Senior Assistant Director Admission, Off-Campus Programs - 501093

The Senior Assistant Director for Off-Campus Programs coordinates the efforts of the Alumni Recruitment Committee (ARC) and manages high school counselor programs, evaluates the effectiveness of ARC and high school counselor activities, oversees the budgets for the Alumni Recruitment Committee and counselor programs, and anticipates and resolves staffing issues related to alumni volunteers. As an integral contributor to the Office of Admission, the University of Richmond’s Senior Assistant Director for Off-Campus Programs is also responsible for the recruitment, selection and enrollment of an academically superior and diverse class each year. The Senior Assistant Director manages a geographical region of prospective students and families, plans, implements and evaluates major admission activities and programs, and represents the University to a wide and diverse audience to influence college choice decisions. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Major Project Responsibilities: 
(Major project area which extends throughout the admission cycle)

Plan, implement, and evaluate all alumni volunteer activities through ARC, including volunteer management, recruitment and training of new ARC members and regional chairs, ARC coverage for college fairs and high school programs and alumni interviews to meet or exceed strategic prospect management goals.

Develop and manage all aspects of ARC promotion, logistical arrangements, training and protocol documents, and technology to support the tracking of program quality and participation. 

Manage the ARC budget index; prepare and monitor budget, reconcile expenditures, and research and develop program enhancement requests related to project responsibilities.

Manage the entire ARC development plan. Responsibilities include: market research and development, creating a master plan to appropriately cover all regions of the United States as well as select international locations, training alumni volunteers, researching budgetary needs and allocating funds, cost-effectiveness, and monitoring national applicant trends to forecast volunteer staffing needs to ensure primary markets are covered adequately.

Develop, implement, and evaluate long-and short-term team goals and action plans, including diversity initiatives. Compose annual reports and updates. Formulate policies and procedures as they relate to alumni volunteers.

Major Project Responsibilities:
(Major project area which extends throughout the admission cycle)

Implement new admission initiatives related to counselor programs. Develop and manage all aspects of counselor program marketing, logistical arrangements, training and protocol documents, and technology to support the tracking of program quality and participation. 

Manage the Counselor Programs budget index; prepare and monitor budget, reconcile expenditures, and research and develop program enhancement requests related to project responsibilities.

Develop, implement, and evaluate long- and short-term team goals and action plans, including diversity initiatives. Compose annual reports and updates. Formulate policies and procedures as they relate to counselor program initiatives.

Prospect Management Responsibilities:
((Within an assigned region, the Senior Assistant Director performs these duties with autonomy and independence and models best practices for Admission Counselors and Assistant Directors.)

Research assigned regional geo-market using national and institutional data to determine the recruitment goals for the region. Perform statistical analysis to project application growth or decline and yield in market as it relates to student mobility, academic quality and diversity.

Establish short- and long-range prospect management goals and action plans for the region. Develop and implement strategies and tactics to identify and expand the potential numbers and types of top prospects in the region.

Determine those recruitment activities that are most effective for each market sector and develop a recruiting plan with justifications for recruitment activities selected; manage the regional travel budget for expenditures associated with recruitment activities.

Plan and implement admission activities related to recruit and yield prospective students, including planning all travel logistical arrangements and coordinating school visits, regional receptions, alumni interview training, counselor workshops, and off-campus interviews. Evaluate and assess the effectiveness of admission activities for geographic region.

Qualify 100 to 150 prospects in the region who are most desirable to the University and who are also interested in Richmond. Cultivate and maintain a “directive counseling” relationship with these top prospects with the goal of influencing college choice and the final decision to enroll. 

Interview and counsel students individually and in small groups to determine the students’ educational interests and needs and align those interests and needs with the features and strengths of the University. 

Design and implement a customized three-year communication plan for top prospects in the region to complement office-wide communication. Create a sequence of distinctive messages and locate current story bank articles that address students’ interests and educational needs, compose letters and broadcast emails to encourage students and parents to seriously consider Richmond; code and program these communications to run through a constituent relationship management system (CRM) in conjunction with office-wide communication.

