Financial Aid Technician

Salary: $27.20 Hourly
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number:
2526-00075
Closing: 7/12/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Location: 5100 Sierra College Blvd, Rocklin, CA
Division:
Student Services

Description

Under general supervision from assigned manager, performs programmatic, technical,
and administrative duties in support of financial aid programs and services; receives, reviews, validates, and analyzes financial aid
applications; performs needs analysis and determines eligibility and awards in accordance with District policies and procedures and federal,
state, and local requirements; assists students in the completion of student financial aid forms, analysis of tax information, and
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) calculations; and monitors and reconciles Federal Work Student program
expenditures.

Need Help With Your Online Account?

• Use the online Help Guide or contact the NEOED Applicants Support Line at 855-524-5627 if you need
  assistance with your online applicant account.
• Applicant Support is available between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday
  through Friday.

If you have any questions about this position, please contact the Human Resources Department at hr@sierracollege.edu.

Exam
ples Of Functions and Tasks

Representative Duties
The following duties are typical for this
classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from
those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

1. Reviews and processes applications and
   verification forms; determines student eligibility for federal and state grants, loans, and Federal Work Study (FWS) and California College
   Promise Grant (CCPG) programs using federal methodology, needs analysis, and state-defined income criteria; establishes initial cost of
   attendance for each student; identifies circumstances for alternative processing; requests and reviews records and information from federal,
   state, and judicial organizations; verifies information required by the U.S. Department of Education; identifies, confirms, and adjusts
   federal, state, and other data to resolve discrepancies or conflicts of parental or student data between applications and supporting
   documents; finalizes corrected data elements and sets record clearance for financial aid packaging.
2. Verifies and reviews financial
   aid materials and applications for completeness and compliance, including Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California
   Dream Act (CADAA) student records, files, and reports.
3. Maintains adherence to federal and state regulations while completing a
   variety of Professional Judgment Appeals, including, but not limited to, dependency override, Expected Family Contribution (EFC) appeals,
   cost of attendance adjustments and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeals.
4. Serves and participates on the Financial Aid
   Advisory Committee (FAAC); conducts research and analysis of documentation to calculate adjustments to determine student eligibility;
   processes Professional Judgement files; recognizes and maintains readiness for situations requiring Title IX reporting, as these petitions
   may require intervention.
5. Participates in fund management for assigned programs; coordinates and maintains award records, data, and
   activities; monitors entitlements and earnings; provides periodic reports; performs fund expenditure projections; monitors year to date
   spending; coordinates with other department regarding disbursement of fund programs and student holds to outstanding college
   debt.
6. Processes student employment requests for District Student Help (DSH), Federal Work Study (FWS), CalWorks Work Study (CWWS),
   International Student Employees, Community Service, America Reads, and other programs; processes and maintains awards for FWS and CWWS; runs
   reports to ensure continued eligibility of FWS funds; assists in mandatory annual federal work study reporting; partners with Human
   Resources to ensure compliance with federal and state employment laws; collects student employment job descriptions; posts and maintains job
   listing board and department website; monitors enrollment status and SAP of student employees; collects forms and verifies authenticity of
   supporting documents required for compliance; updates and maintains Supervisor Manual and Student Employee Handbook; ensures compliance with
   rules and regulations.
7. Verifies eligibility and post awards for special student support programs, including, but not limited to,
   Extended Opportunity Programs (EOPS), Next Up, and Chafee; maintains resource postings for special programs, including, but not limited to,
   Puente and Umoja programs; coordinates efforts with special populations staff to ensure financial aid benefits are delivered efficiently and
   effectively to students; posts book vouchers and awards, corrects aid amounts for special programs, confirms budgets, and processes special
   circumstances for unmet need issues for students to continue to receive grants or federal aid.
8. Facilitates financial aid processes
   to ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional laws, regulations, and policies; ensures award amounts are correct each semester
   and award notifications are sent out on disbursement days; corrects award notifications, as needed; posts Veterans Waivers and uploads
   information to District tracking systems; maintains accurate case management and intercommunications by logging summary of actions taken on
   each file and correspondence with students; assists in the preparation of annual audit or program review.
9. Serves as a point of
   contact to students, parents, District staff, and the public; provides technical information and subject matter expertise regarding
   financial aid programs, services, benefits, and their applicability to individual situations; instructs students in proper completion of
   forms and applications; explains application requirements and restrictions; notifies ineligible applicants; explores and resolves conflicts
