Job Details

Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships

Position Number: 6958345
Location: Martin, TN
Position Type: Financial Aid

Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships

University of Tennessee at Martin

The University of Tennessee at Martin invites applications for the position of Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships. Part of Enrollment Management in the Division of Academic Affairs, the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships is a high-energy, forward-thinking department managing multiple ongoing projects.

Reporting to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management, the Director will provide leadership and strategic oversight for all financial aid and
scholarship programs, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and institutional
regulations. This role requires frequent interaction with students and families at the
Martin campus and all six centers, as well as collaboration with high schools,
supervisors, colleagues within Enrollment Management, and faculty and staff across
UTM.

The Director is responsible for accurate awarding, disbursement, and reconciliation of financial aid; supporting recruitment, retention, and student engagement through innovative financial aid strategies; and continuously assessing departmental processes to provide outstanding service to UTM students and families. This leadership role is critical to advancing the University's mission by enhancing student enrollment, engagement, and overall success.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The essential duties and responsibilities for the Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships are as follows:

Leadership
Provide leadership, supervision, and support to the Financial Aid & Scholarship staff, ensuring high-quality, student-centered service.
Offer training, professional development, guidance on new regulations, and conduct performance evaluations.
Serve as a member of the Enrollment Management Leadership Team.
Represent the institution and the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships internally and externally as a member of national and regional financial aid professional organizations.

Student Support and Engagement
Ensure students and families receive first-class, student-centered support and service.
Continuously examine processes to ensure that the office is providing timely, high-quality customer care that effectively meets or exceeds the needs of students and parents in all aspects of the financial aid application process.
Assist with recruiting prospective students and families, including high school, and community college visits, financial aid and scholarship presentations, college fairs, award nights/events, and individual meetings as appropriate.
Coordinate regular visits to each of the six UTM Centers.

Compliance and Policy Administration
Comply with and apply all relevant federal, state, and institutional regulations governing student financial aid.
Oversee Title IV, federal, state, and institutional aid programs, ensuring proper awarding, eligibility, disbursement, and reconciliation.
Review and evaluate institutional policies, procedures, and academic structures to determine their impact on program and student eligibility.

Strategic Planning and Enrollment Management
Plan and implement strategic initiatives to enhance enrollment, including recruitment, student engagement, and retention of a diverse and qualified student body.
Advise university administrators on innovative financial aid strategies related to recruitment and retention.
Collect and analyze data to identify patterns, trends, and relationships that inform decision-making.
Evaluate per-student resource allocation and staffing as enrollment grows, recommending adjustments needed to maintain high-quality service
Collaborate closely with Admissions to ensure early, timely delivery of financial aid packages and alignment with recruitment strategies.

Budgeting and Financial Oversight
Monitor and manage the Financial Aid and Scholarship budget.
Analyze institutional and federal aid utilization to ensure optimal leveraging strategies that support affordability and enrollment goals.
Proficiency in financial aid leveraging, predictive modeling, net tuition revenue analysis, and pricing strategies.

Communication and Outreach
Draft and edit written communications for prospective and current students and families.
Promote the University to various constituent groups to enhance recruitment and institutional image.
Represent the University positively within the City of Martin and surrounding communities.
Improve transparency and communication workflows with campus partners, ensuring timely sharing of information about disbursements, deadlines, and issues.
Explore opportunities to use Slate or other CRM tools to enhance financial aid communication.

Professional Engagement and Special Projects
Actively participate in professional development activities and events.
Serve on committees, work on special projects, and undertake assignments promoting Financial Aid, Scholarships, and Enrollment Management.
Lead Financial Aid's transition from Banner to Oracle/DASH, overseeing configuration, process redesign, testing, and data migration.
Serve as UTM's advocate in UT Systems SIS alignment conversations, ensuring the needs of a smaller campus are represented.
Implement technology-based automation and workflow improvements to reduce manual processes.

Qualifications, Skills and Characteristics

The University of Tennessee Martin seeks an experienced enrollment management leader with a minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in financial aid, enrollment management and/or related higher education functions. A bachelor's degree is required; an advanced degree from a regionally accredited institution is preferred. In addition, the successful candidate will possess the following:

Passion for leading a talented staff through open communication, transparency, feedback, and goal setting; ability to hire, train, provide professional development opportunities, set clear expectations, and ensure an environment of mutual respect, support, and camaraderie within the Financial Aid Office.
Experience serving in a leadership role within a financial aid office at the Associate Director level or higher;
Ability to lead a team through uncertainty, shifting requirements, and evolving systems;
Knowledge of federal, state, and institutional financial aid regulations, including Title IV programs;
Experience with financial aid systems and student information systems (e.g., Banner);
Experience leading or participating in a major SIS or ERP transition;
Demonstrated experience with software implementation, configuration, and process redesign;
Ability to implement automation and improve workflow efficiency through technology.
Demonstrated experience in staff training, mentoring, and performance management;
Experience developing, implementing, or interpreting financial aid policies and procedures;
Engagement in professional development and professional associations, preferably NASFAA, SASFAA, and/or TASFAA;
Experience using technology to engage constituents and manage financial aid processes;
Forward thinking about the changing landscape of family finances with the ability to communicate effectively to individuals and groups about finances;
Competent, confident, compassionate and collaborative leader committed to the well-being of students and the institution.
Demonstrated passion for supporting the success and development of college students, with adaptability, energy, and commitment to ongoing professional growth; and
Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills; lead proactive communication efforts to ensure students and families clearly understand financial aid policies, timelines, opportunities, and regulations and ensure accuracy and accessibility of multi-channel financial aid materials.