Determine when to refer top prospects to academic or administrative offices for specialized information; track the follow-up of referrals through the CRM system.

Create and program queries, reports and documents in the CRM system to facilitate recruitment activities and assess the effectiveness of recruitment activities. Annually review, revise and develop year-end reports for regional prospect management, recruitment activities, and project responsibilities.

General Recruitment and Admission Responsibilities:
Significantly contribute to admission planning sessions by infusing perspectives, experiences and opinions that will direct strategic decisions. As a result of planning sessions, direct the creation, implementation, and evaluation of new recruitment and admission initiatives that support off-campus programs.

Cultivate and sustain a “directive counseling” relationship with secondary school college counselors, independent counselors, and other professional organizations with the goal of encouraging top prospects to consider Richmond as a first choice. Sustain long-term productive contact with constituencies via email, correspondence and the telephone.

Review in a holistic manner the academic and personal qualifications of candidates and prepare the application for presentation to the Admission Committee or Richmond Scholars Committee. Serve as a member of the Admission Committee that determines decisions of accept, merit scholarship consideration, wait list, and deny; decisions are made independently or in cooperation with other colleagues in Admission Committee. Utilize a relational database to monitor admission data and decisions and to track and communicate applicant information to prospective students and families.

Serve as External Affairs Officer representing the University to a wide and diverse audience at college fairs, high schools, information sessions, and regional receptions. Create informational and persuasive presentations of up to 45 minutes in length that address the educational needs of various groups (2-3 families to audiences of 500). Initiate and develop new presentation concepts and ideas as appropriate for evolving audiences.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge, skills & ability

A thorough understanding of and appreciation for the selective, private college admission process, the strengths of an undergraduate liberal arts experience, and the value of inclusive diversity.

Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate a team of professionals, including experience in supervision of a multi-talented team.

Highly self-motivated and independent critical thinker and worker.

Advanced problem-solving capabilities, creativity, and strong work ethic.

Familiarity with software platforms.

Demonstrated ability to effectively lead, supervise, train and develop staff. 

Demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks concurrently coupled with excellent organizational and delegation skills.

Highest standards for accuracy.

A thorough understanding of FERPA and the procedures for compliance; the ability to handle highly confidential information.

Persuasive oral communication skills, including excellent public speaking skills; strong written and interpersonal communication skills.

Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with various internal and external constituencies.

Extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office products. 

Ability to reconcile budgets.

Possess a valid driver’s license.

Education and Experience: 

A bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred.

• At least 5 years of professional experience working in college admission, including responsibilities for travel management and application review. Or, 5 years of professional experience in a work environment performing comparable responsibilities and assignments.

•  Experience with and understanding of integrated relational database systems is preferred. 

SALARY STRUCTURE:
Pay Grade 6
To see more detailed salary information please review the University of Richmond's Compensation Structure.

WORKING HOURS:
Monday-Friday, 8:30am - 5pm; must be flexible to work evenings and weekends based on need.

REQUIRED:
If you are selected for an interview you will be required to bring a current copy of your DMV record. It must cover 3 years and meet the standards of the University's insurance carrier.

To apply visit http://jobs.richmond.edu

Located minutes from downtown Richmond, Virginia, the University of Richmond (www.richmond.edu) blends the intimacy of a small college with exceptional academic, research, and cultural opportunities usually found only at large institutions. Richmond offers a unique combination of undergraduate and graduate programs. Our School of Arts & Sciences anchors Richmond as a nationally ranked liberal arts university. A ranked business school, the nation’s first school of leadership studies, a highly respected law school, a nationally recognized international education program and the community-focused School of Professional and Continuing Studies build on that strong foundation and make this university something unique.

UR is committed to developing a diverse faculty, staff and student body, and to modeling an inclusive campus community which values the expression of differences in ways that promote excellence in teaching, learning, personal development and institutional success. In keeping with this commitment, our academic community welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds and candidates who support diversity. EOE