Description
POSITION OBJECTIVE
The Associate Dean of Recruitment & Enrollment serves as the senior leader responsible for driving enrollment growth, net tuition revenue, and market competitiveness across Weatherhead graduate programs. This role sets the enrollment strategy, leads execution with measurable accountability, and ensures a high-performing recruitment organization grounded in data, forecasting accuracy, and customer experience. The Associate Dean partners across academic and administrative units to position programs clearly in the market, strengthen yield, and build pipelines that expand access and sustain mission through margin.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Strategic Enrollment Leadership: Develop and execute a multi-year enrollment and revenue strategy across graduate programs, with clear targets for headcount, yield, net tuition revenue, and market share. Establish annual KPIs and forecasting models to ensure early visibility into enrollment trajectory; adjust tactics proactively based on performance trends. Position programs competitively through segmentation, value proposition clarity, ROI messaging, and compelling differentiation in the marketplace. Foster a culture of experimentation and creative problem-solving to develop unconventional approaches that respond to shifting market realities and outperform standard higher education playbooks. (30%)
Recruitment Strategy & Market Growth: Lead a sales-minded recruitment approach focused on conversion, speed-to-admit, and closing behavior at yield stages. Build domestic pipelines with selective growth in international markets, evaluating ROI of channels, partnerships, and event investments. Expand corporate, alumni, and ecosystem partnerships as scalable prospect sources and yield multipliers. Identify and test new recruitment channels and emerging market pathways, ensuring the school reaches audiences not captured through traditional methods. (20%)
Data, Analytics, and Forecasting Ownership: Own full-funnel reporting from inquiry through matriculation, with year-over-year conversion improvement expectations. Leverage CRM and automation tools to optimize engagement, targeting, lead scoring, and communication sequencing. Benchmark against peer institutions for pricing, scholarship strategy, rankings, student outcomes, and market dynamics; apply insights to strategy shifts. (15%)
Admissions Execution & Experience Management: Build and oversee a frictionless, high-touch prospect experience that improves application quality and yield. Design a recruitment calendar and decision flow that accelerates processing speed, improves turnaround, and strengthens yield at key moments. Provide clarity on admissions parameters, evaluation rubrics, and decision frameworks that balance academic quality with revenue goals. Streamline enrollment processes to improve the candidate experience while reducing administrative burden and operational costs. (15%)
Team Leadership & Organizational Development: Lead a high-performing, data-fluent recruitment organization with accountability to outcomes, not activity. Develop staff capacity in sales, forecasting, value messaging, and performance management , shifting the team from admissions processors to strategic enrollment managers. Model a culture of continuous improvement, disciplined execution, and curiosity about the competitive landscape. (15%)
NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Brand Alignment & Collaboration with School Leadership: Partner with marketing, program directors, and student services to ensure messaging is aligned, funnel handoffs are seamless, and student success reinforces enrollment priorities. Serve as a core member of the dean,s leadership team, contributing insight on budget planning, program development, pricing, discount policy, and growth strategy. (5%)
Perform other duties as assigned. (5%)
CONTACTS
Department: Continuous contact with the deans, office, all Weatherhead faculty and staff.
University: Regular contact with senior university management and individual school liaisons.
External: Continuous contact with leaders of targeted companies and organizations, key alumni leaders, and visiting committee members.
Students: Continuous contact with potential and incoming graduate students.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Will have direct supervisory responsibilities for the existing 4 Directors of Admission, Senior Recruiters, and 1 Department Assistant, as well as additional staff as the team grows into its strategic ideal state.
QUALIFICAITONS
Experience: A minimum of 10 years of progressive managerial experience in business development, enrollment management, or sales, preferably within a graduate business school or professional education environment. Demonstrated experience working with various groups of students from admissions through graduation.
Education: Master's degree in business or related areas required.
REQUIRED SKILLS
Entrepreneurial builder - asks "why not" instead of "why" and pursues bold, market-aware growth.
Strong player-coach who develops people, builds accountability, and leads with positivity and clarity.
Proven ability to deliver results in a fast-paced, service-driven environment with measurable KPIs.
Skilled at enrollment analytics, forecasting, CRM optimization, and data-based decision-making.
Demonstrated success in setting and achieving quantitative enrollment and revenue targets.
Able to articulate value and ROI to high-achieving, differing perspectives of students and partners.
Strong network builder who establishes productive relationships across internal and external audiences.
Financially disciplined leader with budget management experience and comfort balancing access and margin.
Effective in matrixed environments , collaborates fluidly across academic, administrative, and external units.
Presence-forward leadership approach with consistent engagement across teams, students, and stakeholders.
Demonstrated history of successful support, education, and advocacy for all students, aligned with the values, mission, and messaging of the university, while adhering to the staff policy on conflict of commitment and interest.
Ability to meet consistent attendance.
Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face-to-face.
Willingness to learn and utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI).
WORKING CONDITIONS
Ability to travel is essential, primarily nationally (~30%). Evening and weekend hours are a part of this position's responsibilities on an as needed basis.
Requirements
QUALIFICAITONS
Experience: A minimum of 10 years of progressive managerial experience in business development, enrollment management, or sales, preferably within a graduate business school or professional education environment. Demonstrated experience working with various groups of students from admissions through graduation.
Education: Master's degree in business or related areas required.
