Director of Scholarship Management Kansas City, MO

Description:
The Directors of Scholarship Management (DSM) are full-time Associates who work directly with Scholars and their families to facilitate the college selection, scholarship application, and scholarship acquisition process. Scholarship Directors will work to
1) Create a network of higher education institutions willing to partner with KSI Urban Education Initiative;
2) Match Scholars with specific institutions based on interests and aptitudes;
3) Negotiate the best placement of individual Scholars based on financial aid packaging strategies of institutions;
4) Help Scholars and families to secure scholarship support from a variety of sources;
5) Work with network of schools to develop an early admissions process that will simplify decision making for Scholars and their families;
6) Create Marketing Program for Dollars for Scholars Fundraising Plan;
7) Monitor progress towards implementation of overall financial aid and scholarship goals.

Specific Responsibilities
+Develop and maintain effective relationships with Scholar and their families in order to create favorable matches with institutions of higher education and with specific scholarship programs.
+Facilitate and monitor the college selection, college application and financial aid processes.
+Assist in the negotiation of partnership agreements with post-secondary institutions.
+Develop substantial knowledge regarding the availability of scholarship funding from various sources and develop plans for gaining access to those funds.
+Assess each scholar’s attributes for scholarship eligibility.
+Help Scholars to meet admissions, financial aid and scholarship application deadlines and to produce quality scholarship applications.
+Document each Scholar’s progress through the “high-school to college” transition with the use of web-enabled tracking systems.
+Create and maintain reporting system to monitor progress towards implementation of financial aid and scholarship goals.
+Develop strategies to educate parents regarding KSI scholarship policies and procedures and to help parents to meet specific deadlines i.e. FAFSA, institution-based scholarships, etc.
+May be called upon to assist in the creation and implementation of a marketing strategy with regard to Dollars for Scholars Fundraising Plan.
+Assist in the development of suitable communication plan for implementation of new processes.
+Assist in development of scholarship policies and procedures.
+Work evenings and Saturdays as needed to effectively engage with Scholars and Parents.

General Responsibilities
+Provides input to upper management regarding fundraising and scholarship acquisition and relevant postsecondary issues.
+Model the values and leadership responsibilities of KSI.
+Works with leadership in determining and implementing program outcomes, targets, milestones, and action steps; and documents progress toward achieving meaningful results in the areas of fundraising
+Acts as a responsible steward of organizational resources.
+Works collaboratively and effectively with staff and other stakeholders.
+Displays a strong work ethic, patience, humility, and sense of humor.
+Studies the latest trends and issues regarding post-secondary education, financial aid and scholarship policies.

Experience & Education:
This position requires a unique combination of college guidance and placement experience and evidence of salesmanship necessary to negotiate in the best interests of individuals Scholars and to achieve the collective scholarship goals of KSI. Experience with college initiatives and familiarity with current trends in enrollment management and foundation relations is a plus. This position requires demonstrated abilities managing multiple tasks, managing sales or marketing projects, working with diverse constituencies, and building relations with external constituencies. It also requires excellent written and oral communication skills, highly effective interpersonal skills and some quantitative competencies.

The successful candidate has an employment history of high quality work in a fast-paced work environment. Candidates must be self-starters, excellent initiators, and able to implement appropriate strategies in response to problems. A Bachelor’s degree is required, and a Masters degree is preferred. The successful candidate must demonstrate the ability to model the values and leadership attributes required of KSI staff members and managers. In addition, an excellent candidate must be sensitive to and have an appreciation for contributions and insights from groups of individuals that differ by gender, age, ethnicity, education, religion, and nationality.

kdidriksen kauffman.org