Associate Director, Recruitment

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range:

Position Summary

The Associate Director will work closely with the Executive Director, Recruitment and leads in the strategic planning, development and execution of student recruitment for programs at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies. The team's goal is to yield the most highly qualified students and provide exemplary support throughout the enrollment process to the students for the School's diverse portfolio of Master's and Non-Degree programs, including Pre-Graduate and Graduate Certificate Programs, Structured and Unstructured Certifications of Professional Achievement, take-a-class options for bachelor's degree holders and visiting students enrolled at other institutions, High School Programs, and the American Language Program. 

Responsibilities

Collaboration with the Program team and other relevant stakeholders to develop an annual recruitment plan

• Research, identify, assess, and develop new recruitment opportunities with domestic and international sending institutions, including universities, government scholarships, and non-profit organizations to promote the recruitment of best-fit students and geographic diversity
• Manage partnership contracts and Memoranda of Understanding in compliance with the appropriate legal and university-based standards
• Maintain a detailed understanding of the admissions process and the School's programs to ensure partnerships are aligned with the Admissions policy and support the funnel and yield of the students for each unique program
• Lead efforts for tracking analytics and impact metrics in order to promote data-driven decision-making. Maintain records and produce regular reports to track outcomes specific to recruitment initiatives

Planning and execution for School-wide and Program-specific events

• Work with internal stakeholders to support all School and Program-specific events planning, set up, and follow-up on Slate
• Ensure website and other promotional content is up-to-date and targets the needs of prospective students and institutional audiences
• Host information sessions for partner and sending institutions and support operational processes for incoming partner students
• Leverage alumni engagement for recruitment initiatives
• Attend online and in-person fairs and recruitment events internationally and domestically
• Tracking for all expenses to ensure alignment with budget targets
• Calculate ROI from targeted outreach events and look for cost efficiencies
• Maintain and track collateral and swag needed to support recruitment activities
• Maintain calendar of team recruitment activities and track year over year recruitment activity and results

Prospect outreach and communication plan 

• Build out communication plan for prospects, in-progress applicants, and admitted students to yield the most qualified students 
• Facilitate in-person visits through coordination of meetings, campus visits, and tour
• Build operational processes that promote a Program and Prospect-centered experience
• Implement surveys to better understand non-start reasons for admitted populations, and build initiatives to better capture these populations in future cycles

Supervision and management of admissions counselors

• Supervise high-performing admissions counselors to work cohesively as a team to support prospects through the recruiting cycle
• Identify professional development opportunities and provide ongoing training to admissions counselors
• Lead the entire cycle of the recruiting process while evaluating the team's workload to guarantee optimal recruitment activity

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree desirable
• 4 years related experience
• A resume and cover letter with salary requirements must be submitted to be considered for the position

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree In Related Field
• Experience managing a team
• Previous admissions, recruitment, talent selection, or career management responsibilities
• Familiarity with SPS program offering

Other Requirements

• Prior experience in higher education recruitment or admissions
• Knowledge of graduate education enrollment trends
• Excellent project management skills; demonstrated ability to prioritize and multitask in a fast-paced environment
• Exceptional attention to detail, strong organization, and time management skills, and the ability to perform routine and non-routine work with changing priorities and aggressive deadlines
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills (verbal and written), and experience presenting in small group and large group settings, and to a variety of audiences, including individuals in positions of influence
• Intellectual curiosity, sound problem-solving and decision-making abilities, and strength in creative and innovative thinking. 
• CRM proficiency preferred
• High energy and passion for recruiting
• Ability to work flexible hours and travel as needed during peak seasons
• Ability to handle confidential information in a mature, professional manner 
• Ability to work independently as well as in teams in a highly matrixed environment, receiving direction from and providing support to multiple sources
• Sound problem-solving and decision-making abilities, both as an independent entity, and as part of a team
• Proficient in MS Office/systems (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.