Job Summary

Under the general direction of the Higher Education Pathways Program Manager (Cal-SOAP Program Manager) the Cal-SOAP Financial Aid & College Admissions Technician is responsible for knowing, explaining, and marketing complex financial aid and college admissions requirements to students, families, and counselors. This is a classified, full-time, 12 month position.

Examples of Duties

• In collaboration with the Cal-SOAP program manager, provides leadership in developing and advancing the Cal-SOAP College Success Program and Summer Melt Program that assists students and parents in understanding and accessing financial resources and college access information to pursue post-secondary education;
• Serves as the point of contact between the Cal-SOAP College Success Program, middle and high school counselors, financial aid and college admissions staff at Humboldt State University (HSU) and College of the Redwoods, and students and their guardians;
• Interviews, selects, and coordinates school placements and schedules of student staff;
• Leads and trains student staff to create a college going school-wide culture and to provide accurate and timely financial aid and college admissions information, and academic assistance to students, to increase their college eligibility;
• Assists student staff with problem-solving families’ unique financial situations when completing federal or state financial aid applications;
• Expands, coordinates and serves as an additional expert at Cash for College events;
• Creates and presents financial literacy and college awareness presentations and workshops that are tied to California academic standards;
• Using knowledge of financial aid and college admissions requirements, works with the Cal-SOAP program manager and the HCOE Communication Center, to create extensive informational and marketing materials including but not limited to, handouts for students and parents, website upkeep, weekly social media posts, media releases, monthly newsletter, informational videos, etc.;
• Provides resources and workshops on financial aid to counselors;
• Assists the Cal-SOAP Program & Events Technician as necessary to support the recruitment, intake and reimbursement of student staff;
• Works with partnering school sites to insure the quality of student staff work performance through meetings, site visit observations, performance reports, goal setting, and providing verbal and/or written corrective action when necessary, under the guidance of the Cal-SOAP manager;
• Collects required student data from schools and enters data into Cal-SOAP database, as well as, develops and maintains supplemental tracking and report systems, as necessary. Ensures that student staff tracking is accurately recorded and stored in a confidential manner;
• Maintains records in compliance with program and legal requirements and updates the Technician Manual with new policies and procedures, as they are developed;

Education and Experience

• Graduation from high school or comparable demonstration of basic competence;
• AA/AS degree completion or Bachelor’s degree in marketing or public relations preferred;
• Prior experience leading, organizing or supervising the work of others is desired;
• Experience with youth or young adults, preferably in a coaching or related student support services environment, is expected;
• Knowledge of financial aid and college admissions is expected;
• Applicants must possess a valid CA driver’s license auto insurance, and have access to a reliable vehicle to perform certain tasks related to this position.

Knowledge of:

• Community College, California State University, and University of California enrollment requirements and timelines;
• Federal Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA), California Dream Act (CADAA), and Cal Grant requirements;
• Financial planning for college;
• Career paths and future related educational opportunities for students;
• Effective strategies for successful academic support services to increase college admissions and Cal Grant eligibility;
• Active listening, coaching and team building, effective organizational and leadership skills;
• Effective marketing and public relations strategies and techniques.

Ability to:

• Understand, explain, and stay abreast of changes to financial aid and college admissions timelines and requirements;
• Create effective informational and marketing materials, including public relations and social media outreach that is accurate and timely;
• Coordinate, direct, and assess the work of college students;
• Align college students’ schedules with school site needs;
• Adjust communication style with different populations, such as, college students,  middle and high school students, parents, and school/agency personnel;
• Maintain accurate records for program performance tracking and audits;
• Develop and present training materials for college success coaches;
• Present to small and large groups with poise, confidence and clarity;
• Comprehend, and remember complex requirements, regulations, policies, and procedures;
• Establish and maintain positive, collaborative and cooperative working relationships with both internal staff and agency partners, and communicate effectively via email, telephone, Zoom, and in-person with professionalism, tact, courtesy and sensitivity;
• Organize work and manage multiple projects simultaneously to meet deadlines;
• Follow oral and written directions;
• Work independently and as a member of a team and exercise sound judgment;
• Work effectively under varying degrees of stress and consistently demonstrate strong aptitude and interest in learning.
• Model the same professional dress code as student staff, as outlined in the Cal-SOAP Program Handbook;
• Lift/move materials generally weighing less than 20 pounds;
• Use Google Suite and Microsoft Office Suite proficiently. Canva, Prezi, Padlet, and social media experience preferred.

NOTE: This position is required to have a cell phone with reimbursement available based on current HCOE policy amount. These job duties may require sitting for long periods of time while using a desktop computer or completing paperwork. Periodically required to modify daily/weekly work schedule in a reasonable manner to accommodate the needs of the program (e.g. Cal-SOAP Saturday trainings, evening events/meetings).

Range:37 | Personnel Commission Approval: May 11, 2021