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ASSOC DIR, GRAD & PROFESSIONAL, FIN AID
Job Title: ASSOC DIR, GRAD & PROFESSIONAL, FIN AID
Job Code: 2147
FLSA: E
Job Level: 15
Revised Date: 04/01/2026
Job Family: JF 33
Occupational Summary
This role will serve as the University???s primary resource for monitoring, auditing, and strengthening compliance practices related to federal, state, and institutional financial aid requirements.
Working across Duke???s eight graduate and professional schools, the role will assess current practices, identify opportunities for greater consistency and efficiency, and develop recommendations that strengthen compliance and operational effectiveness. This role requires a highly self-directed professional who can independently identify areas of risk or opportunity, develop solutions, and lead implementation in partnership with school-based financial aid teams.
The successful candidate will combine deep regulatory expertise with strong project management and relationship-building skills. They will work collaboratively with aid administrators while also serving as an authoritative compliance resource who can provide clear guidance, corrective feedback, and implementation support. Through audits, process reviews, and training, this role will help ensure Duke???s graduate and professional financial aid operations remain compliant, consistent, and adaptable in an evolving regulatory landscape.
Work Performed
Compliance Oversight and Regulatory Guidance
Monitor and interpret federal, state, and institutional regulations affecting Title IV programs and related financial aid operations across Duke???s graduate and professional schools.
Provide guidance on policy interpretation and regulatory implementation in coordination with Central Financial Aid leadership.
Maintain expert-level knowledge of Title IV regulations impacting graduate and professional programs including consumer information, federal accountability metrics, reporting and documentation requirements, cost of attendance, professional judgment, and related compliance areas.
Conduct ongoing reviews of regulatory updates from Federal Student Aid (FSA), NASFAA, and other relevant agencies, and communicate key developments to staff and leadership.
Audit, Assessment, and Continuous Improvement
Conduct periodic audits and quality assurance reviews of financial aid processes within graduate and professional schools.
Evaluate operational practices to identify compliance risks, inconsistencies, or inefficiencies across schools.
Provide written findings and actionable recommendations to strengthen compliance and standardize processes where appropriate.
Review key aid processes including, but not limited to, award determination and packaging, cost of attendance development, professional judgment decisions, verification, satisfactory academic progress (SAP), Return of Title IV (R2T4), origination and disbursement, student notifications and disclosures, and aid offer communications.
Review financial aid???related websites and communications across schools to ensure compliance with Title IV consumer information requirements. Partner with the Office of Audit, Risk, and Compliance to maintain and update institutional consumer information disclosures.
Cross-School Collaboration and Implementation
Serve as a central compliance partner to financial aid staff across Duke???s graduate and professional schools.
Facilitate regular engagement with school-based aid offices to understand operational practices, build strong working relationships, and support the implementation of compliance improvements.
Lead initiatives that promote greater consistency, efficiency, and best practices in financial aid administration across schools.
Develop practical implementation strategies that allow schools to align with regulatory requirements while accommodating school-specific needs. Provide feedback and corrective guidance when compliance gaps are identified.
Training and Knowledge Sharing
Develop and deliver training for financial aid professionals across graduate and professional schools on regulatory changes, compliance expectations, and best practices.
Maintain resources and documentation that support consistent understanding and implementation of financial aid regulations.
Coordinate with Central Financial Aid leadership and campus partners to provide targeted training related to emerging regulatory changes.
Audit Preparation and External Review Support
Assist with preparation for federal and state audits, including the Single Audit and federal Program Reviews.
Serve as liaison between auditors, Central Financial Aid, and school- based aid offices when compliance documentation or responses are required.
Collaborate with school financial aid administrators and Duke compliance professionals to address findings and implement corrective actions when needed.
Policy and Documentation Review
Review and evaluate financial aid policies and procedures maintained by graduate and professional schools.
Ensure documentation is complete, current, and aligned with regulatory requirements.
Recommend improvements and establish processes that support regular policy updates and consistent documentation practices.
Additional Responsibilities
Support the (TBD) for Central Financial Aid and aid officers responsible for administering Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits to ensure compliance with Department of Defense standards.
Provide assistance with documentation requests related to borrower defense claims or other federal, state, or institutional reviews.
Provide backup operational support for financial aid delivery for the Watts School of Nursing when needed.
Provide backup technical support for graduate and professional schools, when needed.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications at this Level
Education/Training
Work requires knowledge and skills generally acquired through completion of a Bachelor's degree program. NASFAA Financial Aid Administrator Certification (FAAC) preferred.
Experience
Work requires a minimum of 6 years of experience in financial aid compliance-related role. Coordination of graduate school aid and experience related to managing multiple constituents/schools and project management preferred.
Skills
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.
Duke University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
Essential Physical Job Functions
Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.
