Interim Head of Admissions

Practicus; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 111,000 - 166,000; Part time

Job summary

Practicus is seeking an experienced Interim Head of Admissions for a higher education organisation in West Yorkshire. The role is hybrid, ideally 2–3 days on campus, and will lead an admissions team of about 18 people during a major digital transformation and a SITS‑based system implementation.

You will provide visible leadership, challenge established ways, and deliver practical improvements while coordinating with IT and wider stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading higher education admissions, particularly domestic undergraduate admissions.
• Strong understanding of the end-to-end admissions lifecycle and applicant journey.
• Experience managing and leading admissions teams, ideally within a complex university environment.
• Proven experience delivering change and transformation within an admissions function.
• Hands-on experience working with admissions systems and technology implementations.
• Strong understanding of system testing, process mapping, requirements and operational implementation.
• Experience working with SITS or similar student/admissions systems would be highly advantageous.
• International admissions experience would be beneficial.
• The confidence to challenge established practices and introduce better ways of working.
• Strong prioritisation and decision‑making skills.
• The ability to build relationships and bring people with you while still holding teams accountable.

Responsibilities

• Provide visible, confident leadership to an admissions team of approximately 18 people.
• Maintain effective day‑to‑day domestic admissions operations while driving improvements across the function.
• Lead and support the implementation of a new SITS‑based admissions system, ensuring the transition is effectively managed and embedded.
• Work closely with IT and wider project stakeholders on system testing, process mapping, applicant journeys, offer‑making and operational readiness.
• Identify opportunities to simplify and improve admissions processes, removing unnecessary complexity and historic ways of working.
• Review and implement improvements to admissions policies, processes and operating structures.
• Support the development and implementation of a new offer‑making policy.
• Bring greater clarity around priorities, accountability, performance and ways of working.
• Engage and influence stakeholders across admissions, IT and the wider organisation.
• Support international and partnership admissions activity, alongside the core domestic admissions remit.
• Lead the team through a period of significant change, maintaining engagement while setting clear expectations.
• Ensure the admissions function operates effectively throughout the system implementation and beyond.
• Following implementation, potentially transition into a broader project/change leadership remit as further transformation activity develops.

Skills

Admissions leadership

Change management

System implementation

SITS experience

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Tools

SITS

Job description

Location:

West Yorkshire / Hybrid – ideally 2–3 days per week on campus

Contract:

3–6 months, with potential to extend

Start:

As soon as possible – late October / early November 2026

The Opportunity

A higher education organisation is seeking an experienced Interim Head of Admissions to take on a high-impact leadership assignment during a significant period of operational and digital transformation.

This is an opportunity for an experienced admissions leader who is comfortable stepping into a complex environment, providing visible leadership, challenging established ways of working and delivering meaningful change.

You will lead an admissions function of approximately 18 people while playing a key role in the implementation of a major new admissions system. The organisation is looking for someone who can combine strong operational admissions expertise with genuine change leadership and hands‑on systems experience.

This is not a role for someone looking simply to maintain the status quo. You will be expected to understand what is working, identify what isn't, challenge constructively and put practical improvements in place.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide visible, confident leadership to an admissions team of approximately 18 people.
• Maintain effective day‑to‑day domestic admissions operations while driving improvements across the function.
• Lead and support the implementation of a new SITS‑based admissions system, ensuring the transition is effectively managed and embedded.
• Work closely with IT and wider project stakeholders on system testing, process mapping, applicant journeys, offer‑making and operational readiness.
• Identify opportunities to simplify and improve admissions processes, removing unnecessary complexity and historic ways of working.
• Review and implement improvements to admissions policies, processes and operating structures.
• Support the development and implementation of a new offer‑making policy.
• Bring greater clarity around priorities, accountability, performance and ways of working.
• Engage and influence stakeholders across admissions, IT and the wider organisation.
• Support international and partnership admissions activity, alongside the core domestic admissions remit.
• Lead the team through a period of significant change, maintaining engagement while setting clear expectations.
• Ensure the admissions function operates effectively throughout the system implementation and beyond.
• Following implementation, potentially transition into a broader project/change leadership remit as further transformation activity develops.

About You

We are looking for a robust, credible and empathetic admissions leader who is comfortable operating in challenging environments.

You will ideally bring:

• Significant experience leading higher education admissions, particularly domestic undergraduate admissions.
• Strong understanding of the end‑to‑end admissions lifecycle and applicant journey.
• Experience managing and leading admissions teams, ideally within a complex university environment.
• Proven experience delivering change and transformation within an admissions function.
• Hands‑on experience working with admissions systems and technology implementations.
• Strong understanding of system testing, process mapping, requirements and operational implementation.
• Experience working with SITS or similar student/admissions systems would be highly advantageous.
• International admissions experience would be beneficial.
• The confidence to challenge established practices and introduce better ways of working.
• Strong prioritisation and decision‑making skills.
• The ability to build relationships and bring people with you while still holding teams accountable.
• A practical, hands‑on approach rather than relying solely on strategy or delegation.
• The resilience and confidence to operate effectively in a complex and potentially challenging stakeholder environment.

What You'll Bring

We are particularly interested in candidates who describe themselves as change leaders, transformation-focused admissions professionals or operational problem‑solvers.

If you have previously stepped into a challenging admissions environment, stabilised operations, led a team through significant change and successfully delivered a systems implementation, this could be an excellent opportunity to make an immediate impact.

This is an urgent interim requirement, with interviews expected to take place shortly and a target start date of late October / early November.

If you are an experienced Higher Education Admissions leader available for an interim assignment and are interested in a role where you can make a tangible difference, we'd be keen to hear from you.