The Community Solution Education System
Vice President of Student Financial Affairs
The Community Solution Education System, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60290
Job Description:
The Vice President of Student Financial Affairs serves as the System’s senior leader for student finance, financial aid, title IV regulatory compliance, student accounts, external student funding partnerships. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this role is pivotal in advancing a One System model of radical cooperation and excellence—aligning six colleges and universities under a shared vision of student-first service, operational excellence, and regulatory accountability.
This leader directs a division that bridges compliance, student finance, and student experience—areas that collectively shape the student journey and directly influence access, persistence, and success. The Vice President must balance regulatory rigor with innovation and empathy, ensuring that all financial aid and student accounts operations reflect best practices, technological advancement while remaining compliant, agile, and responsive within a complex and continually changing U.S. Department of Education (ED) regulatory environment.
The role also oversees the development of new funding pathways through external lending partnerships, institutional and donor-funded scholarship programs, and international student financing strategies—expanding affordability and access across all colleges and universities.
POSITION PROFILE The Community Solution Education System is committed to advancing a culture that integrates compliance, innovation, and collaboration. The Vice President of Student Financial Affairs will:
Provide senior leadership for a centralized area that includes the Associate Vice President of Compliance and Student Finance (audits, ED reporting, reconciliation, quality assurance, and student accounts), the Senior Director of Financial Aid (systemwide financial aid operations), and their respective teams.
Lead within a One System mindset, ensuring that each of our colleges and universities is served with consistency and excellence in the spirit of radical cooperation, while also recognizing institutional nuances and diverse student population needs.
Advance best practices in student financial services—award packaging and monitoring, Return to Title IV (R2T4) accuracy and timeliness, disbursement reconciliation, overpayment resolution, and accounts receivable management—while maintaining a student-first, equitable approach.
Oversee external lending and third‑party partnership management, ensuring that all relationships (e.g., alternative loan providers, tuition payment plan vendors, private loan aggregators) are compliant, student-centered, and monitored for quality, transparency, and financial responsibility.
Develop and lead a comprehensive scholarship and institutional aid strategy, including stewardship of donor‑funded, merit‑based, and need‑based programs across institutions. Ensure consistent criteria, tracking, reporting, and impact assessment aligned with equity and enrollment goals.
Expand international student funding opportunities, collaborating with global enrollment and compliance teams to identify and manage partnerships with government sponsors, banks, and alternative funding organizations to support international student success.
Ensure agility in policy and process updates in response to ED rulemakings and guidance (e.g., Regulatory Changes and Title IV program updates, Financial Value Transparency/Gainful Employment (FVT/GE) disclosures and reporting, cash‑management rules, verification flexibilities, Professional Judgment (PJ) standards) through a policy governance cadence and rapid implementation playbooks.
Lead systemwide policy governance related to student financial services, ensuring timely alignment with new federal and state regulations, accreditation standards, and consistent adoption across institutions. Maintain a centralized repository for policies and procedures with version control.
Partner with colleagues in Enrollment, Registrar, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Finance, HR, Legal/Compliance, and IT to create seamless, student-centered journeys (admit → package → counsel → enroll → persist → graduate) with clear handoffs and shared Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Champion a culture of transparency, accountability, and compassion—both in how employees experience their workplace and in how students experience financial services—by modeling collaborative leadership, integrity, and excellence.
In partnership with the COO and IT, oversee the technology roadmap—student information system (SIS)/financial aid modules, Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) and National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) integrations, self-service portals, workflow tools, customer relationship management (CRM)/ticketing, payment solutions, and analytics dashboards—to reduce friction, errors, and wait times.
Elevate financial wellness through student-facing education (cost clarity, borrowing literacy, payment options, debt counseling, repayment planning) that supports retention and long-term outcomes.
Serve as the System’s primary liaison to federal and state regulatory agencies, single auditor and accrediting bodies on all matters related to student finance and compliance. Represent the System in professional associations such as the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) to ensure awareness of emerging policies and advocacy opportunities.
Position responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Leadership and Culture
Provide senior leadership for the Student Financial Affairs business units across the System Office and its colleges and universities.
Model and embed a culture that prioritizes student success, employee empowerment, and compliance integrity.
