Senior Assistant Director, Scholarship Manager (Hybrid)
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Job no: 526012
Work type: Staff Full Time
Location: UMass Amherst
Department: Financial Aid
Union: PSU
Categories: Financial Aid, Admissions/Enrollment/Student Recruitment, PSU A

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Summary

Under the direction of the Associate Director of Financial Aid, the Senior Assistant Director, Scholarship Manager manages the implementation and administration of the university-approved scholarship management program (currently Blackbaud Award Management/ AcademicWorks), creating and executing ongoing training and educational initiatives to ensure that Blackbaud Award Management is properly utilized in all academic units.

Essential Functions

Program Management

• Supervises the development and maintenance and oversees the day-to-day operations of Blackbaud Award Management (BBAM).
• Provides training and best practices data to scholarship administrators and scholarship review committee members.
• Updates the internal BBAM knowledgebase and produces training materials to support campus partners.
• Manages scholarship data and works closely with UMass Financial Aid and UMass Information Technology to ensure accurate and current information.
• Creates conditional applications, custom reports, and dashboards for scholarship administrators.
• Benchmarks industry best practices in scholarship management and remains current on BBAM software updates and changes.

Collaboration with External Stakeholders

• Serves as subject area expert and campus-wide resource for, and liaison between, BBAM scholarship software company and University representatives regarding the implementation and ongoing management of scholarship awarding, tracking and reporting within BBAM.
• Works with campus partners to develop and implement a strategic plan for awarding scholarships utilizing the BBAM system. Recommends efficiencies/improvements in overall scholarship process.
• Coordinates annual cycle management process to archive prior year scholarship applications and open new year scholarship processing.
• Works with marketing and communications/ University Relations teams to improve student access to scholarships through webpages, social media, and other marketing and communications.
• Maintains regular communication and responds to daily requests for information from internal and external constituencies regarding the onboarding of scholarship criteria and data to be loaded into BBAM.
• Monitors and enforces scholarship data sharing and confidentiality policy for administrators and reviewers.
• Coordinates with other staff members to review and identify scholarship awarding and trends.
• Monitors new technology and/or scholarship management products and provides recommendations to Enrollment Management leadership to remain current with emerging technologies.

Other Functions

• Assists with the awarding of scholarships to students within the campus Student Information System Financial Aid module.
• Assists with the setup of scholarship fund configurations within the campus Student Information System.
• Performs other duties as assigned or required to meet Department, Executive Area/Division, and University goals and objectives.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Bachelor's Degree.
• Three (3) years' experience administering student financial aid, admissions, or scholarship and gift management or three years' experience in software training and support, guiding end users in an educational setting. Two years of this experience must be in system administration or IT support, preferably in an educational or non-profit environment.
• Demonstrated understanding of the principles and practices of scholarships and financial aid, particularly in higher education and/or institutionally related foundations.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organizational and administrative skills.
• Ability to work autonomously using professional judgment to make decisions.
• Proven ability to work cooperatively and effectively with senior management, staff and constituent groups across all levels of the organization and to maintain productive professional relationships in complex, demanding environments.
• Demonstrated experience providing training and making presentations to diverse populations.

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Experience as scholarship management software administrator, preferably Blackbaud Award Management.
• Experience with an integrated student administrative software system or related Enrollment Management student-based technologies, preferably PeopleSoft preferred.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

Typical office environment.

Work Schedule

• Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm.
• This position has the opportunity for a hybrid work schedule, which is defined by the University as an arrangement where an employee's work is regularly performed at a location other than the campus workspace for a portion of the week. As this position falls within the Professional Staff Union, it is subject to the terms and conditions of the Professional Staff Union collective bargaining agreement.

Salary Information

Salary Level 28.

PSU Hiring Ranges.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Along with your application, please submit a resume and cover letter. References will be checked during the finalist stage, please be prepared to provide contact information for three (3) professional references at that time. Search may remain open until the position is filled.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, caste, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, political belief or affiliation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related condition(s), veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, natural and protective hairstyle and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Advertised: Dec 20 2024 Eastern Standard Time
Applications close: Mar 20 2025 Eastern Daylight Time