Senior Admissions Manager

Description

Sr. Manager of Admissions, WPS

REPORTS TO:Head of School, Dotted line to Regional Director of Admissions for ISP

STATUS:          Exempt/Salaried

DIRECT REPORTS:    Yes (Admissions Lead)

SALARY:                                   $70,000.00 - $80,000.00 commensurate with education and

             experience)

Purpose of Role

The Sr. Manager of Admissions is responsible for the planning, development, organization and ongoing operation of the admissions functions at Willows Preparatory School (WPS).

Reporting directly to the Head of School with a dotted line to the Regional Director of Admissions & Retention. The Sr. Manager is the “public face of the school” for prospective and incoming families and serves as the school’s brand ambassador. The Director’s primary mission is to drive the admissions strategies that will ensure WPS reach its development ambitions.

The ideal candidate will be a data-driven decision maker, an experienced K-12 and/or admissions professional, and a creative leader in recruitment, retention, and communications. The Sr. Manager should be a team player who has a warm collaborative nature, positive energy, sense of humor, possess superior organization and prioritization skills and is self-motivated in the completion of his/her work. She/he will have exceptional communication and interpersonal skills including outstanding writing and public speaking skills and the ability to interact comfortably with a variety of people.

This person will have a genuine empathy for prospective families and an awareness of the needs and sensitivities of parents, students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

ISP Principles

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Well-being and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Admissions

• Serve as the main point of contact between the school and prospective families to ensure a strong relationship is built and maintained.
• Track and report all admissions and enrollment data daily and weekly in our CRM, HubSpot, and our Application Portal, Ravenna, with a high level of attention to detail.
• Engage prospective families to move them from Lead to Application stage:
  • Provide information, answer questions, and discuss academic interest with applicants
  • Timely, personalized outreach and follow-ups to all inquiries at every stage

• Administer school enrollment from lead to enrollment by monitoring and reviewing applications, holding student interviews, and communicating admissions decisions within a timely manner
•  Assist families in completion of the admissions process
• Review and evaluate applications to ensure academic requirement and prerequisites have been met
• Alongside the Head of School and Director of Curriculum, make admissions decisions for all applicants
• Provide advice and guidance for prospective families that may not meet the current years admissions requirements
•  Evaluate the admissions pipeline and focus on improving conversion within each stage, understanding, and enhancing areas of improvement and communicating them to Head of School and Regional Head of Admissions
•  Compile information required to maintain manual and electronic documents of students

• Along with the Head of School, recommend tuition increases and bundles to ISP.
• Connect WPS with community events and outreach opportunities.
• Connect with schools in area to create pathways to WPS
• Along with the Head of School, approve financial aid and scholarships.
• Approve admission discounts and enrollment fee/tuition liability waivers.
  • Host School Tours/Open House/Admissions Events and ensure school environment and surroundings meet the standards of ISP
  • Engage with current and prospective families throughout the school year to determine detractors

Communications

• Create content and campaigns that evoke emotion and create a stronger connection to WPS with the objective of attracting new and nurturing existing students and families
• Provide content to Regional Marketing Team for the school website, emails, social media channels, publications, videos, and other mediums, to showcase the school’s narrative, community impact, core values and promises, and inspiring success stories
• Manage and elevate the WPS brand by cultivating relationships with key stakeholders—including teachers, administrators, students, and parents—and building internal processes that allow for the identification of effective storytelling opportunities
• Repurpose and vet existing assets to ensure content is digital-first in nature and aligned with current messaging, priority areas and WPS values
•  Identify and define new ways to attract different audiences, while evaluating and improving on digital content and campaigns
• Regularly and consistently use digital analytics to inform and enhance content planning and development

Other Responsibilities

• Manages the admissions and enrollment process ensuring that all key parental touch points deliver our messages consistently, clearly and at a high standard at all times.
• Works collaboratively with the SLT and regional team to develop and implement a growth strategy and tactical business development plan that ensures attraction, recruitment, and retention of students
• Links all departments across the school, ensuring that academic, administration and communications teams work seamlessly, communicating the same message as lead by the SLT
• Has shared responsibility with SLT to ensure seamless Parent/Student Journeys through setting relevant policy, procedures, quality standards, customer service standards, and ensuring their delivery to all prospective students, applicants, and their influencers
• Works closely with the school and regional Admissions and teams to ensure optimal efficiency and results in the student enrollment cycle and that the customer service experience is exceptional at all points within the process.
• Owns all admissions-related data management and reporting responsibilities, ensuring clean, accurate and complete information at all times.
• Oversees event organization and implementation, delegating coordination duties as appropriate and ensuring high-quality execution

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Ability to anticipate potential needs and to the school and provide creative, imaginative solutions
• Proven track record in innovation and taking the initiative in making things happen
• Strong relationship management skills across all levels within the school and regional team
• Experience using database/CRM tools (knowledge of HubSpot and/or Ravenna is a plus)
• Excellent phone etiquette, written, presentation and in-person communication skills
• Demonstrated experience in providing high quality virtual and face-to-face services to families/students/vendors
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Reliable, dependable, professional and can maintain confidentiality
• Proven ability to work independently and in a team
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Positive attitude and team player
• Knowledge of multiple graphic and admission tools

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or a combination of education and experience
• 5+ years’ experience in admissions and/or relevant environment
• Current CRM experience – preferably HubSpot
• Ability to serve as a Brand Ambassador
• Experience in a School or Private school sector

E-Verify Participation:

WPS & ISP U.S. participates in E-Verify and will provide the Federal Government with your form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. 

WPS & ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles

WPS and ISP are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history.

WPS & ISP Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

WPS & ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.