Direct, supervise, and mentor employees to foster a high-performance, accountable, and collaborative workplace culture.
Champion professional development, growth, and cross-training to strengthen team capacity and morale.
Establish systematic feedback mechanisms with colleges, universities, employees, and students to ensure continuous improvement of services.
Conduct academic cycle debriefs (fall, spring, summer) to review results, capture lessons learned, and implement changes, ensuring services remain responsive to institutional needs.
Use feedback loops to align services with institutional priorities and embed continuous calibration into the division’s operating rhythm.
Brings a solutions-oriented mindset, remaining open to feedback and discussion, and focusing on collective outcomes over silos.
Strategic and Operational Oversight
Lead strategic planning, goal-setting, and continuous improvement for student financial services across the system; develop a three-year roadmap with annual Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and annual business reviews.
Align financial aid and student accounts operations with institutional enrollment, net tuition revenue, and retention strategies through collaboration with leaders across the System.
Develop a comprehensive knowledge base and standardized operating procedures, and implement a tiered support and escalation framework to ensure efficient issue resolution.
Establish a strong control framework (segregation of duties, monitoring, exception reporting) to mitigate risk and ensure compliance.
Partner with institutional research and finance teams to develop predictive models that monitor financial aid utilization, student borrowing patterns, and retention correlations.
Use data analytics to identify equity gaps and recommend policy or program changes that advance affordability and access.
Compliance and Risk Management
Ensure all financial aid and student accounts operations meet federal (Title IV), state, accreditor, and institutional requirements.
Oversee audits, title IV program participation, and program reviews: drive exception-free outcomes through proactive quality assurance sampling, reconciliation calendars, and issue remediation playbooks.
Maintain and periodically test R2T4 accuracy and timeliness; ensure 90-day resolution targets for returns/overpayments.
Ensure compliant cash-management (e.g., disbursement timing, credit balance refunds, authorization handling), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) data privacy, Payment Card Industry (PCI) requirements, and records-retention standards.
Operationalize ED changes (e.g., FAFSA/processing updates, FVT/GE disclosures and reporting, Professional Judgements, verification) with documented impact assessments, training, and go-live checklists.
Conduct annual risk assessments specific to student financial operations and develop mitigation plans to address risk.
External Funding, Scholarships, and International Financing
Develop, manage, and expand external lending partnerships with third-party providers to increase financing access and maintain regulatory compliance.
Negotiate terms and performance standards for external loan programs, ensuring transparency, student protection, and ethical marketing.
Lead the creation and administration of Systemwide scholarship programs in partnership with institutional advancement, enrollment, and finance teams.
Oversee equitable award structures and ensure alignment with donor intent, diversity goals, and financial sustainability.
Design and manage strategies for international student funding, including sponsorships, global lending, and institutional support programs.
Build reporting mechanisms and dashboards to monitor scholarship utilization, external partnership performance, and student impact.
Student-Centered Financial Services
Advance student satisfaction and retention by ensuring financial aid processes are timely, transparent, and accessible.
Oversee award packaging, verification, professional judgement reviews, and timely disbursements; publish a processing calendar visible to all institutions.
Ensure students are well-informed about eligibility, aid options, and account status through plain-language communications and multiple engagement channels.
Oversee student accounts, including billing accuracy, payment plans, refunds, collections, and hardship accommodations.
Expand financial wellness programming (workshops, calculators, repayment planning, debt management counseling) and measure outcomes on persistence and borrowing behavior.
Technology and Data Management
Oversee use and optimization of SIS and financial aid modules; ensure robust COD/NSLDS integrations and error-resolution routines.
Implement a CRM/ticketing system for transparency and workload management; publish weekly backlog and cycle-time reports.
Ensure timely and accurate reporting to federal/state bodies (IPEDS, COD, NSLDS, FVT/GE submissions, and state agencies).
Build real-time dashboards (e.g., verification queue, packaging pace, refund timeliness, A/R aging) and embed root-cause analysis into monthly operations reviews.
Advance secure automation (workflow/RPA, document intake) with compliance, privacy, and bias safeguards.
Required Qualifications Knowledge and Skills
Comprehensive knowledge of Title IV and federal/state financial aid regulations; accreditor expectations; IRS regulations (Forms 1098‑T and 1099‑MISC); the Truth in Lending Act and Regulation Z; Student Right-to-Know requirements; VA education benefit policies; and general accounting and finance principles related to student accounts.
