University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Hiring for Administrative Assistant I – Bursar at North Dartmouth, MA Full Time

Job no: 520600
Work type: Staff Full Time
Categories: Other Staff Positions, Administrative & Office Support

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Performs student account functions that are critical for the retention and graduation of students; provides excellent customer service/information to students and parents at office counter and by telephone.

Responsible for all financial aspects of the collections process for student account receivables for the Bursar’s Office including interaction with the external collection agency used by the campus. Receives and posts payments from Collection Agencies; creates and manages files for uploading to the Flywire AR system as well as external Collection’s Agency. Responsible for managing third party billing processes and reconciliation. Acts as point of contact for 1098T inquiries.

Follows the University’s best practices to build and/or support student academic success and retention, and assist in meeting strategic objectives for persistence and timely graduation of all the student population.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED (Name and title of person from whom incumbent receives direction)
General supervision from the Assistant Bursar

DIRECT REPORTING STAFF

Functional supervision of collection agency vendors

THEIR STAFF

N/A

DETAILED STATEMENT OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for students in pre-collections and collections. Ensures compliance and adherence with FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and FDCPA (Fair Debt Collections Practice Act), and other Federal, State, and University regulations regarding debt collection and credit reporting applicable to general accounts receivables
• Identify and prepare spreadsheets(s) of students with outstanding balances to initiate the pre-collections process for day students and, as applicable, for Online and Continuing Education student charges. Facilitates data transfer through appropriate vendor, depending on type of debt, and reconciles the count and amount to ensure file upload is 100% accurate.
• Prepare and send appropriate correspondence and negotiates reasonable repayment schedules to prevent collection action with an agency
• Review, enter and update all required service indicator codes in student system pertaining to pre-collection or collection status
• Submit past due accounts to external pre-collection agency after all campus requirements are met
• Correspond with external agencies and utilize vendor’s system to conduct daily work
• Maintain accuracy of state’s Intercept system, by updating balances and adding/removing students from whom the state will withhold state income tax refunds, payments from state contracts, lottery winnings and any other payments due to an employer. (MGL Chapter 151A §15(f) and MGL Chapter 7A, §§ 3, 8, 15, 18, & 19 authorize the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to recover delinquent tax contributions through State and Federal intercepts.)
• Monitor the activities of third-party collection agencies to ensure financial accuracy, collection performance standards, and adherence to Federal, State, and institutional regulations applicable to accounts receivable
• Maintain all internal records associated to student receivable balances that are submitted to and received from the collection agencies and review internal payment schedules to ensure accounts are current
• Manage and monitor pre-collections payment plans for student receivable balances
• Post all payments received from collection agencies, correspond and notify agency of any direct payments to University, and record collection costs
• Review, investigate and explain account balance information to students who owe a debt to the campus and research accounts being disputed
• Run reports through Summit to retrieve data to complete required functions
• Complete monthly tracking that reports on both pre-collection and collections balances, payment plans and monthly payments which is shared with AVC Enrollment Management and AVC A&F
• Ensure that collection procedures applicable to accounts receivable are documented and updated on a periodic basis. Make recommendations as appropriate
• Manage bankruptcy notification specific to tuition and fee accounts to ensure accounts are properly coded and submitted for write off. Utilize third party interface, PACER, to confirm all bankruptcy statuses
• Assist with testing on university requested as well as vendor-initiated enhancements which requires a far more detailed skill set than a typical user. Assist students and families by phone and email relative to student receivable balances; determines and monitors hold flags, and provides solutions to assist to the resolution of holds
• Perform backup duties including but not limited to preparation and reconciliation of daily receipts, processing journal entries, applying tuition credits etc
• Assists in collecting payments by cash, check, money order, and maintains appropriate standards in handling all payments.
• Assists in distributing refund checks to the appropriate student
• Perform tasks related to the resolution of all checks returned for insufficient funds including receipt reversals and correspondence to appropriate parties
• Responsible for third party billing, which also includes electronic third-party billings for MYCAA, GoArmyEd, WAAF, and Tungsten.
• Review, analyze and prepare reports, job aids, statistical summaries, and related materials
• Responsible for managing inquiries via phone and email from students and families regarding 1098T forms.
• Perform other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED AT HIRE (List knowledge, skills, abilities)
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of office management. Knowledge of the methods of general report writing
• Knowledge of the methods used in the preparation of charts, graphs and tables
• Knowledge of the types and uses of general office equipment
• Ability to understand, explain and apply the laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, specifications, standards and guidelines governing assigned unit activities
• Ability to analyze and determine the applicability of data, to draw conclusions and to make appropriate recommendations
• Ability to follow written and oral instructions
• Ability to gather information through questioning individuals and by examining records and documents
• Ability to write concisely, to express thoughts clearly and to develop ideas in logical sequence
• Ability to assemble items of information in accordance with established procedures
• Ability to determine proper format and procedure for assembling items of information
• Ability to prepare general reports. Ability to maintain accurate records. Ability to prepare and use charts, graphs and tables
• Ability to communicate effectively in oral expression
• Ability to give written and oral instructions in a precise, understandable manner
• Ability to deal tactfully with others
• Ability to establish rapport and maintain harmonious working relationships with persons from varied ethnic, cultural and/or economic backgrounds
• Ability to supervise, including planning and assigning work according to the nature of the job to be accomplished, the capabilities of subordinates and available resources; controlling work through periodic reviews and/or evaluations; determining subordinates’ training needs and providing or arranging for such training; motivating subordinates to work effectively; determining the need for disciplinary action and either recommending or initiating disciplinary action
• Ability to exercise sound judgment. Ability to exercise discretion in handling confidential information

