Director of Student Loan and Title IV Grant Operations - Division of Finance

Director of Student Loan and Title IV Grant Operations - Division of Finance

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Employers By State in 2021.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

COVID-19 vaccination is a requirement for all positions at the University of Pennsylvania. New hires are expected to be fully vaccinated before beginning work at the University. For more information about Penn's vaccine requirements and the use of Penn Open Pass, visit the Penn COVID-19 Response website for the latest information.

Posted Job Title
Director of Student Loan and Title IV Grant Operations - Division of Finance

Job Profile Title
Director D

Job Description Summary
Reporting to the Senior University Director of Student Financial Aid, this position will focus on administration and processing of Title IV programs (Federal loans, Pell and Teach). This will include direct oversight of the loan operation and reconciliation. This person will process Title IV funding via the federal systems (i.e., COD, SAIG, FSA Partner Connect, NSLDS, and CPS) Primary goal is to maintain compliance in these areas. A commitment to positive interpersonal behaviors, professional communication, diversity, integrity, leadership, stewardship, respect and accountability to Penn students and employees is essential. Works closely with the SRFS Director of Compliance.

In the Division of Finance, we recognize diversity and inclusion is paramount to a positive and thriving work environment; it is a business imperative. We are committed to actively fostering diversity, inclusion and cultural competency throughout our operational efforts in the Division of Finance. This role will be critical in supporting those efforts and demonstrating behaviors and competencies that reflect Penn's values.

We take pride in the myriad ways that diversity enriches our curriculum, and the cultural and social life of our campus. Penn's commitment to achieving eminence through diversity is ultimately a commitment to creating a more vibrant university so that our graduates will be both stimulated and empowered to shape a better world.

Job Description

Leadership of Loan Operations:
  • Accurately supervises processes and lead/manage staff supporting the overall loan process for both federal and private programs. This will include the origination, acknowledgement, and disbursement response file transmission to and from COD on a daily basis. Responsible for quality control of the Direct Loan records and appropriate disbursement of funding in a prompt and timely manner that balances precision, customer focus and service delivery to various and diverse stakeholders across the University and community stakeholders.
  • Lead as subject matter expert and functional liaison for Title IV and loan procedures ensuring compliance, consistency and clear communication across all University processes and programs. The impact of this responsibility is directly related to receipt of over $200 million in revenue toward student accounts and includes loan upgrades and changes in file formats. Model leadership values focusing on integrity, ethical behavior and compliance with all guidelines and policies that minimizes risk to the University with loan operations and programming.
  • Provides Senior Director with regular updates on proposed regulatory rules during reauthorization process and final rules. Engage in accurate reporting, analytics and proactive information management to ensure regulatory results, revenue toward student accounts and loan operations are accurate and timely. Assist in planning/preparation related to changes in regulations to maintain compliance in the financial aid operation.
  • Create, develop and implement training material for the student loan operations for both the student loan team and the financial aid counselors using various modalities, technologies, learning management delivery systems and programs that align with the Division's values and goals and support consistency and flexible delivery across the University community.
  • Lead and work closely with accounting to assure accurate reconciliation of the federal loan programs and reporting of such in a timely and accurate manner that is consistent with delivery deadlines and proactively ensures compliance and precision of reporting information. Assure compliance and usage of federal reconciliation tools (such as DL Tools) as needed and ensure they are implemented appropriately.
  • Accurately prepare and provide regular indebtedness data to meet exit interview requirements and allow for trends analysis and regular monthly/quarterly/yearly reporting and executive level summaries as needed to various stakeholders and audiences across the Division and University.
  • Lead as point person, leader and subject matter expert for graduate school representatives related to processing, student messaging and time tables working closely with the Associate Director of Financial Aid for Graduate Students and various leaders, stakeholders and teams across the University.
  • Lead as key liaison and communicator to our student loan data exchange partner (ELM resources) and the private lenders reporting and development of custom programs. Ensure clear communication, consistency and proactive information management with exchange partner and other key vendors.


Other Title IV Programs (Pell and Teach):
  • Leads/conducts monthly Pell reconciliation and meets/exceeds all department of education deadlines for end of year closure. This includes academic year and summer Pell expenditures. Accurately reconcile with COD and the Penn financial reporting on a monthly basis. Precisely create adjustments as needed and coordinate originations and disbursement records. Provides Pell expenditures for FISAP reporting.
  • Conducts semiannual review of the Teach grant and assures accurate spending and reconciliation at the end of the academic year in a timely manner.


Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
  • Knowledge of and ability to follow University policies and procedures. Demonstrated ability to lead in a complex, dynamic and changing environment with centralized ad decentralized resources.
  • Knowledge of federal, state, and local laws, regulations and guidelines related to assigned work
  • Knowledge of the University's financial aid system as well as outside agencies reporting and operating systems
  • Knowledge and experience working with Banner and ELM
  • Demonstrated expertise in identifying, analyzing complex compliance issues and providing accurate, timely and realistic solutions that work in a complex and dynamic University environment.
  • Knowledge of current technologies and word processing, database, presentation, and spreadsheet software, specifically Microsoft Office applications and various other programs.
  • Demonstrated skill and leadership translating financial aid business processes/compliance requirements to IT staff and translating/communicating system related technical issues/impacts to financial aid staff
  • Demonstrated skill researching issues and solving complex problems with various audiences and diverse stakeholders
  • Demonstrated skill and experience in identifying errors in work and developing strategies to minimize errors
  • Demonstrated working knowledge of different electronic financial aid systems, including COD, R2T4, CPS, FAA Access to CPS Online, SAIG, NSLDS, PHEAA Partner Interface, Ellucian Banner (Including SQL), Perceptive Imaging Software, and Salesforce and other technologies and programs in the higher education space.
  • Demonstrated strong and effective communication skills, collaboration skills, and people management experience.


Required Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree and at least 7-10 years of related work experience with at least 3 years of management experience. Masters preferred.
  • Must be in, and maintain, good standing with the Department of Education for continued employment.
  • Advanced user skills with Excel and other Microsoft programs and computer systems. Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills. Demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented and accurate. Able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Demonstrated organizational and prioritization skills, along with the ability to work within tight and often conflicting deadlines. Must be flexible, show effective judgement, discretion and have the ability to handle confidential financial matters.
  • Work effectively in a highly matrixed and decentralized environment with the ability to navigate through ambiguity and demonstrate appreciation and support for diversity, inclusion and belonging in a constantly evolving academic/higher education environment.


Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
Division of Finance

Pay Range
$90,860.00 - $142,844.66

Affirmative Action Statement
Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.

Special Requirements
Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits
  • Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family's health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
  • Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
  • Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn's Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
  • Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family-whatever your personal needs may be.
  • Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you're newly hired, you won't have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
  • Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That's why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
  • Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
  • University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University's libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There's always something going on at Penn, whether it's a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you're right in the middle of the excitement-and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
  • Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
  • Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
  • Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
  • Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.



To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay

To apply, visit https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/en-US/recruiting/upenn/careers-at-penn/job/Franklin-Building/Director-of-Student-Loan-and-Title-IV-Grant-Operations---Division-of-Finance_JR00047749

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