TRUST FUND ADMINISTRATOR, AID & AWARDS

Department Description:

The Office of the Registrar provides a number of services to both prospective and current students and is the primary information source on enrolment, convocation ceremonies and important student dates and events throughout the year. We are a smart, collaborative group of nearly 80, spread across 8 departments: Student Services, Student Aid & Awards, Student Recruitment, Undergraduate Admissions, Student Records & Systems, Scheduling & Examinations, Student Communications and Central RO Administration. This supportive and dynamic team works together to provide assistance to students from the beginning of their time at McMaster University until they graduate.

The Aid & Awards department connects students with government financial aid, bursaries, work programs and scholarships. These resources help make post-secondary education more accessible and recognize students' academic, extracurricular and community achievements. We are currently looking to hire a Trust Fund Administrator on a 1-year contract in our Aid & Awards department that will use a variety of specialized skills to promote and support the overall strategic plan of the Office of the Registrar. This position will be considered a career growth opportunity (CGO) for eligible internal Unifor Unit 1 employees. 

Job Summary:

Administer all trust funds (including general perpetual, long term and specific trusts) and externally funded student awards in the department. Responsible for administrative, policy and financial compliance and all related gift documentation.  Act as a liaison with key stakeholders including donors and internal University departments. Responsible for the development of large scale aid and award programs and contributes to the development of long term strategies and plans for trusts administered by the department. Responsible for financial and budgeting activities as they relate to trust funds and departmental operating funds.

Purpose and Key Functions:

• Develop large scale aid and award programs which includes meeting with internal stakeholders and donors to formulate and negotiate the framework of each unique program.
• Provide direction for the implementation of large scale aid and award programs.
• Develop long-term strategies and plans for trusts in consultation with the Manager and other internal stakeholders.
• Develop policies, procedures and implementation plans in support of aid and awards administration.
• Manage the financial aid processes required to support externally funded awards.
• Develop and deliver presentations and training material to University stakeholders and those involved with the administration of aid and awards.
• Develop detailed action plans for each award program ensuring alignment with departmental cycles.
• Approve new award terms of reference for undergraduate aid and awards ensuring compliance with trust and award policies and oversee the approval workflow.
• Manage the trust open process and present new trusts for approval. 
• Act as primary contact for internal stakeholders to enable donations to support students and the creation of new donor funded student aid and awards at the University.
• Act as the liaison between internal stakeholders and award recipients to ensure compliance and efficient administration.
• Aid in the development and maintenance of self-service tools to support departmental activities.
• Approve fiscal balances for aid and award program allocations and set budgets for each Trust in accordance with gift documentation and University policies and procedures.
• Review and approve expenditures and reconcile payments on trust funds in accordance with gift documentation and University policies and procedures.
• Proactively monitor fund balances and correct issues prior to year-end.
• Assist with the analysis and preparation of annual budget submissions.
• Research and investigate best practices, utilizing existing internal and external networks and resources. 
• Respond to inquiries regarding donors, award terms, recipients, funding amounts, policies and procedures.
• Maintain trust records with current and historical information, that includes but is not limited to gift documentation, correspondence, trust activity and recipient information.
• Write a variety of documents such as policies, procedures, implementation plans, correspondence. donor term proposals and reports.
• Write and modify existing queries to extract records for a variety of purposes including data validation and annual reporting.
• Collect, analyze, assess, and summarize information relevant to the decision making process and develop recommendations for final approval and implementation.
• Maintain accurate paper files and electronic records

Supervision:

Provides functional guidance to others on an ongoing basis.

JD1196