Assistant Director, Graduate Admission, Viterbi Admissions and Student Engagement, USC Viterbi School of Engineering

The USC Viterbi School of Engineering seeks an Assistant Director, Graduate Admission in the department of Viterbi Admissions and Student Engagement (VASE). The team works closely with prospective students throughout the admission process by recruiting, processing and reviewing applications and related material.  The Assistant Director(s) will assist by managing and reviewing applications and coordinating communication with applicants during the application process. Using the Salesforce CRM system, the Assistant Director will assist with data collection and reporting, and work with other USC offices to manage internal and external information flows.  They will also be assigned specific recruitment responsibilities which will require occasional travel.  

The ideal candidate will be detail oriented, comfortable in making subjective decisions, have excellent IT skills, be organized and skilled in project management, and a good communicator (written and oral). 

The individual will:

• Work closely with the Senior Director, Director and Associate Director(s) for graduate admission, managing specific demographic of large applicant pools. 

• Issue admission decisions for MS graduate programs in accordance with admission guidelines.

• Coordinate review of MS applications with faculty and/or advisors.  Enter decisions on behalf of department.

• Manage assigned recruitment responsibilities 

• Perform detailed evaluation of applications from domestic and international institutions.

• Assist with a variety of special graduate programs such as the Progressive Degree Program, GEM Fellows, International Academy, special programs with partner institutions, Fulbright Scholars, and others.   

• Counsel applicants one-on-one on admission policies and procedures.  Evaluates and offers solutions to applicant problems and requests regarding admission.

• Communicate in person, by telephone and in writing with domestic and international students about the status of admission applications.

• Use the Salesforce CRM system to assist with data collection and reporting.

• Assist in maintaining graduate admission website pages and communication templates.

• Stay current on a wide range of university policies, school-wide policies, and global educational trends affecting graduate students, admission and special programs.

Job duties may be added or modified as needed.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the mission of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Viterbi staff are expected to facilitate a culture of support and service, to model civility and respectful engagement at all times, and to maintain the highest ethical standards and to maintain strict confidentiality across all facets of their work.

Additional Information:

This is a hybrid position. The Assistant Director. Graduate Admission will be expected to work onsite for three-day per week. This position is not eligible for fully remote work.

The hourly rate range for this position is $27.00 to $30.58,  When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope of responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience/education.   

• 1-2 years of related work experience.  Experience with MS Office software.   

• Excellent communication skills. 

• Experience of using CRM and Enrollment Management systems such as Salesforce   

• Excellent communication skills.  

• Team-oriented attitude and the ability to work independently.   

• Ability to set priorities to complete assignments in a timely manner in the face of changing priorities.   

• Knowledge of USC programs and services. 

• Knowledge of international education systems. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree and/or Combined experience/education as a substitute for minimum education

• Minimum Experience: 0 - 6 months

• Minimum Field of Expertise: Counseling skills and/or academic advisement experience

• Skills: Other: Analysis, Assessment/evaluation, Communication -- written and oral skills. Conflict resolution

• Counseling, Interpretation of policies/analyses/trends/etc., Interviewing, Knowledge of applicable laws/policies/principles/etc., Problem identification and resolution and Public speaking/presentations

Required Applicant Documents:

A resume/CV and a cover letter are required. Please feel free to upload your application materials in a single document.

USC and the Viterbi School:

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family,” which is comprised of the faculty, students, and staff that make the university what it is.

Founded in 1905, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering is named for Andrew Viterbi who developed an algorithm to connect the world’s citizens. Similarly, the school, located in Los Angeles, a global center for arts, technology and international business in the heart of the Pacific Rim, is a hub for entrepreneurship that connects students from 64 countries.

USC Viterbi is a pioneer in restoring sight to the blind; restoring memory to sufferers of Alzheimer’s; and socially assistive robots to aid seniors with stroke or children with autism. It is the home of the first operational quantum computing center in academia. Our alumni include Neil Armstrong, first human on the moon; A.C. Mike Markkula, co-founder of Apple; and Wanda Austin, former CEO of the Aerospace Corporation.

The USC Viterbi School is consistently ranked among the top graduate programs (U.S. News and World Report). Under the leadership of Dean Yannis C. Yortsos, the school helped re-imagine the 21st century engineer, pioneering the Grand Challenge Scholars Program in schools across the globe. Our mission is to serve California, the nation and the world. At USC Viterbi, we call this the enabling power of Engineering.