Southern California HERC

One-Stop Senior Student Financial Counselor, Graduate and Professional Studies

Posting Number: R0004295
Location: Mission Valley Campus - San Diego, CA

PLNU is a Christian liberal arts university in the evangelical, Wesleyan tradition, offering quality undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. We provide higher education in a vibrant Christian environment where minds are engaged and challenged, character is modeled and formed, and service is an expression of faith. PLNU is an institution that is committed to reflecting the rich diversity of God's kingdom. We therefore encourage applications from culturally diverse candidates.

Benefits:

We are pleased to offer attractive benefits and resources. This includes benefits such as health, dental, tuition benefits for employees and dependents, competitive retirement matching, vacation and sick time, and 15 paid holidays per year. In addition, we have many opportunities to engage with our community including staff chapel and a robust wellness program.

Job Summary:
The One-Stop Student Financial Senior Counselor plays a key role in supporting daily operations, team effectiveness, and service delivery within the One-Stop Student Financial (OSF) team. This position partners closely with the Team Lead and Director to ensure business needs are met, workflows are effective, and a high standard of service is consistently delivered. The Senior Counselor is expected to think ahead, identify gaps, and bring forward solutions that strengthen both the student experience and team operations. This role provides guidance to team members, supports training and onboarding, and supervises student workers.

Salary:
Pay range $27.00 - $28.00
Actual salary offered is determined by the candidate's experience, education, skills, and other factors, including internal equity and university funding resources.

Job Status:
Full time

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Job Description:

What You'll Be Doing:

Operational Excellence and Service Standards

• Deliver high-level financial counseling while setting the standard for accuracy, communication, and student experience across the team.
  
• Handle complex and escalated student situations, ensuring resolution and strong follow-through.
  
• Serve as a resource for team members when questions or challenges arise.
  
• Model best practices in student interactions, documentation, and account management.
  
• Proactively identify recurring issues and trends, and bring forward recommendations to improve service and operations.
  
  

Team Support and Daily Operations

• Supports daily workflow by helping prioritize tasks, manage coverage, and address issues in real time.
  
• Assists in maintaining consistency across call queue, appointments, and student communications.
  
• Identifies trends or gaps in operations and brings forward solutions to improve team effectiveness.
  
• Partners closely with the Team Lead to maintain alignment on priorities and team needs.
  
• Steps in to support team coverage and continuity of service during high-volume periods or staffing gaps.
  
  

Training and Onboarding

• Supports onboarding of new counselors and student workers to ensure consistency in training and expectations.
  
• Provides ongoing guidance and reinforcement of processes, policies, and service standards.
  
• Assists in developing and maintaining training materials, scripts, and job aids.
  
• Helps ensure the team is confident and consistent in execution.
  
• Reinforces accountability by ensuring team members are following established processes and expectations.
  

Student Advising and Functional Responsibilities

• Advise prospective and enrolled Graduate and Professional Studies (GPS) students and families on tuition, billing, and financial aid options.
  
• Guide students through financial aid processes, including Federal, PLUS, Alternative loans, and state and institutional aid.
  
• Educate students on policies, deadlines, eligibility requirements, and program guidelines.
  
• Review and analyze student accounts, including payments, holds, refunds, and financial aid status, to ensure accuracy and readiness.
  
• Resolve complex student issues related to financial aid, student accounts, military benefits, academic standing, and funding delays.
  
• Serve as a primary point of contact for students navigating financial aid processes, including applications, verification, SAP, and appeals.
  
• Maintain compliance with federal, state, and institutional financial aid regulations.
  
• Follow up on incomplete documentation, aid packaging, and disbursement issues to ensure timely processing.
  
• Advise students on billing policies, payment plans, refund schedules, and account holds.
  
• Process and coordinate refunds with the Business Office, and clearly communicate timelines to students.
  
• Maintain accurate and detailed documentation of all student interactions in systems such as Salesforce, Workday, and Dialpad.
  
• Serve as a point of escalation for complex student situations before involvement from the Team Lead.
  

Student Engagement and Outreach

• Present financial information at New Student Orientation and Financial Aid Workshops.
  
• Conduct proactive outreach campaigns, including welcome emails, follow-up for missing documents, and support for funding plans.
  
• Meet with newly admitted students to develop personalized funding plans.
  
• Utilize multiple communication methods, including phone, email, video, and text, to support students throughout their lifecycle.
  
• Support consistency in outreach efforts across the team by reinforcing expectations and best practices.
  

Collaboration and Process Improvement

• Collaborate with Enrollment, Financial Aid, Records, and Student Success to resolve student issues.
  
• Work across teams to remove barriers and improve the overall student experience.
  
• Bring forward recommendations to improve processes, communication, and workflow efficiency.
  
• Communicate trends, challenges, and opportunities to the Team Lead and Director to support informed decision-making.
  
  

Military Programs

• Collaborate with the Military Services department to secure required documentation and support students using VA or military tuition benefits.
  
• Advise students on all available military aid and how it integrates into their funding plan.
  
• Partner with the Military Services Compliance and Billing Manager to ensure accurate billing and compliance.
  
  

Qualifications
Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree required.
  
• Minimum 2-3 years of experience in student financial services, financial aid, student accounts, or related field preferred.
  
• Experience in higher education strongly preferred.
  
• Evidence of Christian commitment and active church involvement. In addition, staff agree to live in agreement with PLNU's Community Life Covenant.
  

Skills & Competencies

• Demonstrates strong judgment and the ability to navigate complex student situations.
  
• Ability to identify issues and bring forward clear, practical solutions.
  
• Ability to support and guide team members in day-to-day operations.
  
• Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills.
  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  
• Proficient with student information systems (Salesforce, TargetX, Workday, Dialpad).
  
• Knowledge of federal financial aid regulations and institutional policies.
  
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.
  
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
  
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
  
• Demonstrates initiative, ownership, and accountability in day-to-day work.
  
  

Physical Requirements

• Work is primarily sedentary and may require sitting for extended periods of time. Offices are equipped with standing desks.
  
• Use of computer equipment: computer keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
  
• Vision to read documents, e-mail, and other correspondence, and reports on paper and the computer monitor.
  
• Ability to communicate effectively with others in person and by phone.
  
• Will also stand, stoop, push, pull, and lift up to 10 lbs throughout the day.
  

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At PLNU, we believe in pursuing calling together. Deep and meaningful relationships between students, faculty, and staff is vital in nurturing our shared community and expressing God's love. We are looking for enthusiastic candidates to join us in empowering our students to reach their greatest personal, spiritual and professional potential.

Point Loma Nazarene University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures.


Apply online at https://pointloma.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/PLNUCareers/job/Mission-Valley-Campus---San-Diego-CA/One-Stop-Senior-Student-Financial-Counselor--Graduate-and-Professional-Studies_R0004295

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