and best practices.
• Proven commitment to regulatory compliance and ethical financial administration.
• Demonstrated success integrating emerging technologies and innovative practices in financial aid operations.
• Ability to build and sustain collaborative partnerships that support enrollment and student success.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to convey complex financial information clearly and empathetically.
• Impeccable professional references from direct supervisors attesting to leadership integrity and performance.
• Dedication to professional development and fostering growth among team members.
• Commitment to service excellence, process improvement, and operational efficiency.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change and navigate a dynamic, cost‑conscious, and data‑driven environment.

Contact Information

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Shanna Widener, Hiring Manager, via email at ...@columbusstate.edu.

USG Core Values

• Integrity
• Excellence
• Accountability
• Respect

Institutional Values

• Excellence: Actively engaging outstanding methods in teaching, academic discovery, creative pursuits, student success, cultural enrichment and the overall campus community.
• Creativity: Pursuing distinction through inquiry and innovation, challenging convention and focusing on solutions.
• Engagement: Dynamic civic involvement and participation of students, faculty, staff and alumni in the university experience.
• Sustainability: Advancing fiscal responsibility, well‑being, innovation, lifelong learning and environmental stewardship.
• Inclusion: Cultivating and championing a campus environment that welcomes diverse backgrounds, ideas, perspectives and practices.
• Servant Leadership: Leading through ethical empowerment and service.

Conditions of Employment

All selected candidates are required to submit and successfully pass a background investigation that includes reference checks and verification of academic credentials. Additional requirements may apply based on position duties, including a credit check for positions of trust and/or approved departmental purchase card usage, pre‑employment drug testing for high‑risk responsibilities, and motor vehicle reports for positions that require driving a university fleet vehicle.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Columbus State University is proud to be an equal employment, equal access, and equal educational opportunity institution. It is the policy of our institution to recruit, hire, train, promote and educate persons without regard to race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status as required by applicable state and federal laws.

Other Information

• This is a supervisory position.
• This position has financial responsibilities.
• This position will not be required to drive.
• This role is considered a position of trust.
• This position does not require a purchasing card (P‑Card).
• This position will not travel.
• This position does not require security clearance.