Director, Boarding Admissions, Upper School

Upper Canada College; Toronto; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Upper Canada College is seeking a Director for Upper School and Boarding Admission to lead all recruitment processes for students in Years 8 to 12. This role emphasizes building relationships, ensuring a positive applicant experience, and supporting the college's commitment to equity and diversity. The position offers opportunities for professional development and comprehensive benefits.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans

Pension plan and generous vacation time

Paid volunteer time off

Professional development opportunities

Support for personal and family well-being

Qualifications

• Five years’ experience in admission or a related function.
• Knowledge of independent school admission processes.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and anti-bias education.

Responsibilities

• Leads all aspects of the Upper School day and boarding recruitment and admission process.
• Builds and maintains relationships with schools and organizations.
• Collaborates with various departments to support onboarding and transition.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Relationship-Building

Event Planning

Customer Service

Education

Undergraduate degree in a relevant field

Tools

Admission databases

Google Suite

Job description

The primary role of the Admission Office is to recruit, assess, enroll, and retain mission-appropriate students and families who will thrive as part of the UCC community. Reporting to the Vice-Principal, Enrolment Management, the Director, Upper School and Boarding Admission is responsible for leading all aspects of the Upper School (Years 8 to 12) day and boarding recruitment and admission process, ensuring a positive applicant experience and sound decision-making. This role serves as an important ambassador for UCC locally, nationally, and globally.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

Recruitment, Event Management, Outreach and Marketing

• Builds and maintains relationships with sending schools, partnership programs, associations, and international agents.
• Organizes and attends recruitment events (in person and online) in the Greater Toronto Area, across Canada, and internationally.
• Investigates and identifies potential athletic and other program partnerships for domestic boarding recruitment.
• Supports the planning and delivery of on-campus events.
• Builds partnerships with local, national, and international organizations to attract qualified and diverse applicants, cultivating these relationships with care.
• Assists in the development and maintenance of admission materials (print and digital) in collaboration with the Marketing and Communications department.
• Gathers and uses data to understand the applicant pool and to target existing and emerging boarding markets.
• Actively collaborates with the Wernham West Centre for Learning, International Baccalaureate Coordinators, the Director of Boarding, the Director of Upper School Athletics, the Head and Assistant Heads of the Upper School and the Tanenbaum Director of Partnerships and Social Impact.
• Develops innovative approaches to recruit mission-aligned applicants in collaboration with the Vice-Principal, Enrolment Management.

Admission Process

• Collaborates with the Vice-Principal, Enrolment Management and the Lead, Preparatory Admissions to align departmental practices with the latest admission evidence and best practices.
• Designs and leads the full admission process (recruitment, cultivation, assessment, decision, feedback, and transition) for Upper School day and boarding applicants (Years 8 to 12).
• Selects and administers testing, designs group activities, conducts interviews, and evaluates reports in collaboration with the Admission Team.
• Selects and administers testing, conducts candidate interviews, and evaluates reports in collaboration with the Admission Team.
• Participates in the setup and maintenance of the admission database to support clean, usable data and ensure an optimal user experience.
• Collaborates with the Vice-Principal, Enrolment Management to set enrollment targets based on applicant data.
• Contributes to enrollment, marketing, and financial assistance planning as requested.
• Participates on the Financial Assistance Committee and supports strategy development.

New Student and Family Onboarding

• Collaborates with various departments and staff to support onboarding and transition of new students and families.
• Serves as a main point of contact for new Upper School day and boarding families.
• Develops and implements initiatives to aid in onboarding and student success.

Program Development and Operations

• Helps design and implement strategy for the Lang National Scholarship, attracting outstanding Canadian student-athletes of character and achievement.
• Recruits academically and athletically high-potential boarding candidates from across Canada.
• Collaborates in cross-departmental programming to support high-performing students, particularly adolescent athletes.

Customer Service

• Provides exceptional customer service to applicants and families, ensuring that they feel welcome and supported in their interactions with UCC.
• Ensures a fair, equitable, and inclusive process, aligned with UCC’s commitment to pluralism.
• Manages post-offer transitions with empathy and relationship-building focus.
• Enhances student retention efforts through data analysis and action planning in collaboration with admission colleagues.

Teamwork and Leadership

• Leads and supports the Assistant Director, Upper School and Boarding Admission and other faculty involved in the process.
• Acts as a mentor on an IB continuum project (PYP Exhibition, MYP Personal Project, or DP Extended Essay).
• Takes on additional duties as assigned by the Vice-Principal, Enrolment Management.

What We Offer

• Unparalleled opportunities for professional development including workshops, networking sessions, a leadership program, and visiting experts and scholars;
• Flexibility to substitute statutory holidays in recognition of diverse religious and cultural practices;
• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans, including health care and lifestyle spending accounts;
• Pension plan, generous vacation time, self-funded sabbaticals, parental leave top-up;
• Significant support for personal and family wellbeing and mental health, including the Employee and Family Assistance Program;
• Paid volunteer time off for involvement in the communities that matter to you;
• Social events for colleagues and their families;
• Collaborative and supportive team members and colleagues;
• Free on-campus parking.

About UCC

Upper Canada College (UCC) is focused on making the world a more just and inclusive place through dialogue and teamwork. With a commitment to equity and fairness, students learn that what makes us different as individuals makes us stronger as a community. A rigorous academic program is supported by accomplished faculty, exceptional co-curricular programming, and state-of-the-art facilities.

The UCC experience is underpinned by five core values: learning, pluralism, service, community, and well-being. Among its strategic goals is UCC’s ambition to become more diverse and inclusive. This is supported by a recognition that no learning community is whole without the inclusion and amplification of multiple voices; UCC is committed to fostering belonging, striving for justice and peace among all people, and addressing systemic and structural forms of oppression.

UCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity, encouraging applications from all qualified individuals including women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ and historically marginalized persons. UCC embraces pluralism – celebrating differences, cherishing similarities, and giving voice to multiple perspectives.

Please apply on ADP by July 25th, 2025. We thank all candidates in advance; however, we will contact only those selected for an interview. ?

To learn more about UCC, please visit ucc.on.ca and https://careers.ucc.on.ca/

Job Requirements

Experience, Knowledge and Competencies:

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant field;
• Five years’ experience in admission or a related function;
• Knowledge of independent school admission processes and policies;
• Experience with boarding programs, teaching, and admission;
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and anti-bias education;
• Experience in event planning, community engagement, and partnership development;
• Strong understanding of cultural diversity and identities;
• Proficiency with admission databases (e.g., Blackbaud OnBoard);
• Knowledge in adolescent development and secondary education;
• Knowledge in International Baccalaureate (IB) is an asset;
• Knowledge of high-performance athletic programs is an asset;
• Proficiency with Google Suite is an asset;
• EMA Certificate in Enrolment Management or AISAP (CAEP) certification is an asset.
• Marketing and communications experience is an asset;
• Leadership experience is an asset;
• Maintains integrity and confidentiality at the highest standard;
• Delivers exceptional customer service with diplomacy and composure, especially in external-facing situations;
• Demonstrates strong communication, relationship-building, and interpersonal skills;
• Builds trust and authentic relationships quickly with individuals and partner organizations;
• Collaborates across departments and leads or contributes to cross-functional initiatives;
• Strong communication, relationship-building, and team collaboration skills;
• Models professional behavior and demonstrates self-leadership, a growth mindset, and adaptability;
• Leads with vision, drives change effectively, and builds cohesive, purpose-driven teams;
• Committed to talent development and community engagement.