Director of Student Accounts (Bursar)

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the University’s student accounts, billing, accounts receivable, cashiering, payment processing, refunds, collections, and reconciliation functions.
• Ensure accurate and timely assessment, processing, posting, reconciliation, and reporting of student financial transactions, including reconciliation of student accounts to the general ledger.
• Develop and execute the University’s accounts receivable and collections strategy, including monitoring aging, delinquency, collection performance, and overall financial exposure.
• Oversee payment arrangements, account holds, write-offs, promissory notes, third-party billing, and external collection-agency relationships in accordance with University policy.
• Establish and maintain effective internal financial controls, including segregation of duties, approval authorities, reconciliations, documentation, cash controls, and appropriate audit trails.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state requirements, Department of Education regulations, FERPA, PCI-DSS, University policies, and other requirements governing student financial operations.
• Partner with Finance and internal/external auditors on financial reviews, audit activities, year-end processes, corrective actions, and resolution of identified control or compliance issues.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate financial, operational, compliance, and control risks associated with Bursar operations.
• Lead, supervise, develop, and evaluate Bursar/Student Accounts staff; establish clear performance expectations, accountability, service standards, cross-training, and appropriate backup coverage.
• Serve as the functional leader for Bursar-related student information, accounts receivable, payment, and financial systems, partnering with Finance and IT on implementations, integrations, testing, upgrades, and optimization.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators for receivables, aging, collections, billing and transaction accuracy, refunds, reconciliations, service performance, and other critical Bursar operations.
• Lead continuous improvement, automation, standardization, and process redesign initiatives to strengthen financial controls, operational efficiency, service delivery, and business continuity.
• Provide leadership and resolution for complex or escalated student financial matters, ensuring policies are applied consistently and students and families receive accurate, timely, and professional service.
• Partner with Financial Aid, Registrar, Enrollment Management, Finance, Academic Affairs, IT, and other University stakeholders to address systemic issues and ensure effective coordination across the student financial lifecycle.
• Provide University leadership with financial analysis, operational insights, risk assessments, and recommendations related to student receivables, financial operations, policy, systems, and opportunities for improvement.