Senior Associate Director, Institutional Lending and Scholarship Strategy

Senior Associate Director, Institutional Lending and Scholarship Strategy

Senior Associate Director, Institutional Lending and Scholarship Strategy

Location: Hybrid (New York preferred) or Remote (United States)

Department: Institutional Student Financial Assistance (ISFA)

Reports to: Kara Franza, Director of Institutional Student Financial Assistance

Employment Type: Full-time

About Medforth Global Healthcare Education

Medforth Global Healthcare Education (MGE) is dedicated to expanding access to high-quality healthcare education and developing the next generation of clinicians and healthcare leaders. MGE is advancing institutional student financing options and scholarship programs that balance student access, responsible risk management, operational effectiveness, and long-term financial sustainability.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Institutional Student Financial Assistance, the Senior Associate Director leads institutional lending strategy, underwriting framework development, and portfolio risk oversight across Medforth Global Healthcare Education (MGE) schools and programs. The position directs the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of institutional loan policies, credit decision frameworks, operating controls, and performance monitoring; leads private lending partnerships; and develops institutional scholarship strategy. Working with Finance, Legal/Compliance, Enrollment, Student Financial Services, and academic leadership, the role balances student financing access with prudent credit risk management and institutional financial sustainability. Final policy approvals, institutional financial commitments, and delegated credit authorities remain subject to established governance.

Institutional Lending Strategy and Underwriting Leadership

· Lead the design and ongoing refinement of institutional lending strategy, underwriting policies, borrower eligibility criteria, credit risk segmentation, pricing recommendations, approval thresholds, and exception governance, consistent with approved institutional risk parameters.

· Direct the design of end-to-end underwriting and loan lifecycle workflows, including application verification, credit evaluation, origination, disbursement, modifications, deferments, forbearance, and restructuring, as applicable.

· Establish documented credit decision frameworks and underwriting playbooks for manual, assisted, or automated decisioning; lead pilots and implementation planning for new lending products and student segments.

· Lead cross-functional assessment of lending product requirements, underwriting feasibility, third-party servicing models, and regulatory considerations with Finance, Legal/Compliance, and financing partners.

Operations, Controls, and Documentation

· Establish and maintain underwriting policies, standard operating procedures, decision matrices, desk guides, checklists, approval workflows, and audit-ready documentation.

· Lead implementation of first-line quality assurance, credit review controls, exception tracking, escalation protocols, audit trails, and service-level standards for lending operations and external partners.

· Coordinate with operational stakeholders to improve student communications, application processing, funding timelines, and issue resolution.

Portfolio Risk, Reporting, and Analytics

· Develop proposed portfolio risk parameters, risk appetite recommendations, and early warning indicators, including approval rates, risk grades, delinquency trends, and borrower outcomes.

· Lead monthly and quarterly portfolio reviews, credit risk reporting, trend analysis, and recommendations for underwriting or program adjustments.

· Partner with Finance and servicing providers to assess portfolio performance, forecasting assumptions, loss trends, and relevant allowance or reserve inputs.

Private Lending Partnerships

· Lead strategic relationships with private student lenders and financing partners, including partner evaluation, selection recommendations, onboarding, performance reviews, and renewal planning.

· Lead evaluation and negotiation of proposed lending program terms with Finance and Legal, including borrower pricing, eligibility, coverage, service levels, and institutional commitments, subject to appropriate approval.

· Monitor application, approval, funding, and service outcomes; identify access gaps and recommend improvements to lender relationships and financing options.

Scholarship Strategy and Program Effectiveness

· Lead the development of scholarship strategy across schools and programs, aligning award design and investment recommendations with access, enrollment, retention, and financial sustainability.

· Partner with Finance, Enrollment, and MGE leadership to develop scholarship budget and allocation recommendations by school, program, cohort, and student segment.

· Recommend and document scholarship eligibility, award structures, renewal criteria, exception procedures, and consistent approval practices.

· Coordinate scholarship programs with institutional and private financing options to support students with funding gaps.

· Analyze scholarship performance using enrollment yield, retention, student outcomes, and net tuition revenue; recommend refinements based on results.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Vendor Oversight

· Partner with ISFA, Student Financial Services, Finance, Legal/Compliance, Enrollment, Technology, and academic leadership to ensure coordinated program design and a consistent student experience.

· Lead business requirements and vendor performance oversight for underwriting, verification, fraud prevention, loan origination, loan management, servicing, and reporting solutions, in partnership with Technology and other stakeholders.

· Communicate program performance, risks, and recommended actions to the Director of Institutional Student Financial Assistance and other stakeholders.

Qualifications

Experience

· Substantial progressive experience in education lending, consumer or specialty credit underwriting, institutional student financing, or related financial services, including demonstrated leadership in lending policy and underwriting strategy.

· Demonstrated success designing underwriting frameworks, credit risk controls, operational procedures, portfolio reporting, and cross-functional lending programs.

· Working knowledge of applicable consumer lending, fair lending, privacy, and state student lending requirements (including ECOA/Regulation B, FCRA, GLBA, SCRA, and UDAAP considerations), with Legal/Compliance partnership on interpretation and implementation.

· Experience overseeing private student lending partnerships and familiarity with scholarship strategy, enrollment analytics, or institutional financial assistance strongly preferred.

Skills

· Advanced credit judgment, underwriting policy expertise, and ability to interpret portfolio, financial, and enrollment data to guide strategic decisions.

· Excellent written communication, policy documentation, stakeholder management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

· Proficiency with spreadsheets and reporting tools; familiarity with lending systems, workflow technology, or business intelligence tools preferred.

· Ability to balance student access, regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and institutional financial sustainability.

Education

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in finance, business, analytics, higher education administration, or a related field preferred.

The anticipated salary range for this position is XX per year. The final salary offered may vary and will be determined on factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, location, and education of the successful candidate. This information is provided per local law.

We Are

· Student Centric: We approach every task with a focus on supporting our students to achieve their lifelong learning goals in a safe, vibrant and welcoming environment.

· A Global Community: We are one team with an international outlook welcoming the strength in our diversity and the value each of us brings to what we do.

· Accountable: We take responsibility for our actions by being responsive, resourceful and respectful in delivering on our commitments with integrity and the highest ethical standards.

· Collaborative: We support and empower one another through open communications, cooperation, sharing knowledge and taking time to always listen and show we care.

· Committed to Excellence: We take pride in our ongoing pursuit for continuous improvement through creativity, rigor and best practices to produce meaningful outcomes.

About University Support Services, LLC
University Support Services LLC (USS) is an affiliate of St. George's University (SGU), a leading provider of international medical education. SGU students and faculty come from 151 countries to the island of Grenada, located in the West Indies. Our purpose is to support SGU to deliver best in class education for all SGU students. We put a special focus on the growing global need for diverse high-quality medical and healthcare professionals. USS is pivotal in positioning SGU as a premiere medical degree institute through its student-facing as well as functional support teams.

USS is an equal opportunity employer. As such, it is company policy to fill positions with qualified candidates regardless of race, color, sex (including sexual orientation and gender presentation), age, religion, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, pregnancy, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, disability, status in the Uniformed Services of the United States (including veteran status) or status as a victim of domestic violence, except where there is a bona fide occupational qualification. This policy protects applicants and employees from discrimination in the hiring process.