Director of Graduate and Nontraditional Enrollment

Job Description

Date: April 16, 2025
Position Available: Director of Graduate and Nontraditional Enrollment
Position Reports to: Vice President for Enrollment Management
Department: Enrollment Services
FLSA Status: Exempt
Schedule: Full-time; Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; some travel, evenings and weekends required.

Please apply online: https://franciscan.edu/director-of-graduate-and-nontraditional-enrollment/

POSITION SUMMARY
The Director of Graduate and Nontraditional Enrollment will, in collaboration with the Vice President for Enrollment Management, develop an academic program growth strategy for the University's online and graduate programs, as well as establish and execute continued quality improvement and expansion of existing enrollment and marketing efforts for the portfolio of programs.

The Director will direct and manage the University's efforts to shape, execute, and continuously improve a transparent, collaborative, and progressive recruitment and enrollment management and marketing strategy for online and graduate programs that promotes and advances the University's mission and strategic objective to eliminate geographic barriers to an academically excellent and passionately Catholic education.

The Director will work closely with the directors of the programs as well as support services for financial aid, student accounts, registrar's office, and academic support, to establish and effectively employ programs and practices for increasing enrollments and ensuring excellent service to our existing students.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. In collaboration with the Vice President for Enrollment, lead the University's strategic planning and implementation efforts to provide the general outreach, direct marketing and targeted recruitment needed to meet and exceed annual recruitment goals for online and graduate programs. Develop the related policies, procedures, structures, and practices required for the timely and effective implementation of related outreach, marketing and recruitment objectives and programs.
2. Develop, execute, monitor, and continually improve a high-touch, high-impact, multi-channel outreach, marketing and advertising plan and budget to drive awareness, interest, and a funnel of qualified online and graduate prospects. Collaborate with School Deans and program directors to develop and execute an effective plan for each online and graduate program. Ensure prospective students are effectively recruited and guided through the admissions process up to the point of enrollment; and are re-recruited for subsequent semesters.
3. Collaborate with the School Deans, the Dean of Online Programs, and other academic leaders to increase the domestic and global footprint of online and graduate enrollment by growing current programs and identifying new ones for development. Ensure highly coordinated and effective enrollment efforts with them. Help conceive and drive strategic enrollment initiatives which expand the reach, impact, and enrollment of Franciscan University's online programming.
4. Establish and leverage forecasts, predictive models, and revenue projections, as well as corresponding analyses and reporting, that helps optimize online and graduate outreach, marketing and recruitment results. Effectively use data to inform decision making, test new approaches and support the achievement of relevant targets and objectives. Maximize the use of the latest technology, data, and internal resources to support related priorities.
5. Research and continually assess the University's market position and the alignment of its programs and outreach efforts with its mission and market/constituent needs and interests. Stay current with trends and developments in online and graduate learning. Develop a forward-thinking plan for online enrollment and revenue growth maximizing the use of the latest technology, data, and internal resources.
6. Effectively collaborate with Franciscan Life Online and support their efforts to create a formative Franciscan online experience so that online students can grow not only intellectually but spiritually in fellowship and prayer.
7. Work closely with Financial Aid, Finance, and Registrar's offices to ensure financial aid optimization to drive net revenue per student, and funding practices and initiatives that are in alignment with strategic enrollment initiatives, and, in compliance with all federal and state regulations related to aid funding.
8. Provide leadership and direction to the graduate and nontraditional admissions team by providing motivation, feedback, development opportunities, and setting and implementing annual goals and metrics for recruitment. Ensure effective recruitment and retention of staff. Represent graduate and nontraditional enrollment goals and aspirations to the President's Executive Team and the Board of Trustees. Be the voice and face for online and graduate enrollment and operations both internally and externally.

This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list. Additional duties, expectations and responsibilities may be added or changed as needed to meet the University's needs.

