Financial Analyst, Private Lending

Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world. Columbia is one of the top academic and research institutions in the world, conducting path breaking research in medicine, science, the arts, and the humanities. It includes three undergraduate schools, thirteen graduate and professional schools, a world-renowned medical center, four affiliated colleges and seminaries, twenty-five libraries, and more than one hundred research centers and institutes. Columbia can claim 88 Nobel Laureates as well as over 380 new inventions each year. Columbia is rated in the top 10 of private employers in NYC, and minorities make up 45% of faculty and staff. We are committed to attracting and retaining the best and brightest in the workforce to support our mission of excellence in higher education and research.

Position Description

Student Financial Services (SFS) at Columbia University facilitates the financial experience of students during their enrollment. Supporting over 35,000 students and University teams in 17 schools, SFS focuses on excellent student service, strong support to our internal colleagues, and compliant management of processes and funds. With the upcoming changes to federal student loans, Financial Analyst, reporting to the Associate Director, Financial Aid Loan Services, will manage operational processes connected with private lending used by students. Key constituents will be other SFS team members, school colleagues, external lenders and related vendors, and students. This role will drive excellence in efficient, effective and compliant management of private student loan funds.

This is a hybrid position requiring at least 3 days/week on site.

Key Responsibilities

• Loan Processing, Reconciliation & Aggregate Monitoring:
• Manage loan originations and handle response and reject files from the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) system.
• Perform monthly reconciliation of Private loan programs in collaboration with University Financial Aid offices and the Controller’s Office, in accordance with federal regulations and University policies.
• Review student and program-level borrowing to ensure compliance with federal loan eligibility and aggregate loan limits.
• Identify, research, and resolve discrepancies related to loan origination, disbursement, reconciliation, and aggregate limit usage.
• Support the development and enhancement of internal controls designed to prevent over-awards and loan originations exceeding federal limits.
• Aid in continuous process improvement, documentation, and standardization initiatives within the unit.
• Compliance, Regulatory Implementation & Reporting:
• Ensure audit accuracy and maintain fiscal compliance with Federal Student Aid regulations and University operating procedures.
• Test the implementation of new federal loan requirements which may include translating regulatory guidance into operational procedures.
• Monitor the preparation of schedules, reports, and compliance documentation required for reconciliation, audits, program reviews, and regulatory reporting.
• Provide reports and compliance metrics to support oversight of loan processing and aggregate limit compliance.
• Systems Coordination, Testing & Data Integrity:
• Test and validate system updates in University information systems and coordinate with external vendors to support regulatory and programmatic changes.
• Participate in testing and validation of loan processing workflows, including origination, disbursement, COD responses, and reconciliation related to regulatory updates.
• Validate data accuracy and consistency between institutional and federal systems following implementation of new loan limits and eligible grandfathering allowances.
• Document system logic, edits, and exception-handling processes related to loan processing and aggregate limits.
• Coordination, Training & Change Management:
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with financial aid offices to support consistent processing of Federal and Private loan awards, originations, disbursements, and reconciliation.
• Serve as a subject-matter expert for financial aid staff regarding loan processing, reconciliation, and federal aggregate loan limit requirements.
• Assist with the development and delivery of training materials related to