Associate Director of Admission for Access and Outreach

JOB SUMMARY:

As an integral contributor to the Office of Admission, the Associate Director is responsible for the recruitment, selection and enrollment of talented students and provides direction, develops, and implements the Office of Admission's strategic plan for the recruitment of historically underrepresented students in support of the overall mission, values and enrollment goals of the University. The Associate Director provides directions for additional recruitment and outreach, which includes community-based and school network partnerships, high school counselors, and alumni volunteer engagement. The Associate Director manages student recruitment planning and training for recruitment travel, and logistics associated with student recruitment travel planning and implementation and contributes to the overall territory recruitment strategy. The Associate Director also manages aspects of recruitment within a specific assigned geographic territory, planning, implementing, and assessing admission initiatives and representing the University to a broad and diverse audience both on and off campus as part of a progressive and highly collaborative team.

JOB DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Management of Access and Outreach Recruitment

• Manage, lead, direct and mentor staff to create a collaborative, highly productive, goal-oriented, and data-driven team.
• Manage Oliver Hill Scholars Program selection process and liaise with campus partners to support the Oliver Hill Scholars in support of university and enrollment goals.
• Oversee and direct overall management of the University's community-based organization and high school partnerships, including annual reporting and recommendations for new partnership, renewals, and discontinuations.
• Oversee the management, creation, organization, processing, and annual review of Memorandums of Understanding and other similar contractual agreements with over 20 external partners.
• Oversee and direct the management of on-campus programs for the recruitment of high achieving students who are underrepresented at selective institutions, such as domestic students of color, first generation college students, rural students, and limited income students.
• Representing the University at national and regional conferences, meetings, and workshops, both on- and off-campus, when needed
• Establish and cultivate relationships with school and community-based organization counselors around the country and abroad, and within a specific recruiting territory.
• Collect, analyze and report on survey data to inform admission practices. Benchmark best practices at other institutions and make recommendations to the AVP and senior leadership team related to introducing Richmond to high ability students.
• Coordinate all data analysis and activities related to recruitment and admission of talented underrepresented students including first generation students, domestic students of color, students from families with limited incomes, and other populations which are underrepresented at highly selective institutions
• Work closely with the AVP/Dean of Admission to evolve the structure of the outreach team and to develop cutting edge practices in support of the University's goals.

Management of Recruitment Outreach

• Manage the overall planning, implementation and execution of the off-campus recruitment plan.
• Develop recruitment planning tools for the team, based upon market and University historical data and budget resources, including student recruitment plan, implementation timeline, training, and ongoing management to ensure that student recruitment supports successful outcomes to support University and enrollment goals.
• Coordinate and analyze the outcome data for the travel plan to project applicant increases, yield improvements, and cost-effectiveness; and monitor current student recruitment trends to forecast staffing travel demands to ensure peak work periods and regions are covered.
• Coordinate Slate process updates to support successful student recruitment planning and execution
• Work in collaboration with the communications team to develop and coordinate outreach communication to support student recruitment travel efforts.
• Responsible for in-cycle tracking of Admission team status in student recruitment travel.
• Oversee counselor outreach strategy and implementation of programs and strategically segmented communication plans, including at least one annual Counselor Fly-in, and initiatives to engage counselors as partners in recruitment and enrollment processes.
• Oversee the management of alumni engagement through an alumni volunteer program in support of the University and Office of Admission's enrollment goals.

Prospect Management Responsibilities and General Recruitment Activities

• Establish short- and long-range prospect management goals and action plans for individually assigned geographic regions.
• Develop expertise for individually designated geographic territory using various data to determine the recruitment goals and strategies for the region.
• Plan and implement admission activities related to the recruitment and yield of prospective students from an individually designated geographic territory, including planning all travel logistical arrangements and coordinating high school visits in that region, and planning regional receptions, counselor workshops and/or off-campus interviews.
• Determine the recruitment and yield activities that are most effective for each market sector and develop a plan with justifications for selected activities; manage the travel budget for expenditures associated with off-campus recruitment and yield activities.
• Lead an Admission Committee in the holistic review of the academic and personal qualifications of candidates for both acceptance and merit scholarships. Contribute to the final shaping of the class to meet institutional goals.
• Serve as a representative of the University to a wide and diverse audience at college fairs, high schools, information sessions, and regional receptions. Create and deliver informational and compelling messages that address the educational needs of various groups. Develop and innovate new presentation concepts and ideas as appropriate for evolving audiences.
• Build relationships with prospective students and families and serve as the primary point of contact for designated geographic territory. Counsel and engage with students to determine the students' educational interests and needs and align those interests and needs with the attributes and strengths of the University.
• Responsible for other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

• A thorough understanding of and appreciation for the selective, private college admission process.
• Ability to clearly and compellingly articulate the strengths of a liberal arts education and residential university experience, particularly to those who are not familiar with this model.
• Demonstrated commitment to supporting access to highly selective university admission for historically underserved student populations.
• Experience in supporting inclusion and a sense of belonging within a diverse community of students, faculty and staff.
• Highly self-motivated, productive, adaptable, creative and independent critical thinker.
• Strong problem-solving capabilities, innovative, collaborative combined with positive attitude and strong work ethic.
• Demonstrated success working collaboratively with various internal and external constituencies.
• Persuasive oral communication skills, including excellent public speaking skills; strong written and interpersonal communication skills is required.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks concurrently coupled with excellent organizational skills with highest standards for accuracy.
• Familiarity with software platforms
• Must have a valid Driver's License and be able to produce a driving record with a minimum of 3 years of driving history in good standing
• Must have a valid passport and the ability to travel internationally.
• Must be willing to travel up to four weeks each semester

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred
• A minimum of seven years of professional experience in college admission and enrollment management, including responsibilities for domestic and international recruitment, travel strategy and management, and selective admission application review.
• Fluency in second language preferred

WORK SCHEDULE:

• Full-time, in-person, exempt
• Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Evening and weekend hours required.

PAY STRUCTURE:

Pay Grade 7 ($58,011 to $76,877 annually)