Student Support Specialist

SEAM Student Support is seeking a Student Support Specialist who will be part of a team that serves as the primary points of contact in providing quality customer experiences for students, parents, call center staff and other stakeholders seeking guidance for financial aid, registration, and student accounts services across Johns Hopkins University (JHU). This position requires attention to detail in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment and will deliver high-quality, student-centered advice and support through multiple modalities (email, in-person, and phone).

The Student Support Specialist must have a pleasant disposition and a positive attitude. Working on a team grounded in the principles of excellent customer service, the person in this position will be responsible for meeting quality customer service metrics and assessments. The person in this position should have an in-depth understanding of or exceptional familiarity with financial aid, registration, and student accounts processes and policies. The Student Support Specialist should also have extensive knowledge of Title IV compliance regulations ensuring adherence to regulatory compliance with financial aid applications and eligibility.

This position will initially support and report directly to the University Director of Student Enrollment Support, with transition to report directly to a Student Support Supervisor on the Director’s team. As the university develops an integrated student service shared services organization (SSO), the duties of this position will include supporting student accounts, financial aid and registration related questions and concerns throughout the university.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Serve as the first point of contact for student enrollment services, specifically financial aid, registration, and student accounts, to the university community in a new shared services organization.

Provide exceptional customer service to all Johns Hopkins University constituents including students, internal staff and faculty, external stakeholders, parents, sponsors (third party payers), and all parties in contact with the university.

Provide general information to solve issues related to financial aid, registration, and student accounts.

Liaise with the contracted call center staff and university operational staff in support of frontline issues and troubleshooting.

Manage the student case management queues in the Salesforce database to ensure timely triage, escalation, resolution and processing of incoming cases.

Execute ongoing communication with students, parents, and staff while maintaining a high-level customer satisfaction in all digital modalities, including via email and phone.

Counsel, advise, investigate, problem-solve, and resolve issues from current and former students, parents, faculty, staff, sponsors and other third parties.

Explain financial aid packages and eligibility for institutional and federal aid awards and give helpful instructions on using financial aid self-service tools to students and parents.

Provide payment details, account information and helpful instructions on using student accounts self-service tools to students and parents.

Provide registration details and give helpful instructions on using registration self-service tools to students and parents.

Identify to management potential inefficiencies to promote operational excellence and coordinate process improvements of service to students and the university community.

Participate in professional development and training opportunities to stay abreast of institutional, federal, and other regulations.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Special Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Ability to build relationships across departments.

Demonstrated technical skills utilizing a range of information databases.

Great listening skills.

Detail-oriented.

Strong oral and written communication skills.

Ability to communicate effectively with diverse populations.

Excellent organizational skills with an ability to prioritize, and work on multiple projects and tasks simultaneously, often with many interruptions.

Willingness to commit to exceeding expectations and deliver the highest level of customer service.

Self-motivated, proactive, friendly, courteous and collaborative.

Take pride in every aspect of work and perform it with energy and enthusiasm.

Be a strong team player with a commitment to continuous learning.

Proficiency in desktop computing using MS Office (Outlooks, Word, Excel) and web interfaces on a Windows platform.

Experience with Student Information System (SIS), PowerFAIDS, OnBase, Salesforce and other related information management databases would be beneficial.

Minimum Qualifications

High School Diploma/GED required.

A minimum of three years of strong customer service experience.

Additional education may substitute for required experience to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree highly preferred.

Experience with service desk, help desk, call center or comparable front-line service a plus.

Experience with accounts receivable and/or an accounting background a plus.

Experience with customer relationship management software a plus.

Experience working in a university setting, particularly student services, preferred.

Classified Title: Student Support Specialist

Role/Level/Range: ATO 37.5/03/OE

Starting Salary Range: $18.00 - $33.50 HRLY ($52,500 targeted; Commensurate with experience)

Employee group: Full Time

Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm

Exempt Status: Non-Exempt

Location: Hybrid/Homewood Campus

Department name: ​​​​​​​SEAM Student Support

Personnel area: University Student Services

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Johns Hopkins University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. The university promotes affirmative action for minorities, women, disabled persons, and veterans.