Executive Director, Admissions - Western Washington University

Another Source’s client, Western Washington University, is recruiting an Executive Director of Admissions to join their team in Bellingham, WA.

About the Department

Western Washington University’s Office of Admissions plays a vital role in advancing the university’s enrollment goals and student success. The department leads the recruitment, admission, and enrollment of undergraduate students, including first-year, transfer, international, and returning populations. The Admissions team includes approximately 30 professional staff, supported by a large student staff, and collaborates across campus to develop data-informed recruitment strategies and deliver an exceptional prospective student experience. Managing approximately 15,000 applications annually, Admissions currently targets enrollment of 3,200 first-year and 1,200 transfer students. The Executive Director will join Western at a pivotal time, building on recent enrollment growth while advancing initiatives in first-year recruitment, transfer pathways, and yield.

About the Role

Reporting to the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, the Executive Director of Admissions leads approximately 30 permanent staff and a large student team while developing and executing Western Washington University’s admissions and recruitment strategies. As a key member of Enrollment Management, the Executive Director partners across campus and the community to advance data-informed recruitment and enrollment strategies aligned with the university’s vision and strategic plan. This collaborative, student-centered leader will oversee efforts to attract, recruit, and enroll a diverse and talented undergraduate student body across WWU locations while fostering strong relationships and driving operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Leadership of Recruitment and Admissions (40%)
  • Practice sound modeling, assessment, and strategic planning to support the university's vision, mission, and strategic goals
  • In collaboration with university partners, build recruitment plans, develop timelines, and execute admissions and recruitment plans
  • Stay current with national and regional trends in university admissions and in high schools
  • Serve as a key contributor to enrollment management planning for the university
  • Develop strategies and plans to recruit new students in a changing enrollment landscape, with attention to changes in high school graduation volumes, community college enrollment levels, and shifts in student demographics and geography, among other factors
  • Research industry practices and implement procedures consistent with best practices
  • Review applications for admission, often providing decisions on the most complex files
  • Oversee the design of processes to ensure the clear, efficient tracking of application review from beginning to end
  • Serve as the final authority on appeals of admission and scholarship decisions
  • Work with Enrollment Management and others to establish the scholarship model for recruitment
  • Identify and implement effective awarding strategies for Admissions scholarships and tuition waivers in collaboration with the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Admissions and Financial Aid colleagues
  • Collaborate with Enrollment Management colleagues in aligning the work of the Admissions Office in supporting campus enrollment goals, including increasing access and diversity
  • Research, assess, and prioritize the university’s positioning on College Search platforms
  • Guide and provide expertise in the development of communications strategies for admissions and as part of enrollment management efforts (print, media, and web content), ensuring that they are clear, accessible, inclusive, and represent the university well
• Represent the Team and the University (20%)
  • Serve as spokesperson for admissions at recruitment events (on campus and off) as well as at other events
  • Represent the office professionally and effectively among university and external constituents
  • Serve on campus and external committees, boards, and/or task forces
  • Establish and maintain strong collegial relationships with students, families, faculty, administrators, and community members
  • Actively participate in professional meetings, conferences, and workshops
  • Meet and communicate regularly with colleagues in similar positions/roles at other institutions
  • Consult with deans, directors, staff, and faculty throughout campus on matters relating to admissions and recruitment
  • Serve as the campus point of contact for admissions-related matters; serve as a resource for all academic departments
  • Routinely make admissions presentations and participate in events related to admissions
  • Perform other duties as assigned by the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
• Management of Staff (15%)
  • Model, support, and hold others accountable to the university’s values of integrity, dedication, excellence, creativity, and teamwork
  • Provide overall direction and supervision of staff with very different job responsibilities and skillsets, while demonstrating effective leadership in training, motivating, and counseling
  • Work with a variety of stakeholders to assess change readiness and provide direct support and coaching through transitions
  • Set a strong example and standards for excellent customer service
  • Ensure the training of new employees and provide leadership and management best practices to develop a strong sense of teamwork, equity, and investment among the admissions team
  • Set clear performance expectations and hold employees accountable
  • Exercise supervisory authority, including hiring, coaching, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked for at least 3 direct reports within the department
  • Communicate regularly with leadership team and all staff about issues impacting operations
• Reporting and Data Analysis (15%)
  • Approve all reporting on admissions to external organizations and/or national surveys prior to submission
  • Compile and distribute year-end reports on trends and patterns in recruitment as well as outcomes
  • Lead annual assessment and strategic planning efforts for the office
  • Develop strategies to track key performance indicators through the admissions cycle
  • Anticipate problems where data/trends provide indications of issues and develop mitigation plans
  • Routinely report on progress to goals and on admissions activities to the Vice Provost and others
  • Prepare reports for leadership, Board of Trustees, high schools, community partners, and others
  • Analyze data for long-range and short-range planning
  • Understand and utilize systems effectively to optimize the work of the team
  • Analyze data to determine effectiveness of outreach and marketing efforts and make informed adjustments
  • Formulate and apply research in developing admissions policies and procedures that promote recruitment, retention, and student success
• Compliance, Policy, and Budget (10%)
  • Monitor statutory, regulatory, and policy changes affecting recruitment and admissions in higher education
  • Develop plans for implementation of changes to regulations and policies
  • Advise leadership on implications of legislative policy proposals
  • Take steps to improve process efficiencies through the implementation of new technology and process enhancements
  • Ensure the highest ethical standards of the profession are upheld by the team
  • Have fiscal responsibility for the office operating budget including salaries and expenditures, providing long-term planning and budget projections to ensure operational stability

Requirements

• Required Qualifications
  • Master’s degree
  • Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience in college recruitment and admissions
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience supervising professional staff in higher education admissions
• Preferred Qualifications
  • Demonstrated knowledge of the admission process, including recruitment/yield, application review, application processing, and applicant communication strategies
  • Knowledge of higher education recruitment landscape
  • Fluency in best practices for college recruitment
  • Demonstrated leadership supporting diversity and multiculturalism and sensitivity to academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of applicants
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Understanding of innovative technology and media in recruitment and admissions processes, including knowledge and effective integration of CRM, student information systems such as BANNER, Parchment, etc.
  • Demonstrated budget management experience
  • Demonstrated understanding of the role of scholarships and other financial aid in achieving enrollment goals
  • Demonstrated ability to establish collegial relationships with students, family members, faculty, administrators, staff, and the community
  • Experience analyzing and interpreting data to support decision-making for building recruitment strategies
  • Strong record of successful team-building and management of staff

Pay

Hiring range is $137,968 – 158,664 per year depending on qualifications and experience. Through longevity, the position will top out at $179,359 per year.