Head of Admissions and Parent Experience

International Schools Partnership; Dubai; On-site; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days holidays per year

Occasional evening and weekend work

Positive work environment

Job summary

The International Schools Partnership in Dubai seeks an Admissions Director to manage the admissions team and enhance the customer journey. The role involves implementing effective admissions strategies and advocating for the school.

The ideal candidate will have substantial senior leadership experience in education, exceptional interpersonal skills, and the ability to engage families and stakeholders effectively. The director will oversee marketing activities, develop policies, and ensure compliance with the Ministry of Education.

Qualifications

• Experience in leading admissions and customer service teams.
• Proven track record of maximizing enrolments and minimizing leavers.

Responsibilities

• Advise prospective parents on the school's value proposition.
• Implement the school's admissions process including lead generation.
• Support phase leaders in assessment of prospective pupils.
• Develop and coordinate policies related to pupil admissions.

Skills

Ability to sell our school to families

Warm and personable attitude

Professional dealings with children and families

IT literacy

High standard of written and verbal English

Education

Director or equivalent senior leadership experience in education

Job description

Job purpose to manage a team to ensure we maximise enrolments and minimise leavers while ensuring that all aspects of the customer journey from visiting the school to the documentation provided and received are of the highest quality.

Key Qualities and Skills

• Ability to sell our school to families who have expressed an interest
• Warm, personable, approachable, professional, calm and knowledgeable
• Professional dealings with children, staff and families
• Prioritisation of workload
• IT literacy and efficient administration
• High standard of written and verbal English

Key Duties and Responsibilities – Admissions

• Advise prospective parents & stakeholders on our value proposition (profile, program fee structure and all services provided) across communication channels.
• Implement the school’s admissions process including lead generation, family journey, customer service, negotiation, objection handling, call scripts and parent communications.
• Make calls to potential digital and non-digital leads to convert them into school tours and enrolments.
• Organise admissions meetings and open events while displaying excellent customer service.
• Support phase leaders in assessment of prospective pupils per the admissions policy and Ministry of Education regulations.
• Work with the registrar to meet school and Ministry of Education admissions criteria including collecting and reviewing all necessary documentation.
• Develop and coordinate policies and documentation related to pupil admissions (including admissions toolkits, templates, scholarship programmes) with stakeholders.
• Monitor and develop lead generation activities with ISP heads of marketing and admissions to meet admissions targets.
• Work with the principal and SLT to develop appropriate programmes and campaigns such as referral schemes, scholarships or working with feeder schools.
• Review and develop admissions documents, parent communication platforms, templates and marketing collaterals to ensure accurate information and best practice.
• Develop and nurture relationships with feeder schools, nurseries, universities, local businesses, government entities, education agents and other organisations to maximise pupil recruitment and retention.
• Support the principal in developing the school’s communication and engagement strategy based on strengths and development areas.
• Assist the principal with participation in relevant national and regional conferences, events and competitions to raise the profile of the school, pupils and faculty.
• Lead direct reports in the school to pursue excellence in operational efficiency and customer service delivery; review systems regularly and customise communication to maximise engagement.
• Advise on effective continued support and communication to new families after pupils enrol at the school – after‑sales care.
• Maintain positive relations and good work relationships between team members.
• Manage the reception team and attendance coordinator to consistently deliver an outstanding customer experience.
• Keep records of the team performance and follow up on performance reviews on time.
• Ensure families receive excellent service both online and when visiting the school.

School Marketing Activities

• Develop and nurture personal links with nurseries, feeder schools, education agents, estate and relocation agents, universities, alumni and developers to maximise pupil recruitment opportunities.
• Develop and nurture partnerships with local businesses and attend events to promote the school.
• Keep educational agents up to date with new developments at the school including improvements to facilities, addition of new courses, academic results, recruitment events and capacities; maintain links with pupils after they leave the school (alumni).
• Lead and attend school functions involving current parents and pupils as requested.
• Propose industry events and other opportunities to support pupil recruitment.
• Liaise with local and national newspapers, magazines and specialist publications for advertising opportunities including billboards and posters.
• Help the school develop its stories and promises.
• Ensure that learning and demonstrating pupil progress is at the heart of marketing initiatives.
• Manage and implement effective campaigns within the school to achieve lead generation targets.
• Work with the ISP Middle East head of marketing to create and support a clear marketing strategy and budget for the school.
• Lead on social media techniques and strategies to engage wider digital audiences.
• Oversee and plan open day, pupil recruitment and profile‑raising advertising within the schools.
• Foster a culture of successful marketing campaigns with tracking systems to measure campaigns.
• Assist in delivery of internal communication campaigns to support retention strategies.
• Ensure accurate reporting of data, effective data management and analysis to base marketing decisions and track impact.
• Ensure effective budget management of all marketing activities within the school budget.

Reporting

• Complete regular KPI and enrolment tracking information with the admissions team, providing reports to the principal and ISP as required.
• Manage and oversee surveys of all stakeholders assessing satisfaction and advising accordingly.
• Manage the team in producing termly reports on activity and expenditure to monitor effective use of budget.
• Produce reports on competitors, including fees, numbers and provisions, identifying opportunities for the principal and ISP heads.

Annual Financial Targets

• New enrolment and annual retention numbers
• Enquiry and enrolment conversion rates
• Number of activities and events

Hours of work: 8:15 am – 5 pm Monday to Thursday; 8:15 am – 1 pm on Fridays plus occasional evening and weekend work. Friday afternoons: the school is open to view families and admissions; senior staff work about one in four Friday afternoons on a rota basis.

Holidays: 30 days per calendar year.

Safeguarding Commitment

All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures, including an online due diligence search, references and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years of employment history.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Commitment

We are committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing and retaining high‑performing teammates regardless of gender, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio‑economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to our success are strongly encouraged to apply.

Required Experience

Director or equivalent senior leadership experience in education.