Senior Director of Admission

The Office of Admissions at Oglethorpe University, a liberal arts college in Atlanta, GA, seeks a collaborative, proactive, detailed-oriented, and forward-thinking person for the Senior Director of Admission. Reporting to the Vice President of Enrollment Management, the Senior Director of Admission is responsible for planning, developing, organizing, supervising, and evaluating all aspects of the recruitment, admission, and yield for Oglethorpe University. The Senior Director will leverage empathy, creativity, data analytics, and a broad range of strategies to achieve and surpass enrollment and retention goals. The Senior Director will also be a key campus collaborator and directly contribute to efforts that further the achievement of the goals in the Oglethorpe University Strategic Plan and the 3-to-5-year plan for strategic enrollment.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Direct all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the Office of Admission, including establishing counselor travel and territory management; creating and monitoring staff progress towards deposit and retention goals; strategically awarding scholarships to achieve enrollment and financial targets; and ensuring a welcoming and inclusive environment for students, families, guests, and colleagues.
• Inspire, recruit, retain, and manage an inclusive team of 7 to 8 full-time staff and develop them to maximize their capabilities to provide exceptional service and foster a culture of belonging, thriving, and delivering results.
• Contribute and support efforts of the Vice President of Enrollment Management to develop a new and ambitious enrollment management model as part of their senior leadership team.
• Evaluate and, as appropriate, redesign aspects of the admissions program to implement more effective and efficient initiatives and leverage best practices to identify additional ways to reach various target groups, grow existing populations, and identify new referral sources.
• Support and implement admissions processes for new programs by providing guidance for streamlining workflows, staffing needs, application integration, etc.

• Collaborate with the Director of Operations to ensure compliance with all federal, state, organizational and institutional policies, and procedures in the admission of students and serve as back-up to operations team in understanding processes and workflows for all admissions systems as needed.

• Compile and analyze various reports on demographic trends, the health of the applicant funnel, yield rates, and other relevant information to support data-informed decisions regarding recruiting, admissions, financial aid, persistence, and retention. May also write and edit reports at the request of the Vice President.
• Partner with Marketing and Communications to assist in creating compelling, innovative, and multifaced recruitment marketing materials.
• Interact regularly with the Office of Student Success, Office of Student Affairs, division chairs, and various program directors on issues related to enrollment, academic standards, disciplinary records, and admissions criteria.
• Build trust and collaborative, transparent relationships as a liaison with divisions chairs, faculty, and staff and positively represent the admissions office on campus-wide committees.
• Strategically manage and optimize the office budget for greatest impact.
• Develop and implement programs and initiatives that involve university faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and current students in the recruiting process and directly participate in activities related to promotion of university majors, minors, and other programs.
• Cultivate relationships with high school counselors and enrollment managers to increase external knowledge of Oglethorpe, including hosting on-campus events for colleagues.
• Serve as a primary or secondary reader for certain populations and make final decisions on specific applications.
• Provide back-up coverage for counselor travel or application reading as needed.
• Coordinate with the Director of Athletics to ensure compliance related to the oversight of or responsibility for recruitment, admission, certification of academic eligibility, and/or administration of financial aid for NCAA Division III student-athletes, as needed.

• Participate in professional organizations such as NACAC and SACAC to maintain Oglethorpe brand awareness and connections across the Admissions and Enrollment management landscape.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 to 7 years progressive, professional experience in higher education, with at least 3 years in admissions or enrollment management.
• Excellent communication (verbal, written, and digital) and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and the ability to think intentionally on the various ways in which the admission process and campus is experienced differently by students from diverse backgrounds. Knowledge of liberal arts admissions and the ability to effectively capitalize on appropriate opportunities to expand Oglethorpe’s attractiveness as a first-choice institution.

• Appreciation of, a sensitivity to, and respect for a diverse organizational environment, inclusive of students, faculty, and staff of many social, economic, cultural, ideological, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Ability to multitask, delegate, and hold individuals accountable, ensuring the delivery of a high-quality experience for students and families that reflects the core values of Oglethorpe University.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fluid environment, prioritize goals, and independently manage multiple and competing priorities while meeting deadlines and specific KPIs.
• Strong people management and problem-solving skills with a demonstrated commitment to ethical, transparent, collaborative, and optimistic leadership. 
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and work with sensitive information.
• Must successfully pass a criminal background check.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling, or related field.
• Previous management experience of full-time staff.
• Familiarity using SLATE or other CRM.

Additional Information:

• This is a full-time, 12-month position.
• Working some evenings and weekends required.
• Some travel may be required.
• Position tasks are generally required to be performed in-person.  Work from home options may be granted at supervisors’ discretion. Oglethorpe University reserves the right to change remote work status with notice to employee.

Application Instructions  

To ensure full consideration, please submit: 

• Cover letter which describes your interest in the role and how your experiences based on the stated responsibilities might transfer in support of advancing the Oglethorpe Mission. Current CV/ resume. 

Application screening will begin immediately and continue until the position is closed. To guarantee consideration, material should be submitted by September 30, 2022.