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California State University, Fullerton

Director, Financial Aid

🇺🇸 Fullerton, CA 🕑 Full-Time 💰 $6,891 - $22,119 per Month 💻 Financial Aid 🗓️ June 26th, 2026

Edtech.com's Summary

California State University, Fullerton is hiring a Director, Financial Aid. The Director manages the university's financial aid programs, overseeing more than $300 million in student aid funds, supervises professional staff, develops policies, and ensures compliance with federal, state, and CSU regulations while fostering collaboration across the university community.

Highlights
  • Manage comprehensive financial aid program with a budget exceeding $300 million
  • Supervise and lead professional staff providing student aid services
  • Develop and implement institutional financial aid policies and procedures
  • Ensure compliance with federal, state, and CSU system-wide financial aid regulations
  • Report directly to the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Strategic Enrollment Management
  • Experience required: minimum seven years progressively responsible college/university experience, four years in financial aid as director/associate director
  • Technical skills: experience with new technology implementation and operating within PeopleSoft environment preferred
  • Required qualifications include leadership, team building, communication skills, and ability to work with diverse populations
  • Salary range: $6,891 - $22,119 per month; expected hiring range $11,700 - $14,400 per month
  • Benefits include health, dental, vision, retirement through CalPERS, tuition waivers, paid holidays, and employee assistance programs

Director, Financial Aid Full Description

Job Title | Director, Financial Aid
Classification | Administrator III
Auto Req. ID | 559384

Salary Range | Classification Range $6,891 - $22,119 per month(Hiring range depending on qualifications, not anticipated to exceed $11,700 - $14,400 per month)

Work Schedule | Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM; occasional early morning, evening and/or weekend hours.
Why CSUF | California State University, Fullerton (Cal State Fullerton) is a leading public university committed to student success, academic excellence, and inclusive excellence. The university fosters a collaborative environment that supports teaching, research, and service while promoting innovation and professional growth. Cal State Fullerton is both a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, and a recipient of the Seal of Excelencia (2021 and 2024) from Excelencia in Education. Joining Cal State Fullerton means becoming part of a community dedicated to advancing student achievement, career success, and economic mobility.

Department | The Office of Financial Aid within the Division of Student Affairs is available to remove the cost of barriers that may prevent individuals from pursuing their educational goals. We seek an exceptional individual to join our team as the Director, Financial Aid (Administrator III). If working with students and having an impact on their futures excites you, this is the opportunity you have been seeking. Join Cal State Fullerton and become an agent of change. The ideal candidate in this role should have a positive attitude, an active, energetic mind, and a leadership style that is characterized by highly ethical practices and a commitment to inclusivity, openness, flexibility, integrity, and kindness.

Duties and Responsibilities
The Director of Financial Aid manages the university's comprehensive financial aid program, which administers over $300 million in student aid funds. Reporting directly to the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Strategic Enrollment Management, the Director administers, manages, and disburses all student financial aid in a manner consistent with the university's mission and responsiveness to the university's student population. Completes management activities and supervises the professional staff while providing strong leadership, professionalism, teambuilding, and a commitment to the highest levels of professionalism and high-quality service. Develops and implements institutional policies and procedures to effectively distribute student aid funds in accordance with applicable federal, state, and CSU system-wide regulations. Creates and implements strategies. Oversees organizational policies and procedures within an integrated computerized environment. Advocates, communicates, and works collaboratively with the university community on behalf of the financial aid program. Implements, promotes, and remains committed to providing operations, programs, and services of the highest level of quality. Other duties as assigned.

Inclusive Leadership Statement | Inclusive Leadership Statement is required below, please be sure to address the following as a minimum. Please add additional information as you see necessary and applicable:• What does inclusive leadership mean to you.• A description of your experiences working with individuals with a different perspective.• A description of how issues of inclusivity have impacted you personally or professionally.

Essential Qualifications
Must possess a minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience within a college or university setting and four years of financial aid experience at the director or associate director level. Must have experience with staff motivation, supervision, training, team building, and employee relations. Demonstrated excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication, and organizational skills. Ability to work with a diverse, multicultural workforce. Experience in new technological system implementation. Leadership experience and skills in establishing partnerships within a complex organization and between the organization and its communities. Ability to conceptualize organizational goals that reflect the mission of CSU Fullerton and the national student aid perspective. Demonstrated skills in long-range planning, impact, and risk assessment, as well as working effectively with others. Must have experience in goal identification, policy formulation, and implementation.A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily and is required for employment. CSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to complete the background check satisfactorily may affect the continued employment of a current CSU employee who was conditionally offered the position.
 
Preferred Qualifications | Master's degree from an accredited college or university in a related field. Experience working with various student populations in a public college or university setting. Extensive background in managing technology implementation, as well as experience operating in a PeopleSoft environment. Experience with a strategic enrollment management model or within a strategic enrollment management environment.

Special Working Conditions | Notice of Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender or Sex and Contact Information for Title IX Coordinator
Benefits at a Glance | An array of health plans that include prescription drug coverageDental and Vision coverageIncome protection benefits including life insurance and disabilityRetirement plan through CalPERSTuition waiver for employees and dependents if eligibleFlexCash (in lieu of health and dental)Employee Assistance Programs15 paid holidaysSee our CSUF Benefits website for additional information.

Additional Information
California State University, Fullerton is committed to fostering an environment where students, staff, administrators, and faculty thrive. We welcome individuals ready to make an impact on student and staff success to apply and become part of the Titan Community. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.Cal State Fullerton is an equal opportunity employer that prohibits discrimination based on regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity, national origin, or any other protected status.As of January 1, 2022, the CSU Out-of-State Employment Policy prohibits the hiring of employees to perform CSU-related work outside the state of California.The scope of responsibilities for this position includes the making or participating in the making of decisions that may have a material financial benefit on the incumbent. Therefore, you will be required to file an initial “Conflict of Interest Form 700: Statement of Economic Interests” within thirty (30) days from date of hire and on an annual basis; and complete the CSU sponsored ethics on-line training within thirty (30) days of appointment, and at least once during each consecutive period of two calendar years following the appointment.The person holding this position is considered a limited mandated reporter under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and must comply with the requirement outlined in CSU Executive Order 1083, revised July 21, 2017.This position is designated as a Campus Security Authority (CSA) position under the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. CSAs are responsible for reporting allegations of Clery Act Crimes reported to them or that they witness. CSA training is required.Applicants will be required to disclose whether they have received a final administrative decision or final judicial decision determining that they have committed sexual harassment within the last 7 years only after a determination is made that they meet the minimum qualifications for the position, and before an offer of employment is extended. Applicants who reach the final stages of the application process must also sign a release form that authorizes the release of information by the applicant’s current and/or former employers to the CSU concerning any substantiated allegations of misconduct.Multiple positions may be hired from this recruitment based on the strength of the applicant pool.If you are applying for a staff position, please note that you are not eligible to work concurrently in a staff position and an Academic Student position such as a Graduate Assistant, Teaching Associate, Instructional Student Assistant, or Student Assistant position.Regular attendance is considered an essential job function; the inability to meet attendance requirements may preclude the employee from retaining employment.Employee/applicant who applies for a position may be required to successfully complete job-related performance test(s) as part of the selection process.  Online application/resume must be received by electronic submission on the final filing date by 9:00 PM (Pacific Standard Time)/midnight (Eastern Standard Time). Applicants who fail to complete all sections of the online application form will be disqualified from consideration. California State University, Fullerton is not currently sponsoring any new H-1B petitions for staff, management, or faculty positions.