   or mitigating circumstances; assists in coordinating and participates in outreach events; composes and presents informational materials on
   the various financial aid types and how to acquire and retain financial aid funds; promotes realistic expectations for students related to
   California College Promise Grant (CCPG) tuition waivers, Pell Grants, loans, and scholarships.
10. Checks and confirms homeless
    eligibility with director or designee of a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funded shelter, Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) funded
    shelter, transitional living program, or other administrator; awards California College Promise Grant (CCPG) and priority registration for
    homeless students; complies with California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) mandates to prepare and submit required data or
    reports related to homeless Management Information Systems (MIS) data.
11. Performs and monitors data imports of Federal Institutional
    Student Information Report (ISIR) data; ensures comment codes with default or overpayments are present and comment codes selected by
    students are reflected for verification.
12. Monitors Pell Grant files from the US Department of Education of Federal ISIRs selected for
    verification; reviews and verifies student disbursement documents and communicates with department staff to confirm overpayments and
    requests notification letter be provided to student; provides student with next steps to complete verification within established
    timeframes.
13. Performs clerical and administrative duties in support of program operations; researches and resolves problems;
    troubleshoots computer information processing system problems; assembles files and duplicates materials; composes and prepares office
    correspondence, materials, reports, forms, brochures, presentations, handbooks, manuals, and consumer information; answers phones, refers
    callers, and takes messages; schedules and manages appointments; maintains and orders supplies; maintains and updates interrelated filing
    systems that include vital documentation in relation to students’ eligibility inclusive of confidential records and financial
    data.
14. Reviews updated or new technical instructions or references; participates in the development of new or revised procedures to
    accommodate changes; assists in providing training and direction regarding changes and new regulations.
15. Participates in reporting
    duties; assists in gathering, compiling, auditing, maintaining, and analyzing data for the maintenance and preparation of records and
    reports; identifies required data elements to create database queries; creates selection sets; coordinates with District staff to obtain
    data; researches and adjusts error reports.
16. Performs Return to Title IV processes; pulls baseline reports; analyzes information to
    determine correct date of withdraw; calculates institutional charges and portions of a students unearned aid and amount to be returned to
    the funding source.
17. Participates in mid-term transfer activities, including updating and maintaining reports; informs National
    Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) regarding mid-year transfers for Title IV aid; accesses “alerts” sent to schools by NSLDS and monitors
    changes in student eligibility of Title IV aid; identifies new information generated by NSLDS Alert Program regarding new loads,
    disbursements, and changes in outstanding principal balance of loans; analyzes relevant information that could affect student eligibility
    and disbursement for Pell Grant and Title IV loans.
18. Works to mitigate potential fraud by looking for inconsistencies in reported
    information and verifying the identity of students flagged by the U.S. Department of Education or Sierra College; enters identity findings
    in national databases, including Financial Aid Administrators (FAA) Access; assists manager with compiling documentation to support
    investigations by the Office of Inspector General.
19. Provides onboarding support, general work training, guidance, supervision
    assistance, and directs activities of students or temporary employees.
20. Performs related duties that support the overall objective of
    the position.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience Guidelines
Any
combination of education and experience that demonstrates the required above knowledge and abilities is qualifying. Examples of ways to
obtain the above knowledge and abilities could include, but are not limited to, the
following:

Education/Training

• Equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade or General Educational
  Development (GED) supplemented by college level course work in business administration, accounting, or a related
  field.

Experience

• Two years of increasingly responsible technical and program support experience in a
  financial aid office or a related field.

QUALIFICATIONS
The following generally describes the
knowledge and ability required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time in order to successfully perform the
assigned duties.

Knowledge of:

• Student financial aid processes and procedures, including standard and
  emergency grants and funds, programs, and subsidized or unsubsidized loans and plus loans.
• Sierra College and operations of the
  Financial Aid Department and other student service departments.
• U.S. Department of Education verification
  requirements.
• Federal and State tax returns, schedules, and attachments.
• Federal, state, and local laws, codes, and
  regulations regarding financial aid and the support of students, including, but not limited to, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy
  Act (FERPA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Return to Title IV, and applicable laws governing student employment.
• Needs
  analysis methodology.
• General accounting and bookkeeping practices and techniques.
• Moderate to complex mathematical
  concepts.
• English usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary, including proofreading, copy writing, editing, and
  formatting techniques.