REQUIREMENTS
Must understand, support, and embrace the mission of Franciscan University of Steubenville and possess the following:

Work Experience
• Minimum of five (5) years' experience in higher education leadership in undergraduate, graduate, and/or nontraditional recruitment, marketing, and/or operations.
• Minimum of five (5) years' experience with progressive job responsibilities. Strong preference for candidates who have successfully led teams to achieve enrollment and revenue goals.
• Experience with best practices for direct marketing using mutli-channel and multi-modal approaches (direct mail, email, phone calls, texting, etc.) in online and graduate recruitment.

Education/Credentials
• Master's degree required; Bachelor's degree with significant relevant experience will be considered.

Competencies
• Mission-Based Leadership: Understands, embraces, and advances the University's Catholic and Franciscan Mission. Takes specific steps to visibly witness and champion the University's values/charisms; inspires and challenges others to express and support these values through their daily lives and work. Develops and implements activities and programs that establish and maintain a sense of unity and shared purpose, and ensure the University's mission, vision, and values are highly visible and integrated into all student recruitment and enrollment activities.
• Strategic Leadership: Examines relevant trends and projections, and seeks the insights of multiple stakeholders, to anticipate change and address future implications for the institution. Develops an inspiring and realistic, longer-term vision of where Enrollment Operations needs to be and why, as well as a strategy for getting there.
• General Management & Planning: Ensures the development, implementation, and continual evaluation of an organizational structure (internal entities and external service providers), culture, practices, processes, policies, procedures, and management systems that facilitate effective planning and goal achievement. Takes specific steps to continually improve the enrollment function's structure and processes to ensure they are functioning effectively (e.g., rigor of oversight and quality of decisions) and efficiently (e.g., costs, ease of process and timeliness of decisions or outcomes).
• Business Acumen & Drive for Results: Demonstrates understanding and application of key financial indicators and the fiscal management principles needed for sound business decisions. Evaluates and improves on the investment in and return on resources and key expenditures ensuring effective use and stewardship of University resources. Ensures the pursuit and achievement of results by setting and communicating clear short-term priorities and expectations for the function. Tenaciously pursues priorities with passion and energy, holding self and others to the highest standards of achievement and accountability. Establishes and uses effective reporting and feedback processes to monitor progress, anticipate problems, remove obstacles, and make course corrections as needed.
• Interpersonal Communications Skills: Effectively uses both formal and informal means of communications and influence to generate understanding, alignment and buy-in. Finds common ground and gains cooperation with minimal disruption and fall-out. Comfortably engages with and relates well to all people above, below, at a peer level, inside and outside of the organization.
• Customer Focus & Service: Is dedicated to and tenacious about meeting the expectations and requirements of prospective students, parents, and families. Solicits and uses prospective, former, and current student information, feedback and insights to improve the recruitment and enrollment experience. Thinks and acts with the student's interests, challenges, and needs in mind; displays a strong service orientation, and sense of urgency and responsiveness to their needs, inquiries, and requests.
• Change Management & Engagement: Fosters an environment of creativity and openness to the Holy Spirit. Demonstrates the courage and fortitude needed to balance patience and deliberation with persistence and urgency. Authentically engages others - recognizing that authentic transformation comes from buy-in and partnership rather than compliance. Drives renewal, innovation and continual improvement of processes and practices. Models and encourages challenging the status quo to find more effective and efficient approaches. Facilitates creative thinking, brainstorming, and piloting of new ideas and approaches - using both success and failures as learning opportunities.
• Leading & Developing Self & Others: Demonstrates a commitment to ongoing individual conversion and growth. Uses feedback and self-awareness to continually grow and sharpen one's own leadership skills. Creates and seizes opportunities to motivate and support the performance and growth of others including training, teaching, coaching, and mentoring them. Equips and empowers others to act.

Candidates must submit an online application, a resume, list of references, and a cover letter that demonstrates their fit for the position based on their experience, accomplishments, and skills as well as their desire to advance the mission of Franciscan University.

Please apply online: https://franciscan.edu/director-of-graduate-and-nontraditional-enrollment/

For other information and job postings, visit our website at https://www.franciscan.edu

Franciscan University of Steubenville is committed to principles of equal opportunity and is an equal opportunity employer.

About the Employer

Franciscan University is a Catholic and Franciscan liberal arts and professional studies institution located in Steubenville, Ohio.