Strong communication, leadership, change-management, and problem-solving skills.
Commitment to student service, compliance, and operational excellence.
Education
Master’s degree in higher education administration, business, finance, or related field, or equivalent experience.
Experience
Minimum of 7 years of progressive leadership experience in financial aid, student accounts, or related student finance functions.
Demonstrated success leading large, complex, student-facing teams in higher education.
Experience managing audits, program reviews, reconciliations, and remediation with strong outcomes.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working in a university system or multi-campus environment.
Record of leading cultural change, employee engagement, and service-excellence initiatives.
Demonstrated success with external lending partnerships and private loan programs.
Experience designing or managing institutional scholarship programs and international student funding.
Proven success modernizing processes and technologies (SIS/aid systems, CRM/ticketing, analytics).
Strong financial acumen and budget management skills.
Working Conditions
Remote position in distributed work environment with travel requirement of 25% for onsite and campus needs.
May be required to work outside standard business hours based on business or project needs.
Compensation & Benefits This opportunity is budgeted at $170,000 - 190,000 base compensation. Additional compensation factors may impact total compensation. To learn more about our competitive benefits and additional rewards, including generous paid time-off, medical and dental insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, retirement plan with employer contribution, multiple flexible spending accounts, tuition reimbursement, visit https://www.tcsedsystem.edu/careers/.
The Community Solution is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Application Process Please note the screening, recruitment, and selection process is managed by recruiting staff and hiring managers with the aid of artificial intelligence to evaluate candidates against job requirements. The artificial intelligence tool is a resource only and all employment decisions are made by staff members.
When you apply, it is recommended you utilize the option to parse your resume into the application. To ensure your experience is accurately reflected, please review and complete all application fields—even if you auto-fill from your resume.
For the best results, tailor your resume to the job description, highlight key qualifications and skills, and use clear, consistent formatting. This helps our AI tools read and assess your application more effectively. We are committed to regularly monitoring the process for fairness and remove personally identifiable information during evaluation.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
The Vice President of Student Financial Affairs serves as the System’s senior leader for student finance, financial aid, title IV regulatory compliance, student accounts, external student funding partnerships. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this role is pivotal in advancing a One System model of radical cooperation and excellence—aligning six colleges and universities under a shared vision of student-first service, operational excellence, and regulatory accountability.
This leader directs a division that bridges compliance, student finance, and student experience—areas that collectively shape the student journey and directly influence access, persistence, and success. The Vice President must balance regulatory rigor with innovation and empathy, ensuring that all financial aid and student accounts operations reflect best practices, technological advancement while remaining compliant, agile, and responsive within a complex and continually changing U.S. Department of Education (ED) regulatory environment.
The role also oversees the development of new funding pathways through external lending partnerships, institutional and donor-funded scholarship programs, and international student financing strategies—expanding affordability and access across all colleges and universities.
POSITION PROFILE The Community Solution Education System is committed to advancing a culture that integrates compliance, innovation, and collaboration. The Vice President of Student Financial Affairs will:
Provide senior leadership for a centralized area that includes the Associate Vice President of Compliance and Student Finance (audits, ED reporting, reconciliation, quality assurance, and student accounts), the Senior Director of Financial Aid (systemwide financial aid operations), and their respective teams.
Lead within a One System mindset, ensuring that each of our colleges and universities is served with consistency and excellence in the spirit of radical cooperation, while also recognizing institutional nuances and diverse student population needs.
Advance best practices in student financial services—award packaging and monitoring, Return to Title IV (R2T4) accuracy and timeliness, disbursement reconciliation, overpayment resolution, and accounts receivable management—while maintaining a student-first, equitable approach.
Oversee external lending and third‑party partnership management, ensuring that all relationships (e.g., alternative loan providers, tuition payment plan vendors, private loan aggregators) are compliant, student-centered, and monitored for quality, transparency, and financial responsibility.
Develop and lead a comprehensive scholarship and institutional aid strategy, including stewardship of donor‑funded, merit‑based, and need‑based programs across institutions. Ensure consistent criteria, tracking, reporting, and impact assessment aligned with equity and enrollment goals.