University of Tennessee Martin

The University of Tennessee at Martin is a primary regional university in the University of Tennessee System that includes the main campus and six regional centers in West and Middle Tennessee. Having recently completed a new strategic plan, UT Martin is ready for the region to Watch Us Soar from 2025 - 2030. The main campus is located in rural Northwest Tennessee and offers a traditional college setting in a welcoming community. UT Martin students experience high-quality academic programs, excellent facilities and outstanding faculty members whose primary focus is teaching, while also engaging in meaningful undergraduate research, service, and outreach initiatives. Fall 2025 enrollment totaled 8,101 students who came to the university from 87 of Tennessee's 95 counties, 40 states, and 29 countries.

The university offers baccalaureate and master's degrees, majors, concentrations, and options in more than 140 specialized fields. Many faculty members are considered among the top educators in Tennessee and the nation by professional organizations and through other recognitions. Experiential learning is an important part of being a UT Martin student through internships and other real-world learning opportunities that include options for international travel-study.

Besides traditional classroom education, UT Martin is also home to UT Martin Online, offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees, including the online Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) Degree for working adults. Beyond the main campus, the regional centers in Jackson, Parsons, Ripley, Selmer, Somerville, and Springfield provide broad access to UT Martin academic programs. An early state leader in dual enrollment, UT Martin also offers university courses to Tennessee high school students. Next to the 320-acre main campus, 680 acres of agricultural land serve as research and demonstration space for various academic programs.

UT Martin sets a high standard for leadership development and education. More than 150 student organizations offer leadership and involvement opportunities outside the classroom. The university's WestStar Leadership Program teaches class members from around West Tennessee new leadership skills and strategies to assist communities. UT Martin faculty and staff can apply to participate in the Chancellor's Leadership Academy, which welcomes its first cohort in fall 2025 and will provide an eight-month leadership-development experience to help grow future aspiring university leaders.

UT Martin maintains the safest campus environment possible through the university's Department of Public Safety and ongoing educational efforts designed to enhance safety awareness for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The main campus includes the new Latimer-Smith Engineering and Science Building that opened in spring 2023 and features more than 130,000 square feet of space that houses the university's departments of engineering, computer science, chemistry and physics, and mathematics and statistics. Future facilities approved for construction include the new $57.5 million College of Business and Global Affairs building; construction beginning late this summer for the $18 million Tennessee Entrepreneurial Science and Technology (TEST) Hub; and design work starting for a new 400-bed student residence facility.

The University of Tennessee at Martin is tied for 20th place among Regional Universities in the South in the 2025 Best Colleges rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, out of 135 institutions in the region. In other U.S. News rankings in the Regional Universities-South category, UT Martin was tied for 8th in Top Public Schools and 7th in the Best Colleges for Veterans. The university finished in 24th place in the Best Value Schools category. UT Martin is also listed as a Best Regional College by The Princeton Review for the 22nd year.

The university competes in NCAA Division I in both men's and women's athletics and is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. The UT Martin rodeo team, the only collegiate rodeo team in Tennessee, is a member of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.

Martin, Tennessee

Nestled in northwest Tennessee, Martin, Tennessee offers the warmth and livability of a classic college town, anchored by UT Martin. Historic Downtown Martin serves as the social and cultural heart of the community, where brick-lined sidewalks, vibrant murals, and locally owned shops and restaurants create a welcoming, walkable environment. The downtown district reflects a strong sense of community pride, with gathering spaces and events that bring residents and visitors together throughout the year. Martin is a welcoming community with a strong sense of connection and neighborly support. The town reflects a simpler pace of life anchored in community involvement, everyday kindness, and a shared sense of responsibility. Martin embodies an "it takes a village" mindset that quickly makes newcomers feel at home.

The Tennessee Soybean Festival, along with seasonal markets and live music, contribute to Martin's lively yet relaxed atmosphere. Combined with the area's affordability, safety and friendly character, Martin offers an appealing quality of life. It blends the cultural energy of a university town with the charm, accessibility, and hospitality of rural Tennessee.

Compensation

Compensation for the position will be competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, and much more. Additionally, Tennessee residents do not pay state income tax.

In this important leadership position, the successful candidate will have an active on-campus presence. Offers of employment will be conditional upon satisfactory results of a background check.

To Apply

NES, a national executive search firm specializing in higher education, is assisting UT Martin with this search for a Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships. If you wish to have a confidential conversation about this opportunity or submit nominations, please contact: Liz Daly (elizabeth.daly@nessearches.com) or Laura Robinson (laura.robinson@nessearches.com). To apply, please send the following items: 1) a resume, 2) a detailed letter of interest, and 3) contact information for five professional references. For best consideration, all application materials should be submitted electronically to UTM@nessearches.com no later than March 27, 2026.
All inquiries, nominations, and applications will be handled with the utmost confidentiality, and candidates will be notified before references are contacted. The position is campus-based and the preferred start date is Summer, 2026.

The University of Tennessee at Martin is an equal employment opportunity institution and does not discriminate based upon race, color, or national origin. The University's Office of Access, Compliance, and Title IX has adopted a policy and procedures to provide students and employees, who feel that they have experienced discrimination but are uncertain as to whether a complaint is justified or whether they wish to initiate a formal complaint, the opportunity to discuss their concerns confidentially and informally with the Title VI Coordinator for prompt and equitable resolution of discrimination complaints.