Job Description

Private Student Lending Associate

PHEAA is a nonprofit student aid organization that holds a mission of providing affordable access to higher education. Give back tomorrow by joining us today!

Salary: Grade 15 - Starting at $60,860.00, Commensurate with experience

Shift: Monday through Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Location: Remote. This position will be based in Harrisburg PA and requires frequent travel and working outside of normal business hours.

Department: PA Private Student Loan Program

This position is responsible for the promotion of PHEAA's mission, products and services to educational institutions within an assigned area and has high visibility as the image of PHEAA to the general public promoting the Agency's credit line of business. The emphasis of this position is to build business relationships to convince Financial Aid staff at postsecondary schools to recommend the PHEAA alternative loan program to students in need of gap student loan financing to garner loan volume to support the efforts of the PHEAA Balance Sheet strategy. This position requires travel and working outside of normal business hours.

Primary Duties And Responsibilities

• Alternative Loan Promotion and Sales
• Identify and manage a broad portfolio of business opportunities with frequent travel to potential and current clients to promote PHEAA products and services. Travel includes visiting assigned schools as well as attending industry conferences and trade association events. Such campus visits will include various offices including, but not limited to financial aid, bursar, admissions, student accounts and alumni.
• Establish relationships by using industry expertise, provide education on the PHEAA private loan products to post-secondary educational institutions, secondary institutions, and community/public service organizations and directly with students and families in an assigned area.
• Develop, prepare, and deliver compelling sales presentations to key stakeholders with the coordination and delivery of the alternative loan program. Communicate with both external clients as well as internal staff to enhance customer service and strengthen the PHEAA brand. Escalate and resolve customer issues as necessary.
• Establish and maintain relationships with financial aid offices at posts-secondary institutions to share industry knowledge and assist with training initiatives and problem resolution for the alternative loan program as well as State and Federal programs administered by PHEAA on behalf of the Commonwealth and Federal Government.
• Public role model and liaison through personal visits, industry meetings, regulatory updates and intra-Agency communications.
• Lead the creation and development of marketing materials.
• Execute territory and strategic business plans including specific strategies promoting the PHEAA brand through identified market trends and customer needs to help drive sales growth.
• Collaborate with business units throughout the Agency, in particular the chosen Loan Origination vendor for the alternative loan program, State Grant and Special Programs, Legal and Compliance Services, Web Products Management, and other departments within Public Affairs.
• Engage with external partners supporting school partners with alternative loan origination services to ensure successful processing of the alternative loan program.
• Recommend changes to the type and frequency of outreach services, as necessary.
• Research and recommend changes to financial aid educational resources as it relates to the target audience.
• Keep abreast of competitor products and make recommendations on enhancements to our products.

Other Duties And Responsibilities

• Operate independently in terms of scheduling all visits, events and activities to be conducted with customers throughout the service area.
• Document all completed activities in the SalesLogix database and through bi-weekly reports.
• Develop and analyze metrics to measure effectiveness of programs, products and services and make recommendations for improvements.
• Create or contribute to the development of different media to enhance outreach services.
• Maintain up to date knowledge of state and federal regulations, products, and services that govern access and processing of financial aid; participate in internal and external conference calls, webinars, and training initiatives on a regular basis.
• Comply with the Agency's enterprise security and privacy policies and departmental procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills

Bachelor's degree and five to eight years of experience in school counseling, education environment or public service role or the equivalent knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Depending on the area of responsibility, it may be required that the candidate be bilingual in Spanish.

Demonstrated excellent public speaking skills with targeted market audience.

Ability to engage, educate and encourage students/parents/guardians to consider higher education in a student's future.

Demonstrated well versed in the features, benefits, services, and history of PHEAA and PA Forward products/services.

Working knowledge of higher education processes (admissions, financial aid, etc.)

Extensive background and familiarity in student loan sales, school channel sales, student financial aid alternative loan products and industry experience with preferred relationships established with Pennsylvania School Financial Aid staff and trade groups such as associations for school financial aid administrators.

Set loan volume goals for PHEAA's PAL program on an annual basis.

Solid interpersonal skills with the ability to quickly build rapport with diverse audiences.

Experience presenting ideas (written and oral) and new complex concepts to individuals for the first time; to which the subject matter is foreign and complicated.

Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office and ability to quickly learn new financial aid software.

Flexibility to perform work activities in the evenings and at weekends.

Demonstrated ability to relate well and build rapport with a diverse audience from a variety different socioeconomic backgrounds, political environments and educational institutions.

Preferred Qualifications: Working knowledge of regional issues (employment needs, economic environment, educational opportunities, barriers to higher education, etc.); Direct experience with financial aid administration.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

Physical Requirements And Work Environment

Ability to work flexible hours on weekends and evenings.

Perform work required for this position in an office environment and/or via remote or hybrid arrangement.

Frequent travel is required.

Valid driver's license and a good driving record.

Work independently and with very limited supervision.

Must be able to use a personal computer.

Additional Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

Ability to develop and promote effective working relationships and communicate effectively with a variety of organizations with diverse needs through different avenues.

Ability to understand, comprehend and communicate effectively in a competitive alternative loan sales environment.

Attentive listening skills to build rapport with audience and convey a relevant message that is understood.

Ability to present financial aid material in a variety of settings, understood by a wide range of audiences.

Ability to prioritize assignments and work independently, with limited supervision.

PHEAA's environment welcomes and supports our employees, customers, and stakeholders; we seek out and value differing perspectives and contributions.

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