Senior Director of Financial Aid Compliance & Operations

Who We Are

American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) is an accredited higher education institution, dynamically leading the industry in online holistic undergraduate and graduate programs specializing in integrative health, aromatherapy, herbal medicine, holistic nutrition, and wellness coaching, among other studies. 

Founded in 1978, in New Zealand, we have always had sustainability as a founding principle; we are a Certified B Corporation™. We strive to create and maintain a working environment where are all valued and appreciated for our authentic selves. We work together to help facilitate change in the communities we serve by being stewards of the highest level of integrative health and wellness education. We strive to customize the care we offer to every student and endeavor to support people on their educational journey. Our mission is to lead the advancement of evidence-based, integrative health and wellness education through experiential online learning and sustainable practices. For more information, visit https://achs.edu.

Learn more about our commitment as a Certified B™ Corporation.

Position Overview

ACHS is seeking a strategic and student-focused Senior Director of Financial Aid Compliance & Operations to lead and provide oversight of the financial aid operations for our institution. This role is responsible for ensuring compliance with federal, state, and institutional financial aid regulations while enhancing student access through effective administration of financial aid programs. This role will oversee the processing, awarding, and disbursement of aid, ensuring a seamless and supportive experience for students.

The ideal candidate will have a strong attention to detail, audit and compliance liaison experience, and experience using the Anthology Student student information system.  

Key Responsibilities 

Title IV Compliance 50%:

• Assure compliance with federal and state regulations pertaining to all Federal, State and Institutional financial aid programs in coordination with the Director of Financial Aid.
• Responsible for institutional reporting related to student financial services including IPEDS, SSCR (NSLDS) reporting, FISAP, Gainful Employment, 90/10, Title IV recertification, and regulatory applications and reviews.  
• Oversee the annual Title IV compliance audit. 
• Ensure that the institution is 100% in compliance demonstrated by exception-free financial aid audits and maintaining awareness of and implementing all federal and state laws and regulations that pertain to the programs administered by the Office of Financial Aid.

Financial Aid Administration & Processing 25%:

• Finalize and review monthly and annual reconciliations to the institution’s general ledger for financial aid accounts including Business Office and G5/COD records.
• Oversee the administration of federal, state, and institutional aid, including grants, loans, and scholarships.
• Monitor and manage financial aid awarding, packaging, and disbursement to ensure timely and accurate processing.
• Facilitate the drawdown and disbursement of all federal student aid. 
• Oversee the processes that ensure timely and accurate posting of payments from all fund sources and subsequent credit balance disbursements to students and refunds to the Department of Education.
• Develop and implement strategies to improve financial aid awareness and increase student retention.
• Ensure efficient and responsive customer service by training and supervising financial aid staff.

Leadership 25%:

• Provide supervised staff with the training, mentoring, and resources necessary to achieve success in their roles
• Ensure adherence to department and organizational standards, policies and procedures
• Ensure performance goals, expectations and standards are clearly understood by supervised staff
• Manage the budgeting process for the Financial Aid Office.
• Evaluate employees’ performance on an ongoing basis and take appropriate corrective action if needed.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• This position supervises the following position: Director of Financial Aid

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution (MBA or a finance/accounting-related degree preferred).
• Extensive Title IV compliance experience in a leadership role.
• Strong background in audit liaison work and regulatory reporting.
• Proficiency with Anthology Student or similar student information systems (SIS).
• Excellent analytical, leadership, and communication skills.

Preferred:

• Experience in for-profit higher education or career-focused institutions.
• Strong financial literacy and student retention strategies.

Benefits Highlights 

Health and Wellness 

• Eligible for Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance the first of the month after hire
• Dental and Vision covered at 100%; Medical covered at 90%
• Flexible Spending, Disability, Life, and Pet Insurance plans available

Paid Time Off

• Eligible for paid time off upon hire
• Paid Holidays 
• Paid Vacation 
• Paid Sick Time
• Paid Wellness Days (including expanded holiday breaks)
• Paid Volunteer Day

Other Benefits

• Education Benefit Program
• Product Discounts 
• Paid Parental Leave
• 401(k) plan with institution match after one year of employment 

Work Environment

This job can be completed remotely or in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and photocopiers.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. This is largely a sedentary role; position requires prolonged standing or sitting and may also include bending, stooping, or stretching. Position also requires prolonged use of a computer. 

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Position Status

• Classification: Full-time, Exempt
• Reports To: Chief Financial Officer  
• Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:30-5:30 PST or a similar schedule. Availability outside of standard work hours may be necessary at times. Remote, Onsite, or Hybrid

Non-Discrimination

ACHS is committed to equal opportunity and equal treatment for all qualified individuals. ACHS does not discriminate nor will it tolerate discrimination against any person because of age, gender, gender-identity, color, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other class protected by law. 

ACHS complies with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972,  a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education, including but not limited to all forms of sexual harassment and sexual violence. Any person who files a complaint or participates in an investigation is protected from retaliation to the full extent of the law. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to ACHS’s Title IX Coordinator and/or to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. ACHS Title IX Coordinator: Prisca Bermudez, Director of Academic Services, 5005 S. Macadam Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97239. 503-244-0726, TitleIX@achs.edu