Financial Aid Veterans' Coordinator (4527C), Financial Aid Office - #81600

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty and staff.

As a world-leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice. Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic and social value.

We are looking for applicants who reflect California's diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity-focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, Principles of Community, and Strategic Plan.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups (staff organizations). Our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. Find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley.

Departmental Overview

The Financial Aid and Scholarships Office (FASO) directly awards or coordinates the awarding of over $1 billion from over 700 funding sources to over 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

The mission of the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office is to provide students access to an excellent education. Through strategic partnerships and rigorous planning, FASO offers innovative aid programs to make higher education affordable, helps students and parents navigate financial aid processes, counsels students so they understand their options and feel empowered to make the best choices to manage their financial lives, advocates on behalf of students, teaches students about financial literacy, collaborates to help build upon a comprehensive, holistic culture of care that transforms the student experience and helps us recruit, retain, and graduate students and prepare them for success in life, and fosters a sense of community by encouraging alumni and donors to connect with the university and give the gift of access to the next generation of students.

Position Summary

The Financial Aid Veterans' Coordinator position manages financial aid for student-veterans. The position incorporates VA benefits into the existing financial aid award package, works with campus VA certifying officials and ROTC programs, ensures compliance with federal and state policies, and advises students, as needed. This role acts as a liaison with the campus Veteran Services department to ensure that a student's veterans benefits are accurately reflected and incorporated into existing financial aid award packages.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: 10/20/2025.

Responsibilities

• Analyzes a variety of factors (financial data, family circumstances, social background, academic status, educational goals) and applies knowledge of federal, state, University, and outside agency laws, regulations, and policies to determine students' eligibility for various types of financial aid.
• Identifies available resources and unmet needs to determine appropriate allocation of aid awards for individual students.
• Coordinates, implements, evaluates, and reports on government, agency, or donor aid programs.
• Consults with external agencies on procedural issues or individual student's eligibility.
• Interprets regulations and develops or recommends procedures to ensure compliance and accurate aid delivery.
• Administer the financial aid processing flow for students eligible for all Veterans' benefits such as, but not limited to, VA Chapter benefits (30, 31, 33, 35, 1606, 1607, etc.), ROTC benefits, and Cal Vet benefits.
• Maintains office procedures and processing calendar for the programs of responsibility. This includes and is not limited to maintenance of FASO's VA Program public website.
• Coordinates with campus partners to implement and evaluate veteran-focused activities, programs, and services.
• Advises departments on existing financial aid procedures, resources, and options available.
• Recommends changes in financial aid policy or procedures to serve veterans.
• Identifies and implements queries, and reports needed to monitor aid programs.
• Test software to support efficient, accurate processing and recording of awards.
• Work closely with systems staff to make sure that all systems issues that impact award processing are resolved in a timely manner and new procedures/processes and/or reports are put into production to assure smooth, accurate and timely delivery of award funds and data reporting.
• Participates on standing department committees as needed to provide advice on procedural issues.
• Analyzes exception reports of students whose aid packages could not be handled by automated programming and determines action needed to resolve issues and complete aid allocations for these students.
• Communicate effectively and collegially with other individual contributors in FASO, such as counselors managing special programs, Fiscal Management & Compliance staff, Senior Staff, students, and the Communications Manager, and other campus partners.
• Provides individual counseling on non-routine, sensitive aid issues.
• Reconciles large volumes of student data from multiple sources.
• Identifies and resolves mismatches.
• Resolve over awards and changes to financial aid eligibility for students receiving veterans benefits.
• Remain current with regulatory changes and packaging policy and verify that veterans' benefits are awarded and processed according to respective federal and state eligibility requirements and FASO packaging policy.
• Apply broad job knowledge to recommend, plan and coordinate policy and business process procedures and document changes.

Professional Development & Other Duties:

• Develops a professional development plan and participates in development activities such as attending classes, training, joining organizations, and working on special projects, in order to enhance expertise in job areas.
• Serve as back-up for financial aid application processing.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience with major federal, state, or institutional student aid programs(s), including specialized knowledge of Veterans Programs.
• Working knowledge of policies, regulations, and practices for awarding financial aid or veterans benefits within a higher education setting; specialized knowledge of particular programs.
• Working knowledge of, or ability to learn to use quickly, information management systems related to registration, financial aid, or student accounts.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Active listening skills.
• Possesses strong customer service orientation skills.
• Experience using complex databases, including testing software for the same; ability to review systems issues and write clear communications for systems staff.
• Ability to define specifications for database programming.
• Ability to interpret complex policies and develop procedures to ensure compliance with regulations.
• Working knowledge of and successful experience with financial aid advising and counseling techniques.
• Strong problem identification, analyzing large volumes of data to inform decision making, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills; judgment and decision-making ability.
• Ability to assess and refine current processes and implement improvements.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines.
• Interpersonal skills. Includes active listening, diplomacy, negotiation, social perceptiveness, and the ability to recognize and diffuse charged interactions with customers and colleagues, and to develop effective working relationships with all colleagues.
• Ability to relate to a variety of student and parent populations.
• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of federal database applications, including Common Orignation and Disbursement (COD), National Student Load Data System (NSLDS), EdConnect, or CSAC Web Grants.
• Experience using PeopleSoft for registration, financial aid, student financials, and human resources.
• Project Management skills, demonstrated by the implementation of new processes/procedures.
• Advanced knowledge of and/or can quickly learn common University-specific computer application programs, including Campus Solutions.

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted annual salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $80,000.00 - $94,300.00.

• This is a full-time (40 hours/week), career position that is eligible for UC Benefits.
• This is an exempt monthly-paid position.

How to Apply

• To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

This position will be governed by the terms and conditions in the agreement for the Student Services Advising Professionals, represented by the UAW.

• This is not a visa opportunity.
• This position is eligible for a hybrid schedule, with up to 100% remote work. Exact arrangements are determined in partnership with your supervisor to meet role responsibilities and department needs, and are subject to change and review.

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Mandated Reporter

This position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter required to report the observed or suspected abuse or neglect of children, dependent adults, or elders to designated law enforcement or social service agencies. We reserve the right to make employment contingent upon completion of signed statements acknowledging the responsibilities of a Mandated Reporter.

Misconduct

SB 791 and AB 810 Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

UC Anti-Discrimination Policy

Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.