Assistant Director of Financial Aid

The Opportunity

The Harvard-Westlake Business Office consists of a small, highly efficient group of colleagues whose work impacts every school function daily. We develop and maintain systems and policies that benefit everyone in the community: faculty, staff, parents, our extended alumni family, and most importantly our students. We strive to make Harvard-Westlake the premier independent school in the nation.

The Assistant Director of Financial Aid plays a key role in administering the school’s need-based financial aid program by supporting families from the application process through graduation. The office ensures accurate, consistent, and mission-aligned evaluations of need throughout a family’s time at the school.

Working closely with the Director of Financial Aid and Admission colleagues, the Assistant Director manages application processing in Clarity, maintains data integrity across systems, and prepares and presents cases with clear and well-documented award recommendations. The ideal candidate combines excellent customer service with strong analytical skills, discretion, sound judgement and the ability to manage seasonal deadlines in a high-volume program (~350 awards annually with additional activity during the admission process).

Key Responsibilities

Family Support and Communication

• Serve as a primary point of contact for prospective and current families, providing timely, empathetic, and clear guidance on financial aid policies, timelines, and documentation
• Conduct family meetings to explain application requirements, decisions, and next steps while maintaining consistency and confidentiality
• Develop and maintain communications (emails, checklists, FAQs, web content, webinar materials) to improve the family experience

Application Processing and Evaluation (Clarity)

• Manage end-to-end financial aid application processing in Clarity
• Maintain data integrity across systems
• Prepare and present cases with clear and well-documented award recommendations

• Excellent customer service and communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with seasonal deadlines
• Strong organizational and time management skills