Ability to:

• Provide assistance, training, and information to students, District
  staff, and the public concerning financial aid programs, services, functions, and resources.
• Function as a technical expert in
  assigned areas of financial aid and student employment processing.
• Access federal, state, and local sites to report information and
  retrieve data, and compile reports and transactions, including sensitive personal and monetary transactions.
• Execute and review
  financial aid and other student loan applications, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California Dream Act
  (CADAA).
• Make presentations to groups.
• Prepare comprehensive and statistical reports.
• Properly handle difficult,
  sensitive, and confidential situations and materials.
• Use sound judgment in recognizing scope of authority.
• Adapt to
  changing technologies and learn functionality of new equipment and systems.
• Plan and organize work to meet changing priorities and
  deadlines.
• Maintain a high level of attention to detail.
• Maintain current, accurate, and confidential records and
  files.
• Utilize office procedures, methods, and equipment, including computers, technology, and applicable software applications
  sufficiently to perform the duties of the classification, including financial aid management and student support systems, the District’s
  Banner Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, and intermediate Microsoft Office skills.
• Maintain confidentiality of
  information.
• Perform arithmetic calculations of average to above-average difficulty.
• Follow oral and written
  directions.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Provide onboarding support, general work
  training, guidance, supervision assistance, and direct activities of students or temporary employees.
• Establish and maintain
  effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Work independently and collaboratively.
• Apply
  District policies and procedures.

Physical Demands and Working Environment
The conditions herein are
representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable
accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job
functions.

Environment: Work is performed primarily in a standard office setting. Position may be required to
work evenings, nights, and weekends.

Physical: Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to
work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to occasionally walk, stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and
twist; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to operate office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement
and fine coordination, including use of a computer keyboard; and to verbally communicate to exchange
information.

Vision: See in the normal visual range with or without correction; vision sufficient to read computer
screens and printed documents; and to operate assigned equipment.

Hearing: Hear in the normal audio range with or
without correction.

Supplemental Information

WHY SIERRA?

• One of Aspen Institute’s Top
  150 Community Colleges in the nation
• The Accrediting Commission recognized Sierra “for its exemplary practice of providing personnel
  with opportunities for continued professional development in order to meet its mission.” This includes providing students and employees with
  a robust set of programs, events, and conferences related to equity-mindedness and supporting the success of our students, etc.
• Public Employee’s Retirement System (PERS)
• 18 paid holidays (including extended time off during the winter
  break)
• 12 accrued paid vacation days per year (vacation accrual increases over time)
• Competitive benefits
  package
• Flexible work schedules may be available
• Currently during summers, some employee groups participate in 4×10
  schedules
• Qualifying Employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (in most cases)

Sierra College is a Community College
located near Sacramento, California where a heavy emphasis is placed on academic excellence and student success. Since its founding in 1936,
Sierra College has focused on quality instruction and meeting the evolving needs of the students and communities that it serves. The Sierra
Community College District covers more than 3,200 square miles and serves the Northern California foothill counties of Placer and Nevada, as
well as parts of El Dorado and Sacramento. We serve over 17,000 students throughout the region in both on-ground and online courses,
including students at our main Rocklin Campus as well as at two centers located in Grass Valley and Tahoe/Truckee. Our District prides
itself on academic excellence.

Sierra College has a strong commitment to the achievement of equity and inclusion among its faculty,
staff, and students and values the rich, diverse backgrounds that make up the campus community. A strong candidate for this position must
demonstrate a profound understanding of and experience with successfully supporting individuals with varying backgrounds. This includes
persons with disabilities, various gender identities and sexual orientations, as well as individuals from historically underrepresented
communities and other groups. Our District is committed to providing strategies for success and proactive student-centered practices and
policies focused on eliminating equity gaps to ensure the District provides an inclusive educational and employment environment focused on
strategies for success and equitable outcomes for all.

As an institution, Sierra College is committed to eliminating the equity gap
in all student populations with dynamic, learner-centered practices and policies that fully engage the college community. The ideal
candidate will share the College’s commitment to helping its racially and socioeconomically diverse students succeed in their degree and
career objectives. Currently, Sierra College enrolls 17,800 students per term, where approximately: 23% of Sierra College’s students are
Latin(o)(a)(x)(e), 3% are African-American/Black, 2% are Filipino, 6% are Asian, 1% are American Indian/Alaskan Native, 8% are Multiethnic
and 55% are White.

