Colleague Financial Aid Consultant

POSITION SUMMARY The Colleague Financial Aid Consultant works in partnership with colleges & universities on their ERP needs, specific to Ellucian Colleague Financial Aid, within scope and budget agreed with client. The Consultant roles report up through professional services, specifically working under a Director and ultimately a VP of Professional Services. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Support application design and configuration of client systems through customization and coding of screen layouts, user interfaces, printed outputs, and interfaces with other systems to enable client strategies. Write and maintain technical specifications/documentation to describe program development, logic, coding, testing, changes, and corrections. Provide technical assistance by responding to inquiries from others regarding errors, problems, or questions regarding ERP and integrated systems. Attend both internal and external meetings and trainings. Analyze, define, and document requirements for data, workflow, safety processes and standards, hardware and operating system environment, interfaces with other systems, internal and external checks and controls, and outputs. Train end users or technical support staff to use programs. Build and apply technical, safety, industry, and functional standards to support efforts in enabling value creation for clients. Support the analysis and design of business processes. Maintain technical/professional currency and share knowledge with others. REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS Strong functional knowledge of the Ellucian Colleague Financial Aid module Experience configuring and maintaining Financial Aid rules, parameters, tables, and annual award-year setup Thorough understanding of the federal financial aid lifecycle, including: FAFSA processing and ISIR review Student eligibility and verification Need analysis and cost of attendance Packaging, awarding, and disbursement Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) Direct Loan and Pell Grant processing COD origination, transmission, and reconciliation NSLDS reporting and resolution Federal and institutional reporting Experience with Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency requirements, including data collection, validation, regulatory reporting, and troubleshooting submission errors Knowledge of applicable program eligibility, debt-to-earnings, and earnings-premium measures Experience preparing, reviewing, and submitting student- and program-level Gainful Employment data through Ellucian Colleague and applicable federal systems Knowledge of current Title IV regulations and financial aid compliance requirements Experience troubleshooting Colleague Financial Aid processing errors, data issues, and integration problems Ability to evaluate existing business processes and recommend practical improvements Experience testing system configurations, regulatory updates, patches, and annual processing changes Ability to reconcile financial aid data among Colleague, COD, NSLDS, and institutional finance records Understanding of how Financial Aid integrates with Colleague Student, Registration, Admissions, Student Accounts, and Finance Experience creating process documentation, test plans, training materials, and client-facing deliverables Ability to lead discovery sessions, document requirements, and translate business needs into system solutions Strong analytical, problem-solving, and attention-to-detail skills Clear and professional written and verbal communication skills Ability to explain complex system and regulatory information to technical and functional audiences Strong client-service and consulting skills, including expectation management and timely follow-through Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently in a remote consulting environment Experience training and supporting financial aid staff