Director of Admissions

The Director of Admissions is responsible for overseeing the recruitment, admissions, and enrollment processes to meet the institution’s goals for student population and diversity. This leadership role involves developing strategies to attract prospective students, managing the admissions team, and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to ensure a seamless and effective admissions process. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker, data-driven decision-maker, and passionate advocate for student success.

Principal Accountabilities & Deliverables

• Develop and execute strategic student recruitment and enrollment plans to achieve institutional enrollment goals while supporting the organization’s mission and growth objectives.
• Lead and manage all admissions operations, ensuring an exceptional prospective student experience from inquiry through enrollment
• Meet and exceed enrollment and start targets, monitoring performance metrics, and implementing data-driven strategies to optimize conversion, yield, and persistence rates.
• Direct the tracking, management, and distribution of prospective student inquiries while leveraging CRM and admissions technologies to enhance operational efficiency and student engagement.
• Ensure compliance with all institutional, accreditation, FERPA, federal, state, and regulatory requirements governing admissions, enrollment, recordkeeping, and student eligibility.
• Oversee the application review process, admissions policies, and verification of enrollment requirements to ensure the accuracy and completeness of student records and documentation.
• Analyze enrollment trends, market data, and recruitment outcomes to inform strategic decision-making and continuously improve admissions effectiveness.
• Develop, manage, and monitor departmental budgets, resources, reporting processes, and operational performance to support organizational objectives.
• Plan and execute recruitment initiatives and events, including open houses, campus tours, college fairs, orientations, graduations, and community outreach activities.
• Establish and maintain partnerships with schools, colleges, businesses, community organizations, and internal stakeholders to build sustainable enrollment pipelines and support student success.
• Collaborate closely with marketing, academic affairs, financial aid, student services, retention, and other institutional teams to drive enrollment growth and ensure a seamless student transition and onboarding experience.
• Serve as a representative and spokesperson for the institution, promoting admissions programs and enrollment opportunities through internal and external engagement activities.
• Recruit, hire, train, coach, develop, and supervise admissions staff, fostering a high-performing, compliant, and customer-focused team culture.
• Implement and maintain comprehensive onboarding, training, performance management, recognition, and career development programs that drive employee engagement, accountability, and achievement of business results.
• Monitor individual and team performance through regular coaching, feedback, and reporting to ensure the achievement of admissions goals, operational excellence, and service standards.
• Perform additional duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Education / Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or minimum of seven (7) years experience in admissions, enrollment management, or a related field (required)
• Minimum of five (5) years experience in proprietary in private or public education admissions
• A minimum of three (3) years experience as a Director of Admissions or similar leadership role (preferred)
• Experience managing budgets and developing data-driven strategies

Skills

• Intermediate level proficiency with productivity software (MS Office), CRM software e.g., Slate, Ellucian, or Salesforce), and other enterprise-level software (Adobe DC, SharePoint, etc.)
• Strong understanding of the higher education admissions process, trends, and challenges
• Strong leadership and people management skills
• Change management skills and able to lead the team through continuous process improvement
• Facilitate regular, meaningful two-way communication; Effectively facilitate parties toward productive agreement and solution by defining objectives, addressing issues, and removing potential obstacles for all parties
• Identify trends and track key metrics to determine overall effectiveness of initiatives and support of business goals and adjust strategies accordingly
• Understand the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making
• Identify complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions
• Exceptional listening and conflict resolution skills
• Drive, and be accountable for, results in a fast-paced environment

Abilities

• Ability to cultivate a network of contacts throughout the organization and community

Work Environment

• This position is an onsite position
• Overnight travel required up to 10%

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