Expand international student funding opportunities, collaborating with global enrollment and compliance teams to identify and manage partnerships with government sponsors, banks, and alternative funding organizations to support international student success.
Ensure agility in policy and process updates in response to ED rulemakings and guidance (e.g., Regulatory Changes and Title IV program updates, Financial Value Transparency/Gainful Employment (FVT/GE) disclosures and reporting, cash‑management rules, verification flexibilities, Professional Judgment (PJ) standards) through a policy governance cadence and rapid implementation playbooks.
Lead systemwide policy governance related to student financial services, ensuring timely alignment with new federal and state regulations, accreditation standards, and consistent adoption across institutions. Maintain a centralized repository for policies and procedures with version control.
Partner with colleagues in Enrollment, Registrar, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Finance, HR, Legal/Compliance, and IT to create seamless, student-centered journeys (admit → package → counsel → enroll → persist → graduate) with clear handoffs and shared Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Champion a culture of transparency, accountability, and compassion—both in how employees experience their workplace and in how students experience financial services—by modeling collaborative leadership, integrity, and excellence.
In partnership with the COO and IT, oversee the technology roadmap—student information system (SIS)/financial aid modules, Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) and National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) integrations, self-service portals, workflow tools, customer relationship management (CRM)/ticketing, payment solutions, and analytics dashboards—to reduce friction, errors, and wait times.
Elevate financial wellness through student-facing education (cost clarity, borrowing literacy, payment options, debt counseling, repayment planning) that supports retention and long-term outcomes.
Serve as the System’s primary liaison to federal and state regulatory agencies, single auditor and accrediting bodies on all matters related to student finance and compliance. Represent the System in professional associations such as the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) to ensure awareness of emerging policies and advocacy opportunities.
Position responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Leadership and Culture
Provide senior leadership for the Student Financial Affairs business units across the System Office and its colleges and universities.
Model and embed a culture that prioritizes student success, employee empowerment, and compliance integrity.
Direct, supervise, and mentor employees to foster a high-performance, accountable, and collaborative workplace culture.
Champion professional development, growth, and cross-training to strengthen team capacity and morale.
Establish systematic feedback mechanisms with colleges, universities, employees, and students to ensure continuous improvement of services.
Conduct academic cycle debriefs (fall, spring, summer) to review results, capture lessons learned, and implement changes, ensuring services remain responsive to institutional needs.
Use feedback loops to align services with institutional priorities and embed continuous calibration into the division’s operating rhythm.
Brings a solutions-oriented mindset, remaining open to feedback and discussion, and focusing on collective outcomes over silos.
Strategic and Operational Oversight
Lead strategic planning, goal-setting, and continuous improvement for student financial services across the system; develop a three-year roadmap with annual Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and annual business reviews.
Align financial aid and student accounts operations with institutional enrollment, net tuition revenue, and retention strategies through collaboration with leaders across the System.
Develop a comprehensive knowledge base and standardized operating procedures, and implement a tiered support and escalation framework to ensure efficient issue resolution.
Establish a strong control framework (segregation of duties, monitoring, exception reporting) to mitigate risk and ensure compliance.
Partner with institutional research and finance teams to develop predictive models that monitor financial aid utilization, student borrowing patterns, and retention correlations.
Use data analytics to identify equity gaps and recommend policy or program changes that advance affordability and access.
Compliance and Risk Management
Ensure all financial aid and student accounts operations meet federal (Title IV), state, accreditor, and institutional requirements.
Oversee audits, title IV program participation, and program reviews: drive exception-free outcomes through proactive quality assurance sampling, reconciliation calendars, and issue remediation playbooks.
Maintain and periodically test R2T4 accuracy and timeliness; ensure 90-day resolution targets for returns/overpayments.
Ensure compliant cash-management (e.g., disbursement timing, credit balance refunds, authorization handling), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) data privacy, Payment Card Industry (PCI) requirements, and records-retention standards.
Operationalize ED changes (e.g., FAFSA/processing updates, FVT/GE disclosures and reporting, Professional Judgements, verification) with documented impact assessments, training, and go-live checklists.
Conduct annual risk assessments specific to student financial operations and develop mitigation plans to address risk.
