DescriptionAMDA is seeking a Director of Outreach and Recruitment to provide strategic and operational leadership for AMDA's domestic and international recruitment efforts. This role leads AMDA's outreach teams, develops nationwide and international territory strategies, oversees recruitment travel and event planning, and manages the outreach budget. Working closely with institutional leadership, the Director ensures that outreach initiatives support AMDA's enrollment objectives across both campuses.
This hybrid position may be based at AMDA's Hollywood campus in Los Angeles or its New York City campus. The role combines long-term planning with hands-on team leadership and field engagement. Some travel is required, including evenings and weekends.
Primary Responsibilities:
Recruitment Strategy and Territory Management
- Develop and maintain AMDA's domestic and international outreach strategy, including territory planning and market prioritization.
- Evaluate market performance and identify opportunities to strengthen outreach and recruitment efforts.
- Establish territory goals aligned with inquiry, application, admission, and enrollment objectives.
- Support outreach team members in developing and executing strategies to achieve territory goals.
- Partner with AMDA leadership on annual recruitment planning and market-investment decisions.
Team Leadership
- Lead and develop a full-time team of territory-based domestic outreach representatives and part-time teams of in-person and virtual event facilitators.
- Supervise and support the Enrollment Event Manager responsible for logistics related to national auditions, campus events, virtual programming, and outreach travel.
- Recruit, onboard, train, and develop outreach team members as needed.
- Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, territory reviews, and constructive performance discussions with team members.
- Establish clear expectations and provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and support.
Partnerships and Relationship Building
- Build and maintain relationships with high school counselors, theater and dance educators, private studio directors, community college advisors, and leaders of performing arts programs.
- Represent AMDA, as needed, at Thespian festivals, dance conventions and competitions, performing and visual arts college fairs, and regional and national counselor events.
- Identify and develop new partnership opportunities that support a strong and sustainable prospective-student pipeline.
- Serve as a knowledgeable and trusted representative of AMDA within the performing arts education community.
Recruitment Events and Field Engagement
- Develop the strategy and calendar for auditions, college fairs, school visits, recruitment events, and outreach travel.
- Ensure outreach activities are appropriately staffed and that team members are prepared and equipped to represent AMDA effectively.
- Occasional travel to priority markets to support team members, meet with partners, and maintain a strong understanding of local opportunities and needs.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment events and field activities and recommend adjustments as appropriate.
Data and Performance Management
- Use Slate and related reporting tools to monitor territory performance, conversion, and yield.
- Use data insights to evaluate performance and refine recruitment strategies.
- Provide regular outreach and recruitment performance updates to AMDA leadership.
- Partner with Marketing, the Slate team, and Records to support accurate tracking of outreach activities, events, and campaign performance.
Budget and Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Develop and oversee the outreach travel and events budget, making resource and investment decisions in support of enrollment objectives.
- Monitor spending and ensure outreach activities remain within approved budget parameters.
- Collaborate with Admissions, Marketing, Records, Financial Aid, and Academic leadership to support a consistent and responsive student experience from initial contact through enrollment.
- Contribute to institutional enrollment planning as a member of the Enrollment leadership team.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
- Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in admissions, outreach, recruitment, or enrollment.
- Experience supervising, coaching, and developing team members.
- Demonstrated success developing and implementing territory- or market-level strategies that produced measurable results.
- Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and overseeing travel and event budgets.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to use CRM data to evaluate performance and inform strategy.
- Strong relationship-building, communication, presentation, and organizational skills.
- Ability to manage multiple territory, travel, and event plans simultaneously.
- Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues across departments and campuses.
- Ability to work independently and exercise sound judgment while representing AMDA externally.
- Experience in the performing arts, arts education, or a specialized or conservatory-based educational environment preferred.
- Established relationships within the high school performing arts community preferred.
- Proficiency with Slate preferred.
Position Information:
- This is a full-time, exempt position.
- This is a hybrid position that may be based at AMDA's Hollywood campus in Los Angeles, California, or its New York City campus.
- The position requires a combination of on-campus and remote work. The specific schedule will be determined based on departmental and operational needs.
- Some travel is required, including occasional evening and weekend work.
- The pay range for this position is $115,000-$125,000 annually.
Diversity and Qualifications:
AMDA is fully committed to diversity, inclusivity, and equity throughout the teaching and learning process. We encourage applications from individuals who have extensive experience working with students from diverse backgrounds.
Successful candidates will have a sensitivity to, and understanding of, the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds of our students, including disabilities that may affect students' development and learning styles.
Members of traditionally underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.