QUALIFICATIONS ACQUIRED ON JOB (List knowledge’s, skills, abilities)
• Knowledge of the laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, specifications, standards and guidelines governing assigned unit activities
• Knowledge of the proper telephone procedures for making and receiving agency calls
• Knowledge of the types and uses of agency forms
• Knowledge of the laws, rules and regulations governing the state personnel system
• Knowledge of state budgetary procedures relating to positions, salaries and personnel services
• Knowledge of the laws, rules, policies and procedures governing Federal Grant Administration
• Knowledge of state procedures governing the purchasing and requisitioning of supplies and equipment
• Knowledge of state accounting and budgetary procedures including terminology
• Knowledge of the principles, practices and techniques of supervision
• Demonstrated functional experience with PeopleSoft Student Admin and/or other student related database system, and functional experience in accounting and bursar functions

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must have at least (A) two years of full-time, or equivalent part-time experience in office management, office administration , business administration or business management, the major duties of which included one or more of the following functions: purchasing, personnel management, budgeting, accounting, records management, work simplification, grants management, contract administration or program management, or (B) any equivalent combination the required experience and the substitutions from the Massachusetts State Classification Specifications

LICENSE AND/OR CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
None

REMARKS: Preferred Qualifications• 3+ years functional experience with experience with PeopleSoft Student Administration
• Knowledge of the standard procedures and methods required for collecting student account receivables balances by following rules and guidelines surrounding collections activities, Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), and internal applicable policies and procedures
• Demonstrated ability to collect funds
• Ability to respond to difficult situations diplomatically
• Ability to navigate, retrieve and input information in various information systems quickly and with meticulous detail

Department: Bursars

No. of Positions– 1

Internal/External-X

State Funded-X

Salary: Annual $48,250.80

Hours: M-F, 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m.

Grade: -15

Union: AFSCME

UMass Dartmouth offers exciting benefits such as:

75% Employer-Paid Health Insurance
Flexible Spending Accounts
Life Insurance
Long Term Disability
State Pension Retirement Plan
Optional Retirement Savings Plans
Tuition Credit (Employee, Spouse, & Dependents)
Twelve (12) paid holidays
Paid personal, vacation, and sick time
And More!

Benefits for AFSCME Union- AFSCME

Applicants must be authorized for employment in the U.S. on a full time basis. Employment-based visa sponsorship not available.

To apply please submit a letter of interest, current resume and the contact information for three professional references.

The deadline for internal applicants is September 22, 2023

The deadline for external applicants is September 26, 2023.

Advertised: 12 Sep 2023 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 26 Sep 2023 Eastern Daylight Time