Senior Systems Analyst

Position Summary

The Senior System Analyst is part of the Student Financial Aid and Scholarships Department at Vanderbilt University and is a key individual contributor responsible for day-to-day operations related to the monitoring, administration, and maintenance of the PeopleSoft Financial Aid software system and all other systems related to processing activities of Financial Aid. Reporting to the Deputy Director for Operations, the Senior System Analyst will have a working knowledge of the financial aid business processes that drive the application system in order to provide customer service to the financial aid staff through system support. In addition, the Senior System Analyst will work with Process and Solution Implementation (PSI) division personnel, helping integrate Student Financial Aid activities within the overall student support system architecture. The Senior System Analyst must be willing to work in a team setting, as well as work independently with minimal direct supervision. The ability to multi-task and prioritize system and end-user needs is required. This position is also expected to provide knowledge-sharing, guidance, and mentorship to less experienced team members in the immediate and/or broader team.

About the Work Unit

The OSFA is responsible for providing financial assistance to students whose economic circumstances are such that they could not otherwise afford to attend. In addition, we provide limited merit-based assistance to select undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional accomplishment and intellectual promise.

Vanderbilt welcomes students who can benefit from and contribute to the community, regardless of their financial situation. The University is committed to reviewing applicants for admission without regard to their financial need, then assistance is awarded to any student who establishes eligibility for such need-based assistance on the basis of family financial criteria.

Key Functions and Expected Performance

Responsible for the daily functional operation of the main application system in Financial Aid including initiating, monitoring, overseeing, and analyzing the results of system processes, which are used to support the operational and business needs of the office.

? Ensures OSFA systems are running as necessary to complete OSFA work and comply with applicable federal, state and institutional guidelines.

? Manages annual financial aid year setup and performs related support functions to enable the setup of each new financial aid year. This includes data entry, table setup, setup review, testing, merging data, interfacing data, creating and updating documentation.

? Manages Artificial Intelligence implementation for OSFA.

? Coordinates all development and testing of vendor system, Dynamic Forms.

? Maintains Security Administration for PeopleSoft, DynamicForms, Scholarship Manager, and DocFinity.

? Assists OSFA staff in creating reports to analyze work.

? Establish and run processes to update PeopleSoft and other systems data.

? Provides training during system and new process implementations.

? Collaborates with other departments to process external uploads of data for disbursement processing.

? Assists in setup, security, and maintenance of vendor system, Scholarship Manager.

? Works with the senior staff to formulate protocols, initiates automated processes, monitors system performance, and handles problems and outages.

? Under the guidance and direction of the office's senior staff and in conjunction and collaboration/coordination with the PSI team division personnel, leverages knowledge and experience to provide in-depth analysis to define scopes, evaluate, develop, and recommend policies, procedures, and strategies relative to the operation of the office's overall financial aid management

? Translate business needs and staff supplied specifications into effective system solutions.

? Works with the PSI and VUIT teams to test system upgrades, process improvement, and regulation releases.

? Responsible for development and implementation of appropriate data reporting programs and required processing procedures in support of staff information needs identified through discussions and/or written communications.

? Uses automated system software to interface with various government and private entities in order to retrieve relevant support data needed as part of the overall processing mission of the office.

? Reviews existing queries and reporting tools and processes to determine their continued accessibility and suggests any relevant changes as appropriate; writes new queries, as needed.

? Analyzes data and any other relevant information to compile statistical reports and interprets/determines trends and determines if report results are logical and reasonable in light of the information requested.

? Participates in ongoing systems training on the vendor supported PeopleSoft financial aid management system and other software used in the office.

? Works with senior staff to educate the office personnel on new features and processes as they became available.

? Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Relationships

? This position does not have supervisory responsibility, the position reports administratively and functionally to the Associate Director for Operations.

Education and Certifications

? A Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education is necessary.

Experience and Skills

? At least five years of related experience is necessary.

? 3-5 years' experience with PeopleSoft Campus Solutions is preferred.

? Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, and Access) is necessary.

? Demonstrated ability working collaboratively in a team environment is necessary.

? Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing is preferred.

? Ability to process computer data and to format and generate reports is preferred.

? Database management skills are preferred.

? Ability to make independent administrative/procedural decisions and judgements is necessary.

? Knowledge of financial aid policies, procedures, and eligibility requirements is preferred.

? Experience in administering federal financial aid programs is preferred.

? Knowledge of Oracle/PeopleSoft Student Administration is preferred.

? Knowledge of federal financial aid program processing software (e.g. EdConnect) is preferred.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion At Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are. We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education. Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, people with disabilities, and protected veterans are encouraged to apply.