College Financial Services Manager

Organization Overview

Since 1989, Making Waves Foundation has provided educational opportunities that change young lives. Today, Making Waves remains committed to providing historically underserved and underrepresented students access to an equitable education that will propel them to a successful and rewarding future.

What began in 1989 as the Making Waves Education Program, an academic afterschool tutoring and support program for 46 5^th graders, has evolved into the opening in 2007 of Making Waves Academy, a tuition-free public charter school serving 5^th-12^th grade students, and the creation of the College and Alumni Program (CAP), which provides a critical bridge between college acceptance and college graduation.

Serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 2013, CAP currently supports nearly 600 low-income and historically underrepresented college students, who we call Wave-Makers, through the successful completion of their degrees, as quickly and with as little debt as possible. CAP serves Making Waves Academy graduates, CAP Bay Area scholarship recipients, and students from the former Making Waves Education Program, as well as Making Waves Academy high school seniors. What makes CAP different is its combination of personalized coaching, financial literacy training, and need-based scholarships. Upon graduation, Wave-Makers are equipped with the skills to build meaningful careers and positively contribute to society.

While nationally only 11% of students from low-income households have a college degree by age 24, 86% of CAP college students are on track to graduate within six years (84% of CAP students come from low-income households, and 78% are first-generation college students). On average, CAP college students needed to borrow no more than $473 in student loans for the 2017-2018 academic year, which is 93% less than the national average of $7,270 in loans borrowed annually by undergraduates.

For more information, visit https://making-waves.org/how/cap/.

Position Summary

CAP is seeking a Financial Services Manager based in Richmond to support the growth of our financial services for CAP college students and MWA high school seniors. The Financial Services Manager is a new position that will help CAP deliver high-quality financial services to Wave-Makers by managing a team of 4 College Financial Services Coordinators to ensure their development, performance, satisfaction, and retention. The Financial Services Manager will provide direct service to a small caseload of approximately 25-35 Wave-Makers, as well as manage projects and support the overall success of the program.

Position Responsibilities

Staff Management (35%)

• Manage a team of 4 College Financial Services Coordinators, each of whom is supporting a caseload of approximately 125 college students and 20 high school seniors
• Meet regularly with team members one-on-one to help them identify areas of success and growth; manage progress toward their program, department, and individual SMART goals; coach them through challenges; and provide feedback on their performance and skills
• Create a supportive, positive, and inclusive work environment by being available and approachable, and provide management and support that meets the needs of each individual team member
• Maintain open lines of communication, and address staff concerns and questions when they arise
• Support the Director of Financial Services in hiring, onboarding, and training new College Financial Services Coordinators

Department Management (25%)

• Ensure the delivery of high-quality, consistent financial services within CAP’s scholarship policies and guidelines through observation, group and individual staff meetings, Salesforce reports, and other feedback
• Meet regularly with the Director of Financial Services to set and assess programmatic goals
• Communicate, manage, and achieve programmatic benchmarks
• Work with the Director of Financial Services to assign and manage caseloads, monitor Wave-Makers with financial obstacles, and support College Financial Services Coordinators with implementing scholarship policies and guidelines
• Review and approve Wave-Maker scholarship payment requests, budgets, and scholarship petitions in accordance with CAP policies and guidelines
• Manage program resources by ensuring that the team has what they need in order to do their job on a daily basis, and communicate with the Director of Financial Services when gaps in resources exist

Direct Service (15%)

• Support Wave-Makers through federal, state, and institutional financial aid application and renewal processes, paying attention to critical deadlines
• Work with Wave-Makers to identify and overcome financial obstacles that prevent them from succeeding
• Advise Wave-Makers on financial aid and CAP scholarship policies and guidelines, budgeting skills, and loan and repayment options
• Provide financial aid and literacy advising to Wave-Makers and their families through presentations, workshops, seminars, group working sessions, and one-on-one meetings
• Work collaboratively with CAP and Making Waves Foundation staff to ensure that Wave-Makers receive excellent financial services

Program Support (25%)

• Effectively create and manage project plans for assigned project(s), and ensure that assigned project(s) are delivered with the highest quality, on-time, and within budgetary requirements
• Work collaboratively with the Director of Financial Services to design and deliver financial aid, financial literacy, and other student-facing programming (e.g., workshops, events, and newsletters) and develop curriculum
• Develop and manage college partnerships as needed
• Maintain detailed and accurate records in CAP’s Salesforce database, including Wave-Maker communication, task completion, budgets, scholarship payments, and financial aid
• Attend/staff CAP, Making Waves Foundation, and Making Waves Academy events as assigned

• Additional duties and responsibilities as needed

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree and work authorization required
• 4+ years of related work experience, including demonstrated staff, leadership, and project management experience
• Expertise in financial aid, scholarships, and/or financial literacy
• Ability to exercise sound and ethical judgment and represent CAP
• Experience coaching, motivating, and developing others
• Experience delivering effective presentations
• Strong computer and database skills, with Salesforce experience a plus
• Demonstrated commitment to CAP’s mission to coach our students to graduate from college as quickly and with as little debt as possible while equipping them with the skills and experiences needed to be competitive contributors to the global workforce
• Demonstrated proficiency and/or growth potential in key CAP Skills for Success: Adaptability/Flexibility, Communication, Planning/Organization/Time Management/Prioritization, Problem Solving/Decision Making, Relationship Building, Self-Development, and Service Orientation
• Awareness of and respect for cultural, ethnic, religious, economic, and gender diversity
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends for CAP events, as needed
• Driver’s license required
• Occasional local travel required

Preferred:

• Experience managing a team of 3-5+ full-time staff preferred
• Master’s degree preferred
• Fluency in Spanish preferred
• Access to a car strongly preferred

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Mid-$70,000s, commensurate with experience

Benefits:

• Significant COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) stipend, in addition to a competitive base salary (subject to annual approval by Making Waves Foundation)
• Group insurance plans with medical, dental, vision, group life insurance, and long-term disability plans (100% employer contribution for the employee)
• Retirement plan, including a matching contribution
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for medical/dependent care expenses
• 24 vacation days, 10 sick days, and 2 personal days per fiscal year (for full-time employees)
• 14 paid holidays per fiscal year
• Free lunch four days per week
• Student loan repayment or house down payment assistance retention bonus after 3 years (subject to annual approval by Making Waves Foundation)
• Retention bonus offerings
• Training and professional development opportunities

How to Apply

Apply online through the Making Waves Foundation careers page: https://making-waves.org/who/careers/. Submit your resume and cover letter as a single document in the online application. Please address your cover letter to Ms. Ivette Chavez, Director of Financial Services.

Application Deadline: April 10, 2019 or until filled

Anticipated Start Date: Late May 2019

Making Waves is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply for positions in which they feel qualified. We are committed to embracing diversity and consider all applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, ethnic background, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other legally protected classification.