Southern Methodist University · 3 weeks ago
Assist Dir, Student Financial Education (HR Title: Sr. Program Specialist)
Dallas, TX
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
5+ years expSouthern Methodist University is a prominent institution serving a diverse student body. The role of Senior Program Specialist focuses on leading student financial education initiatives, providing customized counsel to students and parents, and managing various financial literacy programs and events.
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Responsibilities
Meet with and assist students and parents with customized counsel related to student financial options. Daily work on a caseload through research and communication with students to resolve past due balances to support student retention efforts. Work collaboratively with parents, financial aid personnel, academic departments, and etc. to help resolve student account issues
Participate and lead financial literacy, awareness, and wellness programming for student events/tasks including but not limited to orientation, admitted student programs, parent programs, academic events, deposit waivers etc. Facilitate financial education in various ways students pay their bills, financial aid, maintaining credit, budgeting, with a special focus on inclusion and access
Demonstrating intentionality with staying aware of the latest financial trends, up to date financial aid and student account regulations, student financial data, and educating the campus community in a manner that is understandable with enthusiasm, and on a regular cadence
Participate in SFS meetings, work with DES/SAES leadership to meet student financial goals and responsiveness in a timely manner, and coordinate with Student Accounts, Financial Aid, SFS Systems, Fund Management, and SFS Compliance & Communications functional areas in a diplomatic and professional manner to meet goals
Lead, plan and execute a financial literacy and wellness program with a lean budget. Maintain ongoing resource management. Demonstrate creativity with unconventional revenue streams
Effectively engage in lateral leadership and support various functional areas in Student Financial Services. Participate in "all hands on deck" times to help students and families. Serve in various work-related committees and events. Other duties as assigned
Manage the Texas Student Loan Debt Disclosure, which is an annual process required by the State of Texas. It involves retrieving and gathering student loan data, and sending students loan debt letters
Manage the Default Prevention Program. Focusing on educating students about responsible loan repayment. Key components include explaining grace periods, emphasizing the importance of making timely payments, outlining available repayment plans, and providing guidance to students who have entered default—identified through Cohort Default Rate (CDR) reports. The goal is to equip students with the knowledge and resources needed to successfully manage their federal student loan obligations
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree is required
A minimum of five (5) years of experience is required
Experience in student financial services, including student accounts and/or financial aid is required
Proficiency in MS Word and Excel is required
Virtual meeting and collaboration software experience is required
Candidate must demonstrate strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate broadly across the University and develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of constituencies
Must also demonstrate strong written communication skills
Candidate must possess strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and analyze problems, as well as devise solutions
Must also have strong organizational, planning and time management skills
Preferred
Candidate with program and event planning in higher education experience preferred
Candidate with program development, educating and outcomes-based assessment experience is preferred
PeopleSoft knowledge is preferred
Benefits
Health, dental, and vision plans
Wellness programs
Retirement programs
Professional and personal development opportunities
Tuition benefits
Company
Southern Methodist University
SMU is a distinguished center for teaching and research located near the heart of Dallas.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Southern Methodist University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (51)
2024 (39)
2023 (35)
2022 (26)
2021 (17)
2020 (20)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$101.8MKey Investors
Phillips FoundationTexas Workforce CommisionMoody Foundation
2023-06-14Grant· $1.7M
2022-07-07Grant· $0.1M
2019-11-12Grant· $100M
Leadership Team
Lisa Nelson
Adjunct Professor
Michael Hites
Chief Information Officer
Recent News
2025-12-28
Dallas Innovates
2025-12-12
Dallas Morning News
2025-11-07
Company data provided by crunchbase