The Enrollment Division at the University of Denver works to attract, enroll, and graduate an optimal mix of qualified students that will enrich the composition of the University community. The division, which consists of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid, seeks to enroll students who will become leaders, scholars, artists, entrepreneurs, and public servants uniquely qualified to live in and shape a global society. The Financial Aid Office is dedicated to serving and educating students, families, colleagues, and the community through the financial aid process from pre-enrollment to program completion. We value empathy and integrity, knowledgeable and professional staff, advocacy and access, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, clear and consistent communication, and compliance. We have primary responsibility for the undergraduate financial aid process and we also serve the graduate student population.

Position Summary

The Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Director of Financial Aid is a full-time position reporting to the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment. This position serves as a key strategic partner to the vice chancellor, especially in developing and assessing awarding strategies for both merit and need-based aid to meet enrollment and budget goals.

The director of financial aid is responsible for budgetary control and compliance processes for all financial aid award expenditures at the undergraduate level and all non-institutional financial aid offered at the graduate and professional levels.
As part of the senior leadership team in the enrollment division, the director will advise the vice chancellor and lead the discussions regarding the affordability of a DU education and the impact on access, diversity, and the budgets needed to implement financial aid policies; embrace and foster the discussion of the challenges of access to higher education; the disparities in representation among various student cohorts; and seek actions that make progress at alleviating these challenges. Additionally, the director will assist in the management and strategic implementation of the enrollment division goals as a senior member of the leadership team.

The director leads a team of professionals at DU, an institution whose financial aid metrics include:

• 2,300 undergraduate need-based aid recipients
• 7,000 institutional undergraduate aid applications
• 5,700 total undergraduate aid recipients
• 4,000 graduate federal aid recipients
• 3,400 graduate institutional aid recipients
• 5,900 total graduate aid recipients (this number includes students who may only have a private scholarship or private loan)
• 30,000 FAFSAs processed annually

All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in this profile.

The Search Process

Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer’s candidate portal.

Nominations and inquiries can be directed to the WittKieffer team for this search: Christy Pratt, Robert Springall, and Ethan Robles at DenverFinancialAid@wittkieffer.com

Essential Functions

• Direct and oversee awarding, processing and distribution of federal, state, and institutional financial aid to undergraduate students, and the non-institutional aid to graduate and professional students in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. The annual total Federal aid expenditure is approximately $160 million and annual undergraduate gift aid expenditure is approximately $180 million.
• Lead the development and utilization of need-based undergraduate financial aid. Create and oversee staff training and assess the undergraduate need-based financial aid file review and awarding policies, which currently utilize the Institutional Methodology principles (CSS Profile).
• Maximize the strategic impact of available funds, both merit and need based.
• Foster transparent, efficient processes and services that support student success among underrepresented, first-generation, and low-income students.
• Maintain expertise in federal and state financial aid regulations and application processes, and provide resources and leadership to the financial aid team to enhance proficiency in an ever-changing and unpredictable environment.
• Lead and manage the Office of Financial Aid (20 FTE). Supervise five associate directors, including the areas of advising for undergraduate and graduate students; the systems and operations functions; and the compliance and communications teams.
• Engage regularly with staff to provide resources necessary to ensure excellent service to students and campus partners and maintain full compliance with applicable regulations to maximize the positive impact of the Universitys resources.
• Design and supervise office procedures that lead to excellent customer service for all financial aid recipients and prospective aid applicants. Provide excellent resources for staff who manage approximately 16,000 phone calls, a much greater volume of emails and documents, and nearly 2,000 drop-in visitors.
  Ensure sound data management practices and policies. Contribute to a culture of data-informed decision making - especially
• related to aid optimization, customer service, and other enrollment services including partnerships with persistence and retention efforts. Utilize financial aid and institutional research experts to provide reports for office, division, and other partners including budget, provost, chancellor, and board of trustees.
• Lead the financial aid office in building and maintaining relationships with key campus constituencies including student billing, information technology, registrar, advancement, athletics, controller, student affairs and inclusive excellence, office of graduate education, individual graduate education units, provost’s office, international education, and academic units. Work closely with campus colleagues and other partners to optimize the use of institutional financial aid to produce the desired results for undergraduate enrollment goals, student diversity, and net tuition revenue. Provide expertise to serve the challenging goals for student access and success. Utilize regular reports on the effective use of institutional funds to support the University’s enrollment goals.
• Meet monthly with the vice chancellor and our liaison in Advancement to discuss campaign goals, donors, and strategies for raising funds to meet more need; full-need; and/or tuition promise programs. Provide opportunities for staff engagement in the financial aid profession at the state, regional, and national levels. Support meaningful engagement with families and students in high
• schools and community-based organizations. Maintain visibility and leadership in the financial aid and enrollment management community not only in professional organizations but in community visibility and involvement.
• Serve as the responsible authority for required state, federal and institutional reports related to financial aid policies and procedures. Monitor compliance with applicable regulations and submit required documentation to federal and state regulatory bodies and auditors, internal and external, and including athletic compliance and appeals.
• Participate in the life of the University by serving on committees or task forces and engaging in strategic conversations and educational activities to advance the University’s goals.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Possess the experience, leadership, and vision to plan, organize, manage, and direct the Financial Aid office.
• Provide strategic enrollment management leadership in collaboration with the Vice Chancellor and internal and external partners.
• Provide inspiration to advance the goals of the University, and to motivate and lead a successful financial aid team.
• Function as an experienced, forward-thinking financial aid administrator.
• Knowledge of the direction of financial aid administration at the undergraduate and graduate levels; strong working knowledge of Federal Student Aid programs, including processes, policies, and regulations; strategic and applied understanding of the role of institutional scholarships and grants in managing undergraduate student enrollment to help shape the incoming first-year and transfer classes; strong attention to returning students at all levels, undergraduate and graduate, and the importance of financial aid to retention and graduation.
• The ideal candidate will possess characteristics and qualities including vision and leadership; strong, effective, and caring management; strong analytical and technical capacity; superior communication skills; personal qualities that include a spirit of inclusivity, positivity, resilience, inspiration, listening and compassion, and collaboration and trust. A demonstrable commitment to and record of vigorous leadership in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion is required.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree
• Ten (10) years of experience in financial aid
• Five (5) years of supervisory experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree

Working Environment

1. Standard office environment.
2. Unexpected interruptions occur often and stress level is moderate to high.
3. Noise level is quiet to moderate.

Physical Activities

1. Ability to sit in front of a computer for an extended period of time.
2. Occasionally required to move about the office/campus with the capability of transporting objects up to 20 lbs.

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Application Deadline

For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) March 7, 2025.

Special Instructions

Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Salary Grade Number:

The salary grade for the position is 16.

Salary Range:

The salary range for this position is $150,000-$170,000.

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits:

The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:

All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in this profile.

Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer’s candidate portal.

Nominations and inquiries can be directed to the WittKieffer team for this search:

Christy Pratt, Robert Springall, and Ethan Robles at DenverFinancialAid@wittkieffer.com

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.