DIRECTOR OF ENROLLMENT AND STUDENT SUCCESS

Job title

 DIRECTOR OF ENROLLMENT AND STUDENT SUCCESS

Reports to

 Executive Director of CMU-Africa

Start Date

 June 1st 2021

Location

 Kigali, Rwanda

Job Purpose

Carnegie Mellon University is seeking a Director of Enrollment and Student Success to provide leadership and strategy for programs and services that facilitate positive student transition and success for its location in Rwanda, Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-Africa). This position will set the strategy for overall Student Success (including, but not limited to, student recruitment, admissions, academic advising, student affairs and career services), and build and lead a cohesive and integrated team that is focused on high quality programming and services to support student transition, retention, and positive graduation outcomes.

About Carnegie Mellon University

Established out of a partnership between Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the Government of Rwanda, CMU-Africa is addressing the critical shortage of high-quality engineering talent required to accelerate the economic development and digital transformation of Africa—home to the fastest growing workforce in the world.  CMU-Africa was established in 2011 and is the only U.S. research university offering its master’s degrees with full-time faculty, staff and operations in Africa. CMU’s presence in Rwanda provides a platform to engage in Africa’s most significant opportunities and challenges across the continent through world-class education and contextually relevant research.

Our vision is to educate and empower the next generation of African leaders and innovators by delivering a world-class educational experience. CMU-Africa’s mission is to produce creative and technically strong engineers, who have been trained in the African context, and prepared to make transformative impact in their communities and the world.

We are a fast-growing campus with about 150 enrolled students, aiming to grow to 400 in the next couple of years.  Our size and exponential growth create a sense of camaraderie and excitement, with strong community ties and a compound sense of accomplishment in our team members, contributing towards mutually beneficial relationships between staff and students.

The role

As CMU-Africa’s Director of Enrollment and Student Success, you will be a key leader and advocate for comprehensive and integrated services that support students, that reduce barriers to student progression and success, and that promote student engagement, transition, retention and positive post graduate outcomes. While specific responsibilities will vary, they will include, but will not be limited to, the following:

Responsibilities

• Student Recruitment - Develops and directs recruitment and marketing activities to create a diverse pipeline that meets or exceeds admissions targets. Develops recruitment programs that increase CMU-Africa’s reach across the African continent, and oversees programs to attract students from diverse backgrounds.
• Admissions – Develops and directs CMU-Africa’s Admissions processes, overseeing team responsible for processing and evaluating graduate applications. Monitors and advises on best practices in higher education admissions processes (including reviewing undergraduate transcripts, test scores, and statements of purpose) to speed up admissions decisions. Ensures the use of technology within the Admissions function is optimized, integrated, and scalable to the greatest extent possible. Periodically reviews and reengineers the process.
• Student Affairs and Academic Advising – Directs the Student Affairs and Academic Advising functions, monitoring best practices in academic advising, student organizations management, student welfare, student financial aid and awards, student orientation and student engagement, and ensures that all services and programs comply with CMU’s academic, and other, policies and procedures. Plays leadership role in assessing the needs of CMU-Africa students to ensure the continual enhancement of programming and service quality within the Student Affairs function.
• Career Services - Provides leadership and direction for a comprehensive career planning facility, ensuring CMU-Africa’ career services offering is fit for purpose and assists all student, alumni, faculty, and industry partners in the development of career education, career identification and search, and proactive pursuit of internship and employment opportunities. Constantly monitors, analyzes, and evaluates current scope of services offered through career services and directs new programs as appropriate.
• Works closely with the Registrar, relevant Student Welfare, Enrollments, CaPS, and other functions at the main campus to develop an integrated approach to student success initiatives at CMU-Africa.
• Provides leadership in the development, establishment and administration of departmental policies and procedures, which comply with university-wide policies and procedures.
• Represents CMU-Africa on university-wide committees and task forces related to Student Success
• Builds employee capability through monitoring and assessing employee performance, utilizing coaching and mentoring strategies as appropriate. Partners with CMU-Africa’s HR Officer to determine custom professional development and training offerings to Enrollment and Student Success team
• Other duties as required

Qualifications 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• A Master’s Degree in a relevant field, plus a minimum of 5 years of recent related experience, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience
• A minimum of 3 years of experience in an American university preferred
• 5 – 8 years of leadership experience overseeing at least two of the following areas: Admissions and Enrollment, Academic Advising, Student Affairs, Student Financial Aid and Awards, Disability services or student orientation, Career Services (within a US university preferred but not essential)
• Fluency in both spoken and written English and French a bonus

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Proven ability to build, manage and provide leadership to cohesive teams
• Sound understanding of strategic enrollment management concepts, and academic policies and processes that contribute to a quality graduate experience
• Demonstrated ability to foster a culture of learning and innovation
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to persuade and influence individuals and groups with diverse needs and interests
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and inclusively to coordinate projects and initiatives among various campus constituencies
• Demonstrated commitment to providing outstanding student experience and customer service
• Knowledge of budget planning, development and management
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

To Apply

Please follow the link below to apply for this position - http://bit.ly/DirESS_CMU