Financial Wellness Counselor II - Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid

Job Details

General Notes

Must be eligible to work in the United States on a full-time basis for any employer.

Purpose

The Texas Financial Wellness (TFW) Counselor will counsel students on personal financial issues, including budget planning, credit management and debt reduction.

Provide financial literacy and loan information to students so they can make informed decisions. Assist in planning, organizing and coordinating various outreach events and activities to increase public awareness of UT Austin programs while assisting families in better understanding the financial aid and financing college process.

Act as point of contact for students and parents regarding special circumstance appeals and resources on campus. Must be willing to obtain Certified Personal Finance Counselor Certification (CPFC).

Responsibilities

Create and conduct financial literacy presentations that assist students with personal financial issues, including budget planning, credit management, debt reduction, and financial aid processes and planning.

Plan, organize, and set up various outreach events and activities for high school students both on and off campus. Present information about Financial Aid opportunities that prospective students can utilize while encouraging them to apply using FAFSA.

Conduct on and off campus workshops on financial literacy and / or financial aid.

One-on-one counseling of students regarding financial aid, developing personal budgets, financial planning, financing their education and strategies for paying tuition.

One-on-one financial aid counseling with prospective students and parents regarding financial aid and available financial aid options.

Assist with financial aid processing, including monitoring output, verifying applicant eligibility and resolving eligibility issues.

Review and resolve financial aid files. Award state, university, and federal financial aid funds to students. Review special circumstance appeals and counsel students on appeal outcomes.

• Develop and maintain financial wellness and financial literacy information; provide avenues for students and families to access information.
• Serve as a technical resource to students, staff, faculty and outside agencies regarding outreach planning, scheduling, procedures and requirements.
• Monitor the progress of the program, trends, and developments in financial literacy to identify best practices to enhance the University’s program and minimize financial issues impacting retention.
• Train and provide work direction to student workers.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and two years' experience. Willing to work evening and weekend events as required. Occasional overnight travel may be required.

Must be organized, detail-oriented, and customer focused. Candidate must have superior communication and time-management skills and a professional demeanor.

Must be capable of multi-tasking in a high-stress environment. Must be able to prioritize work assignments to complete work within required time periods.

Must divest of any stock or ownership interest in student loan lender before start of employment. Shares in publicly traded mutual fund or similar investment vehicle are exempt.

For more info, read the UT Austin Policy on Individual Conflicts of Interest. As a condition of hire and continued employment, must be in good standing on all federal student loans and must grant permission for the office to access NSLDS to verify such standing.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree. One year of experience working in the OFA as a Student Financial Aid Officer I. Two years of experience in financial aid.

Extremely detail-oriented. Excellent interpersonal skills. Ability to handle stressful situations with composure. Knowledge of and proficiency with software including MS Word and Excel.

Ideal candidate will be able to set priorities and manage multiple projects. Ability to remain productive in a fast-paced, shared space environment with frequent interruptions.

Ability to make presentations to individuals and groups of various sizes. Spanish-speaking is a plus.

Salary Range

$47,694

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

Required Materials

• Resume / CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers : You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications.

Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section;

you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.

Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers : As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs.

If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply.

This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume.

In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.

that were noted above.

Employment Eligibility :

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers.

Staff who are promotion / transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility :

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks :

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.