Assistant Director, Accounts Receivable

The salary range for this role is $60,000-$65,000 and is commensurate with experience.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Illinois Tech Student Financial Services strives to educate, empower, and support students with an understanding of financial options and resources in an approachable environment. Reporting to the Director of Student Accounting, the Assistant Director for Accounts Receivable is a key leader in the Student Accounting Office and a member of the enrollment management team, providing leadership on all aspects of the student account receivable lifecycle including accounts receivable setup and account resolution. This role will support the Director in execution of new partnerships, student billing, third-party receivables, and 1098T generation within the Office of Student Accounting and will provide support for reporting and audit requirements. This role will supervise the student account analyst and ensure a high-quality experience across all key operations and services.

COMMUNICATIONS

Excellent communication skills required when working with university staff, outside vendors and current and prospective students. Broad knowledge of university functions and depth of student accounting function necessary to cultivate relationships with students and across campus.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Excellent customer service required when working with university staff, outside vendors and current and prospective students. Broad knowledge of university functions and depth of financial aid requirements necessary to cultivate relationships with students and across campus. The ability to maintain student confidentiality is essential in this position.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Services

• Responsible for generating all student billing statements each enrollment period to support student payment and university cash operations. This includes fee assessments within the Banner and StarRez systems along with providing support to the Director in the setup and maintenance of the rate tables, new charges, and ad hoc fees.
• Coordinate bill distribution with Student Accounting leadership to support service demands and enrollment timelines each enrollment cycle.
• Assess late penalty charges for delinquent accounts and oversee support for student needs outside of the standard billing timelines.
• Apply past due holds in the system in alignment with the enrollment periods to ensure university policy on enrollment with a past due balance is tightly monitored.
• Oversee process to ensure students using third-party support are processed in a timely manner each term.

Operations

• Provide support for all university partnership billing setup and reporting.
• Liaise with key enrollment partners to ensure billing structure supports enrollment goals including but not limited to Residence Life, Student Health and Wellness, and all admission units.
• Create and manage the university billing calendar in conjunction with key stakeholders across the university to ensure billing timelines meet the enrollment and cash flow needs of the university.
• Oversee collections with third-party partner, Recovery Select, for all outstanding balances each term.
• Ensure support provided to partner to meet university enrollment goals for future terms.
• Prove reporting for all activities and outcomes.
• Monitor daily reports to ensure data needs align with desired billing generation and reporting.
• Work closely with the Student Accounting and Financial Aid leadership to ensure all processes and systems are working to meet the operational needs.

COMPLIANCE

• Oversee the generation and distribution of 1098Ts as required annually.
• Provide support to the director and any partner offices for annual financial audits.
• Support enrollment leadership in reporting requirements and needs to ensure accounts receivable operations meet all compliance needs and university strategic goals.

LEADERSHIP

• Supervise the Student Account Analyst in third-party billing process including by not limited to student assignments, invoicing, and reporting.
• Provide escalation support for all service needs with a solution mindset to support the student experience and positive team culture.
• Provide regular training to the student accounting staff on all service, processing, and operational needs in collaboration with student accounting and financial aid leadership.
• Contribute to the implementation and assist in the development, modification of and writing Student Accounting policies and procedures for the office.
• Key member of the Student Accounting leadership team providing guidance and making recommendations to the AVP in determining and address inefficiencies.
• Represent the Director and/or designee in their absence or as requested.

OTHER DUTIES AND SPECIAL PROJECTS AS ASSIGNED

Events:

• This role will work at several events each aid year to assist students and families in understanding the billing process and options for payment. Some nights and weekends are required for university events.

SUPERVISION & BUDGET AUTHORITY

• Supervisor at least one staff member to support accounts receivable needs.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's required.
• Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive experience in bursar, accounts receivable, or third-party billing services.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Experience in bill generation and third-party collections.
• Knowledge of federal student/student aid regulations and guidelines
• Proficiency using Microsoft Excel for data analysis and visualization
• Preferred knowledge of Ellucian Banner or College software; other system knowledge beneficial as well.
• Exercises great attention to detail utilizing analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrate the ability to adapt in a high pace environment
• Must keep abreast of changing guidelines for cash management and student collections.
• Must be able to manage multiple projects and coordinate with collaborators simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability and experience to handle complex and sensitive issues.
• Strong written and verbal communications with proven ability to maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external constituents in order to provide support for the office and the students it serves required.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team-based environment.
• Excellent commitment to diversity and to service the needs of a diverse population
• Demonstrated ability to efficiently and effectively solve problems and initiate and implement projects independently
• Interacts effectively with peers and superiors to address and resolve issue
• Influences management by supplying key data that assists in decision making

CERTIFICATIONS & LICENSES

• N/A

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT & REQUIREMENTS

• Office environment; must be able to sit at computer for long periods of time.