Administrative Position - Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid

For more details on The Potomac School and the position, please click here.

Description:

The Potomac School is seeking our next Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid to lead our student admission and financial aid team, beginning on July 1, 2024. This is a full-time, 12-month senior administrator role that reports directly to the Head of School. The Director of Enrollment Management leads a nine-member admissions office that operates within a sophisticated and highly competitive educational marketplace. Potomac is seeking an experienced and engaging admissions professional who will provide both strategic enrollment management leadership and a welcoming experience for the hundreds of families who hope to join the Potomac community each year.

The incoming Director of Enrollment Management will benefit from the support of an experienced staff, a positive enrollment forecast, and a great sense of momentum. The individual in this position must be a savvy enrollment professional who will embrace a comprehensive approach to enrollment management while serving as a warm, welcoming face for the school.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership for the entire admission, enrollment, and financial aid program.
• Oversee all aspects of the admission process and student retention, including communications, testing, visits, tours, admission committees, and special events.
• Develop and manage mission-appropriate financial aid.
• Hire, train, supervise, evaluate, and provide strategic direction for admission and financial aid staff.
• Lead by example, expressing warmth, hospitality and ensuring the mission of Potomac is visible in the enrollment process.
• Maintain statistical reports on all aspects of enrollment trends, market demand, and demographic analysis, and report on such matters to school constituencies as appropriate.
• Utilize predictive analytics to provide enrollment forecasting and enrollment management planning. Provide market insight to drive strategic decisions and monitor local, state-wide, and national trends.
• Cultivate and maintain effective relationships within the community at large; i.e. targeted feeder schools, community organizations, etc.
• Meet with potential families to articulate the school’s mission, culture, programs, and value-added proposition, and apprise their willingness and commitment to partner effectively with the school.
• Evaluate continually all aspects of the admission and financial aid programs, and redesign aspects where appropriate, with the goal of maintaining capacity enrollment of qualified students.
• Partner with the CFO to develop the admission and financial aid budgets, as well as tuition and financial aid policies, designed to maximize new student enrollment and current student retention.
• Stay current on trends in independent school admission, financial aid, and retention, including economic and demographic shifts that could impact admission and enrollment.
• Take an active role in professional activities, and attend relevant professional meetings and conferences.
• Develop long-term enrollment and retention strategies and implement them to ensure each class is filled with and retains qualified students who will successfully meet the criteria outlined in “Profile of a Graduate” upon the completion of their studies.
• Manage multiple events including open houses, accepted family events, information sessions/guest visits, entrance exams, and assist with student orientations and new student gatherings.
• Coordinate the staffing of employees, students, parents and volunteers to meet the needs of various admission activities.
• Participate as an active member on the board’s subcommittee for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required, with a minimum of five years of experience with effective admission and recruitment models in a school environment required. 
• Proven leadership success including the ability to motivate and lead positively through change, collaborate with others to reach common goals.
• Demonstration of a positive track record with admissions, recruiting, conversion and retention.
• Represent the school in the larger community in a positive manner that reflects the values of the school.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain effective, professional relationships with students, faculty, administrators, parents, alumni, and guests.
• High degree of cultural competency and demonstrated success in working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Self-motivated with the ability to handle multiple, simultaneous, and complex projects.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to manage difficult decisions with confidentiality and sensitivity.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Keen analytical skills with statistics and budgets and a detail-oriented work style
• Strong technology skills and strong working knowledge of an Admissions, SIS (Student Information System), or a Tuition Assistance database. Experience with Ravenna and Veracross preferred.

In striving to fulfill its mission, The Potomac School seeks many different voices, viewpoints, and backgrounds. We recognize that differences are a source of strength, and we know that everyone is enriched when each person's contributions and perspectives are valued.