Director of Admissions / Enrollment Management

The Director of Admissions/Enrollment Management is a member of the senior administrative leadership team. The Director is responsible for admissions management, research, and marketing and will direct the admissions process from inquiry through enrollment and registration. This includes overseeing the admissions team; working cooperatively with senior leadership and the Board of Trustees; and developing marketing and strategic plans to position RCDS in the competitive Fairchester independent school market. The Director plays a vital role in the RCDS community, providing leadership and setting the school’s recruitment and enrollment management strategies and goals and takes initiative to conduct research, do community outreach, and stay abreast of best practices within the enrollment management and admission field.

The Director will be a dynamic, highly skilled, and visionary leader who is able to develop a strategic plan for Admissions and lead a collaborative effort to implement both short-term and long-term recruitment strategies to ensure RCDS meets enrollment objectives. The ideal candidate will be a data-driven decision-maker; an experienced admission and financial aid professional; and a creative leader in admission, recruitment, and retention. The Director will lead inclusive outreach efforts to draw diverse families to the school and ensure that RCDS continues to enroll promising students who both thrive as part of the school community and in turn contribute to the community as a whole.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Represent RCDS and serve as the face of the school to the school and broader community and with prospective families while communicating the mission; engage and inform prospective parents and students about RCDS and the benefits of an RCDS education on an individual, small, and large group basis
• Create, lead, and manage a comprehensive enrollment program that incorporates best practices in recruitment, admissions, institutional research, marketing,record management, registration, and financial aid
• Successfully enroll and retain students that reflect RCDS’s mission and commitment to academic excellence, diversity, and inclusion
• Oversee and manage all aspects of admissions events
• Oversee admissions committees in all three divisions
• Attend Admissions related outreach programs during the school year
• Assist the Office of Financial Aid’s with the application process for prospective families, including production of application materials and tracking required forms; support the financial aid process and participate in policy decisions, messaging/communications, award review meetings, and efforts with community partners
• Manage and collaborate with the Director of Marketing and Communications to develop brand identity and messaging for RCDS through school publications, webpages, admissions materials, and other media vehicles; lead and develop a communications plan with prospective families to move them from inquiry to enrollment; monitor and assess data to evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment efforts including social media, marketing, and other emerging technologies that enhance yield with potential students and their families
• Inform school leadership about current research, demographics, and admission and enrollment trends, ensuring that changes and challenges are anticipated, understood, and addressed; collaborate on high level institutional demographic research projects, including market research surveys to students and families offered enrollment to gauge their experience of our admissions process and their high school decision process

• Maintain statistical and trend data related to enrollment, assessing student demographic data to ensure alignment with the School’s mission

• Inspire the community to actively participate in admissions events including individual and group tours, student shadow visits, curricular information sessions, student observations/testing/interview, family-to-family connections, and individual family conversations
• Establish and maintain positive relationships with area educational constituencies including area schools, preschools, consultants, admissions directors, and organizations and create networking opportunities; cultivate relationships with non-profit organizations working with underserved youth
• Coordinate systematic and efficient processing of applications and communications with parents of applicants so that the process supports and honors the student and their family.
• Manage parent and student expectations and deliver admissions decisions in a manner that is honest, caring, and diplomatic
• Manage admissions staff including providing clear communication regarding responsibilities, practices, and feedback; lead and engage direct reports by establishing performance expectations; analyze key performance indicators; coach and mentor the admissions team; provide feedback, and resolve concerns in a timely and fair manner
• Manage the admissions budget
• Ensure campus compliance with any and all laws (International, Federal State and/or Local) surrounding enrollment management

This position is a full-time, 12-month, staff position beginning the summer of 2021.