External Funding, Scholarships, and International Financing
Develop, manage, and expand external lending partnerships with third-party providers to increase financing access and maintain regulatory compliance.
Negotiate terms and performance standards for external loan programs, ensuring transparency, student protection, and ethical marketing.
Lead the creation and administration of Systemwide scholarship programs in partnership with institutional advancement, enrollment, and finance teams.
Oversee equitable award structures and ensure alignment with donor intent, diversity goals, and financial sustainability.
Design and manage strategies for international student funding, including sponsorships, global lending, and institutional support programs.
Build reporting mechanisms and dashboards to monitor scholarship utilization, external partnership performance, and student impact.
Student-Centered Financial Services
Advance student satisfaction and retention by ensuring financial aid processes are timely, transparent, and accessible.
Oversee award packaging, verification, professional judgement reviews, and timely disbursements; publish a processing calendar visible to all institutions.
Ensure students are well-informed about eligibility, aid options, and account status through plain-language communications and multiple engagement channels.
Oversee student accounts, including billing accuracy, payment plans, refunds, collections, and hardship accommodations.
Expand financial wellness programming (workshops, calculators, repayment planning, debt management counseling) and measure outcomes on persistence and borrowing behavior.
Technology and Data Management
Oversee use and optimization of SIS and financial aid modules; ensure robust COD/NSLDS integrations and error-resolution routines.
Implement a CRM/ticketing system for transparency and workload management; publish weekly backlog and cycle-time reports.
Ensure timely and accurate reporting to federal/state bodies (IPEDS, COD, NSLDS, FVT/GE submissions, and state agencies).
Build real-time dashboards (e.g., verification queue, packaging pace, refund timeliness, A/R aging) and embed root-cause analysis into monthly operations reviews.
Advance secure automation (workflow/RPA, document intake) with compliance, privacy, and bias safeguards.
Required Qualifications Knowledge and Skills
Comprehensive knowledge of Title IV and federal/state financial aid regulations; accreditor expectations; IRS regulations (Forms 1098‑T and 1099‑MISC); the Truth in Lending Act and Regulation Z; Student Right-to-Know requirements; VA education benefit policies; and general accounting and finance principles related to student accounts.
Strong communication, leadership, change-management, and problem-solving skills.
Commitment to student service, compliance, and operational excellence.
Education
Master’s degree in higher education administration, business, finance, or related field, or equivalent experience.
Experience
Minimum of 7 years of progressive leadership experience in financial aid, student accounts, or related student finance functions.
Demonstrated success leading large, complex, student-facing teams in higher education.
Experience managing audits, program reviews, reconciliations, and remediation with strong outcomes.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working in a university system or multi-campus environment.
Record of leading cultural change, employee engagement, and service-excellence initiatives.
Demonstrated success with external lending partnerships and private loan programs.
Experience designing or managing institutional scholarship programs and international student funding.
Proven success modernizing processes and technologies (SIS/aid systems, CRM/ticketing, analytics).
Strong financial acumen and budget management skills.
Working Conditions
Remote position in distributed work environment with travel requirement of 25% for onsite and campus needs.
May be required to work outside standard business hours based on business or project needs.
Compensation & Benefits This opportunity is budgeted at $170,000 - 190,000 base compensation. Additional compensation factors may impact total compensation. To learn more about our competitive benefits and additional rewards, including generous paid time-off, medical and dental insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, retirement plan with employer contribution, multiple flexible spending accounts, tuition reimbursement, visit https://www.tcsedsystem.edu/careers/.
The Community Solution is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Application Process Please note the screening, recruitment, and selection process is managed by recruiting staff and hiring managers with the aid of artificial intelligence to evaluate candidates against job requirements. The artificial intelligence tool is a resource only and all employment decisions are made by staff members.
When you apply, it is recommended you utilize the option to parse your resume into the application. To ensure your experience is accurately reflected, please review and complete all application fields—even if you auto-fill from your resume.
For the best results, tailor your resume to the job description, highlight key qualifications and skills, and use clear, consistent formatting. This helps our AI tools read and assess your application more effectively. We are committed to regularly monitoring the process for fairness and remove personally identifiable information during evaluation.
#J-18808-Ljbffr