Director of Student Financial Services

About Us

Located in Morrow, Georgia, Clayton State University is roughly 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta. The university offers employees an adaptable, collaborative environment that fosters professional and personal development.

The university is committed to having a positive impact on the State of Georgia and beyond by serving students and the community through broadening access to high-quality education and advancing workforce development. Clayton State offers multiple certificates, Associates, Bachelors, and Masters Degree programs, which currently enroll over 5,500 students in challenging campus and online courses.

Clayton States main campus is situated on 214 beautiful acres in a lakeside setting just minutes from downtown Atlanta, making access to the vibrant metropolitan area swift. The Atlanta-Journal Constitution has named the university a Top Workplace in Atlanta for six consecutive years. The Chronicle of Higher Education also named Clayton State one of 79 higher education institutions across the nation in its list of 2017 Great Colleges to Work For.

Job Summary

The Director of Financial Services is responsible for administering student accounts and overseeing all university billing operations. This role provides leadership in the assessment, collection, and management of student-related revenues while ensuring compliance with institutional policies, Board of Regents regulations, and applicable financial standards.

The Director of Financial Services directs the operations of the Bursar, supervising staff and managing key functions including student billing, student financial records, cash handling, loan collections, and other miscellaneous receivables. The position is responsible for ensuring the integrity and accuracy of student account transactions within the Banner system and for maintaining effective internal controls over receivables.

In addition, the Director of Financial Services leads the development, implementation, and maintenance of student billing policies and procedures, participates in the formulation of tuition and fee policies, and collaborates with campus leadership to promote efficient, compliant, and customer-focused financial operations.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the student billing system; prepares 1098T tax forms annually, evaluates and recommends enhancements, repairs, and interfaces with other systems.
• Assign, oversee, and evaluate the work of Office of Student Financial Services personnel across all core functions, including billing, collections, receivables, student loans and scholarships, daily reconciliations, and monthly financial analyses.
• Oversee all functional areas of the Office of Student Financial Services, including cash receipting; cash management of Federal, State, institutional, and student funds; accounts receivable; aging analysis; and student loan/scholarship reconciliation.
• Safeguards the deposits of all tuition, fees and other monies collected throughout the university; ensures policy compliance for all university cash handling sites.
• Responsible for keeping banner reconciled to the general ledger.
• Prepare comprehensive monthly, quarterly, biannual, and annual reconciliations, journal entries, and financial analyses, including components of the institutions audited Annual Financial Statements.
• Produce mandated reports such as Year-End reporting, FISAP, USG TAP reporting, State Purge/Drop and Collections reports, Banner access audits, SIS reporting, and other required institutional, system, or state documentation.
• Serve as the Data Steward for the Banner Student Information System: design and maintain billing tables; develop and execute tuition and fee assessment rules; conduct system audits; and resolve complex student billing issues.
• Provide senior university leadership with timely, data-informed financial analyses and decision-support reports.
• Serves as liaison to other university departments on policies and procedures; represents the department on committees and at meetings.
• Coordinate system-related communications with internal departments reliant on effective billing, payment, and receipting workflows.
• Collaborate closely with Financial Aid, Registrar, Admissions, and Information Technologies to ensure accuracy, consistency, and coordination of student financial data and communications.
• Responsible for providing guidance to department staff regarding customer service and problem solving.
• Remains informed regarding state and federal statutes and laws; ensures university compliance with the laws.
• Participate in state audit engagements, including preparation of required documentation, completion of checklist deliverables, and performance of year-end calculations and journal entries.
• Maintain Office of Student Financial Services PCI compliance across all revenue-generating and payment-accepting units.
• Keep student accounts current and in compliance with BOR regulations

Required Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor¿s degree in business administration, accounting or business-related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Five years of work-related experience; supervisory experience required and student accounts/bursar/financial aid experience preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Knowledge of management and supervision practices and techniques and knowledge of accounting and financial management practices and principles (generally accepted accounting principles).
• Working knowledge of computer systems and software applications, database management, spreadsheet and word processing applications.
• Sound decision-making and implementation skills.
• Effective interpersonal skills.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Ability to apply generally accepted accounting principles, particularly governmental accounting.
• Ability to analyze and interpret financial reports and supervise staff.
• Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing in English with students, parents, faculty and administrators.
• Ability to provide customers with accurate and effective information or data and to collaborate with other units within the community to ensure accuracy of financial transactions in support of the University and Controllers mission.

USG Core Values

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 25 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.

Institutional Values

Clayton State University will have a positive impact on the State of Georgia and beyond by serving students and the community through broadening access to high-quality education and advancing workforce development. Our statement of core values is adaptability, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and people-centered. Each Clayton State University community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on Clayton States Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct can be found online at https://www.clayton.edu/strategic-plan/mission-vision-values and https://www.clayton.edu/human-resources/current-employees/resources-policies

Conditions of Employment

Offers of employment are contingent upon completion of a background investigation, including a criminal background check demonstrating eligibility for employment with Clayton State University, as determined by Clayton State University in its sole discretion, confirmation of the credentials and employment history reflected in application materials and, if applicable, a satisfactory credit check. Applicants may be subject to a pre-employment drug and alcohol screening. Candidate must disclose potential, actual, or apparent conflicts of interest in compliance.

Offers are made expressly subject to the applicable federal and state laws, statutes, rules, and regulations of this institution and the Bylaws and Policies of the Board of Regents (BOR) of the University System of Georgia (USG), which are available for your inspection upon request.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Equal opportunity and decisions based on merit are fundamental values of Clayton State University and the University System of Georgia (USG). Clayton State University prohibits discrimination on the basis of an individuals age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status ("protected status"). No individual shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation under, any Clayton State University program or activity because of the individuals protected status; nor shall any individual be given preferential treatment because of the individuals protected status, except that preferential treatment may be given on the basis of veteran status when appropriate under federal or state law.

Clery Disclosure

This position may be considered a Campus Security Authority, CSA. A Campus Security Authority is a Clery-specific term that encompasses certain departments, groups, and individual employees who have a duty to report crimes they become aware of, as defined by the Clery Act.