The successful candidate will join a College dedicated to the use of culturally responsive strategies and methods
that meet the varying needs of our students, faculty, staff, and surrounding community. Sierra College demonstrates its commitment to equity
by supporting ongoing professional development for students, faculty, and staff. These opportunities include trainings and workshops on
equity and inclusion, active Academic Senate standing committees concerned with student success and equity, a Presidential Equity Advisory
Committee (PEAC), culturally responsive student engagement centers, support for our undocumented and AB540 students, campus-wide equity
summits, a robust set of programs, events, and conferences related to equity-mindedness and supporting the success of our diverse students.

Need Help With Your Online Account?

• Use the online https://apptrkr.com/get_redirect.php?id=7253578&targetURL=.

  Examples Of Functions and Tasks

  Representative Duties
  The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not
  perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address
  business needs and changing business practices.

  
  
  
  1. Reviews and processes applications and verification forms; determines student
     eligibility for federal and state grants, loans, and Federal Work Study (FWS) and California College Promise Grant (CCPG) programs using
     federal methodology, needs analysis, and state-defined income criteria; establishes initial cost of attendance for each student; identifies
     circumstances for alternative processing; requests and reviews records and information from federal, state, and judicial organizations;
     verifies information required by the U.S. Department of Education; identifies, confirms, and adjusts federal, state, and other data to
     resolve discrepancies or conflicts of parental or student data between applications and supporting documents; finalizes corrected data
     elements and sets record clearance for financial aid packaging.
  2. Verifies and reviews financial aid materials and applications for
     completeness and compliance, including Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California Dream Act (CADAA) student records,
     files, and reports.
  3. Maintains adherence to federal and state regulations while completing a variety of Professional Judgment
     Appeals, including, but not limited to, dependency override, Expected Family Contribution (EFC) appeals, cost of attendance adjustments and
     Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeals.
  4. Serves and participates on the Financial Aid Advisory Committee (FAAC); conducts
     research and analysis of documentation to calculate adjustments to determine student eligibility; processes Professional Judgement files;
     recognizes and maintains readiness for situations requiring Title IX reporting, as these petitions may require
     intervention.
  5. Participates in fund management for assigned programs; coordinates and maintains award records, data, and activities;
     monitors entitlements and earnings; provides periodic reports; performs fund expenditure projections; monitors year to date spending;
     coordinates with other department regarding disbursement of fund programs and student holds to outstanding college debt.
  6. Processes
     student employment requests for District Student Help (DSH), Federal Work Study (FWS), CalWorks Work Study (CWWS), International Student
     Employees, Community Service, America Reads, and other programs; processes and maintains awards for FWS and CWWS; runs reports to ensure
     continued eligibility of FWS funds; assists in mandatory annual federal work study reporting; partners with Human Resources to ensure
     compliance with federal and state employment laws; collects student employment job descriptions; posts and maintains job listing board and
     department website; monitors enrollment status and SAP of student employees; collects forms and verifies authenticity of supporting
     documents required for compliance; updates and maintains Supervisor Manual and Student Employee Handbook; ensures compliance with rules and
     regulations.
  7. Verifies eligibility and post awards for special student support programs, including, but not limited to, Extended
     Opportunity Programs (EOPS), Next Up, and Chafee; maintains resource postings for special programs, including, but not limited to, Puente
     and Umoja programs; coordinates efforts with special populations staff to ensure financial aid benefits are delivered efficiently and
     effectively to students; posts book vouchers and awards, corrects aid amounts for special programs, confirms budgets, and processes special
     circumstances for unmet need issues for students to continue to receive grants or federal aid.
  8. Facilitates financial aid processes
     to ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional laws, regulations, and policies; ensures award amounts are correct each semester
     and award notifications are sent out on disbursement days; corrects award notifications, as needed; posts Veterans Waivers and uploads
     information to District tracking systems; maintains accurate case management and intercommunications by logging summary of actions taken on
     each file and correspondence with students; assists in the preparation of annual audit or program review.
  9. Serves as a point of
     contact to students, parents, District staff, and the public; provides technical information and subject matter expertise regarding
     financial aid programs, services, benefits, and their applicability to individual situations; instructs students in proper completion of
     forms and applications; explains application requirements and restrictions; notifies ineligible applicants; explores and resolves conflicts
     or mitigating circumstances; assists in coordinating and participates in outreach events; composes and presents informational materials on
