Head of Admissions

Location: Remote/USA | Type of Contract: Permanent, Full-Time

About Oxford International Education Group

Oxford International Education Group is a renowned institution dedicated to providing exceptional educational experiences to international students. With a global presence and a commitment to academic excellence, we strive to empower students to achieve their full potential and thrive in a dynamic, interconnected world. We are proud of our culture and have recently been officially certified as a Great Place to Work ©!

About the role

Responsible for leading the admissions area for U.S based partnerships to support and expand our international student enrolment initiatives. This will involve the execution of efficient and streamlined processes for all stages of the admissions process: assessing applications and documents, applying entry criteria from a variety of markets, working closely with counterparts and colleagues based in the United States and overseas, liaising with faculties and schools where required, and contacting applicants and third parties to progress applications to ensure the swift issuance of an offer letter and other related admissions documents in line with Service Level Agreements (SLAs), progressing students through to enrolment.

You will be the admissions expert on all matters related to our U.S portfolio, with a comprehensive knowledge of qualifications and admissions procedures and policy. You will consistently maintain a detailed understanding of our application pipelines and the number of applications on each status within your portfolio. As a final assessor on non-standard applications, you will make sound judgments on their acceptance and liaise with academics to gain approvals, ensuring applications are proactively processed from a pending status to a final decision. The post holder will report and present admissions updates and produce reports to colleagues that will support and drive our recruitment efforts.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for first contact resolution, ensuring queries that arise for your designated college are handled fully first time and well-documented – preventing the need for future contact on the same issue.
• Represent OIEG at regular operations meetings with your designated university partners and effectively follow up on any actions/items where applicable.
• Ensure Letters of Admission (LOA) & Unconditional Offer (UO) quality remains high for your designated university partners, identifying any issues with quality and ensuring they are corrected.
• Inform the Global Recruitment Team (GRT) & other stakeholders in the wider business ahead of upcoming deadlines at your designated universities to ensure they have an accurate track of their students impacted.
• Ensure pathway toolkits are accurate, continuously updated, and accessible to the wider business.
• Assist in ensuring compliance with University admissions entry policies and procedures are maintained and adhered to.
• Work to the professional standards, boundaries, guidelines, and general responsibilities articulated by OIEG or University policies and procedures.
• Engage effectively with admissions, international services, OIEG Campus Staff members, and other stakeholders at your designated portfolio to ensure admissions-related matters are managed effectively.
• Communicate with relevant OIEG Campus Staff members to secure a timely decision in respect of non-standard applications in line with agreed SLAs.
• Support in setting application deadlines in line with business expectations and needs, allowing OIEG to maximize its recruitment efforts.
• Train internal admissions staff when amendments to admissions processes are made, ensuring all applications are retrospectively assessed and re-evaluated accordingly.
• Maintain a solid understanding of blocks and issues arising within your portfolio at all times and lead on the resolution of any issues effectively.
• Visit your designated university partners in accordance with the schedule agreed by the Director of Global Admissions and US Higher Ed Leadership to build effective working relationships with stakeholders.
• Proactively look for improvements or efficiencies in systems and procedures to constantly drive an increase in productivity, thus improving customer service and recruitment performance for your designated university partner.
• Keep up to date with regional qualification changes, sector development changes, legislation changes (e.g., SEVIS, CMA, GDPR, FERPA), and other necessary regulations to ensure compliance at all times.
• Assist with any other duties within the scope and spirit of the job title.

Prospect and Implementation Support

• Conduct enrolment and admissions research and analysis on potential university partners that align with Oxford International's strategic goals and expansion plans in coordination with US Higher Ed Leadership.
• Coordinate with university stakeholders and OIEG team members to facilitate the smooth onboarding of new partnerships.
• Support OIEG Admissions and Marketing during recruitment initiatives.

Requirements

• Eligibility to live and work in the United States of America.
• Satisfactory Enhanced DBS Disclosure or equivalent.

Qualifications

• Educated to Degree level or equivalent.
• An advanced degree and/or second language (desirable).

Experience

• A minimum of 3 years of work experience within a US international admissions function within a higher education setting.
• Knowledge of US F-1 visa regulations.
• Experience working in a process-driven environment.
• Experience working in a customer-focused environment.
• Delivery of customer service excellence.
• Detailed knowledge of managing a complex customer journey.
• Experience in reporting against metrics and presenting to peers.
• Advanced proficiency with MS Office, CRM, and Admissions systems (e.g., SLATE) (desirable).
• Experience working with colleagues across multiple locations (desirable).

Skills

• Ability to work well under pressure in a fast-paced, target-driven, service-focused environment.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines efficiently.
• IT literate with good numeracy skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work within clear process guidelines but make sound decisions where there is no set process.
• Appreciation of other cultures; the global reach of OIEG and its international agenda.
• Appropriate international and cultural awareness skills and sensitivity.

Personal attributes

• A strong communicator, comfortable with stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to solve problems and make decisions.
• Results-oriented, ambitious, and highly self-motivated.
• Ability to provide and receive constructive criticism to and from peers.
• Able to empathize with colleagues, customers, and other stakeholders.

Other requirements

• A flexible approach to working hours and location, including a willingness to travel locally, nationally, or overseas as required.

Pay

$70,000 to $75,000 per annum depending on experience.