Executive Director, Office of Student Financial Aid

Overview

In this role, you lead the Office of Financial Aid across all three UW campuses, shaping how aid supports enrollment and student success. You will drive strategic, data-informed decisions to advance access, affordability, and debt-free education within the Enrollment Management framework. Your work bridges campuses, regulators, donors, and external partners to ensure compliant, timely, and equitable aid processes. You'll modernize OSFA systems and develop a high-performing, student-centered team to deliver a seamless student experience. This is a chance to influence UW's Strategic Framework and tri-campus collaboration on a national stage.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for financial aid across all three UW campuses
• Coordinate annual financial aid award cycles with compliant policies and timely processing
• Develop consistent tri-campus financial aid practices and equitable service
• Oversee compliance, reporting, reconciliation, and administration of aid programs
• Foster relationships with higher education organizations and stakeholders
• Contribute to enrollment management planning and policy development
• Represent financial aid in government relations and advocacy efforts
• Lead scholarship strategy and donor-funded programs; coordinate with University Advancement
• Prepare for audits and reviews; manage risk and corrective actions
• Serve as UW designated financial aid authority for NCAA and athletic aid issues
• Lead modernization of OSFA systems and processes; improve data integration and transparency
• Champion staff retention, onboarding, training, development, and succession planning
• Act as data custodian for financial aid data; strengthen reporting and analytics
• Collaborate with campus offices (admissions, advising, registrar) for holistic student support

Key requirements

• Bachelor in any field with at least seven years of professional leadership experience in university financial aid
• Comprehensive knowledge of financial aid programs, regulations, and disbursement policies
• Experience with audits, complex or decentralized systems, and large institutions
• Strong understanding of national and state-level financial aid issues
• Proven ability to leverage technology, data, reporting tools to improve operations and service
• Excellent communication; collaborative, student-centered leadership style
• Supervisory experience over a large, diverse staff
• Budgeting and personnel policy knowledge; ability to manage a large budget
• Change management experience; ability to stabilize staffing and drive trust-based change
• Travel ability (valid driver's license)

• empathetic
• calm
• approachable
• data analysis and reporting
• forecasting and assessment
• financial aid systems and workflow automation