     the various financial aid types and how to acquire and retain financial aid funds; promotes realistic expectations for students related to
     California College Promise Grant (CCPG) tuition waivers, Pell Grants, loans, and scholarships.
  10. Checks and confirms homeless
      eligibility with director or designee of a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funded shelter, Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) funded
      shelter, transitional living program, or other administrator; awards California College Promise Grant (CCPG) and priority registration for
      homeless students; complies with California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) mandates to prepare and submit required data or
      reports related to homeless Management Information Systems (MIS) data.
  11. Performs and monitors data imports of Federal Institutional
      Student Information Report (ISIR) data; ensures comment codes with default or overpayments are present and comment codes selected by
      students are reflected for verification.
  12. Monitors Pell Grant files from the US Department of Education of Federal ISIRs selected for
      verification; reviews and verifies student disbursement documents and communicates with department staff to confirm overpayments and
      requests notification letter be provided to student; provides student with next steps to complete verification within established
      timeframes.
  13. Performs clerical and administrative duties in support of program operations; researches and resolves problems;
      troubleshoots computer information processing system problems; assembles files and duplicates materials; composes and prepares office
      correspondence, materials, reports, forms, brochures, presentations, handbooks, manuals, and consumer information; answers phones, refers
      callers, and takes messages; schedules and manages appointments; maintains and orders supplies; maintains and updates interrelated filing
      systems that include vital documentation in relation to students’ eligibility inclusive of confidential records and financial
      data.
  14. Reviews updated or new technical instructions or references; participates in the development of new or revised procedures to
      accommodate changes; assists in providing training and direction regarding changes and new regulations.
  15. Participates in reporting
      duties; assists in gathering, compiling, auditing, maintaining, and analyzing data for the maintenance and preparation of records and
      reports; identifies required data elements to create database queries; creates selection sets; coordinates with District staff to obtain
      data; researches and adjusts error reports.
  16. Performs Return to Title IV processes; pulls baseline reports; analyzes information to
      determine correct date of withdraw; calculates institutional charges and portions of a students unearned aid and amount to be returned to
      the funding source.
  17. Participates in mid-term transfer activities, including updating and maintaining reports; informs National
      Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) regarding mid-year transfers for Title IV aid; accesses “alerts” sent to schools by NSLDS and monitors
      changes in student eligibility of Title IV aid; identifies new information generated by NSLDS Alert Program regarding new loads,
      disbursements, and changes in outstanding principal balance of loans; analyzes relevant information that could affect student eligibility
      and disbursement for Pell Grant and Title IV loans.
  18. Works to mitigate potential fraud by looking for inconsistencies in reported
      information and verifying the identity of students flagged by the U.S. Department of Education or Sierra College; enters identity findings
      in national databases, including Financial Aid Administrators (FAA) Access; assists manager with compiling documentation to support
      investigations by the Office of Inspector General.
  19. Provides onboarding support, general work training, guidance, supervision
      assistance, and directs activities of students or temporary employees.
  20. Performs related duties that support the overall objective of
      the position.
  
  

  Minimum Qualifications

  Education and Experience Guidelines
  Any
  combination of education and experience that demonstrates the required above knowledge and abilities is qualifying. Examples of ways to
  obtain the above knowledge and abilities could include, but are not limited to, the
  following:

  
  
  

  Education/Training

  • Equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade or General Educational
    Development (GED) supplemented by college level course work in business administration, accounting, or a related
    field.
  
  
  

  Experience

  • Two years of increasingly responsible technical and program support experience in a
    financial aid office or a related field.
  
  

  QUALIFICATIONS
  The following generally describes the
  knowledge and ability required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time in order to successfully perform the
  assigned duties.

  
  

  Knowledge of:

  • Student financial aid processes and procedures, including standard and
    emergency grants and funds, programs, and subsidized or unsubsidized loans and plus loans.
  • Sierra College and operations of the
    Financial Aid Department and other student service departments.
  • U.S. Department of Education verification
    requirements.
  • Federal and State tax returns, schedules, and attachments.
  • Federal, state, and local laws, codes, and
    regulations regarding financial aid and the support of students, including, but not limited to, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy
    Act (FERPA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Return to Title IV, and applicable laws governing student em
  
  

Tagged as: Employment