Lead - Admissions Counsellor

Stamford International School; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 600,000 - 850,000; Full time

Job summary

Stamford International School in Hyderabad invites a dynamic Lead - Admissions Counsellor to oversee the admissions counselling function, guiding prospective families through the IB journey with clarity and personalized support.

You will lead the campus admissions team, develop strategies, monitor KPIs, and collaborate with Academic, Finance, Operations, Transport, IT, Marketing to ensure a seamless enrolment process for every applicant.

Qualifications

• Experience in admissions, enrolment, counselling, or related customer-facing roles.
• IB or Cambridge school experience preferred.
• Experience leading teams and achieving targets.
• Strong understanding of the admissions funnel from lead to enrolment.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills.
• Proficient in CRM and data-driven decision making.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the campus admissions team and enrolment targets.
• Develop campus-specific admissions strategies to reach targets.
• Coach counsellors and monitor KPIs.
• Build relationships with prospective students, parents, consultants, feeders.
• Guide families through the admissions journey and provide program information.
• Review applications for completeness and adherence to admissions requirements.
• Plan tours, open houses, information sessions, and events.
• Maintain accurate applicant records in the CRM.
• Analyze admissions data to identify opportunities and trends.
• Collaborate with Academic, Finance, Operations, IT, Marketing for seamless enrolment.
• Represent the school at external events and forums.
• Address parent concerns and ensure timely resolutions.

Skills

People management

Communication

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Tools

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Reporting dashboards

Job description

Job Summary

The Lead - Admissions Counsellor will lead and manage the admissions counselling function, serving as a key point of contact for prospective families and guiding them through the admissions journey. The role involves understanding needs, effectively communicating the school s vision and the value of its IB programmes, and ensuring a seamless, personalized and engaging admissions experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the campus admissions team, taking ownership of campus admission targets, conversion goals, and overall enrolment performance.
• Develop and execute campus-specific admissions strategies to achieve enrolment targets and strengthen the admissions pipeline.
• Monitor team performance, coach counsellors, identify gaps, and drive accountability against individual and campus KPIs.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with prospective students, parents, educational consultants, feeder schools, and other key stakeholders.
• Guide prospective families through the complete admissions journey, providing accurate information on programs, curriculum, deadlines, eligibility, requirements, and school processes.
• Review applications and supporting documents to ensure completeness, accuracy, and adherence to school admissions requirements.
• Plan and coordinate campus tours, open houses, information sessions, parent interactions, orientation programmes, and other admissions events.
• Ensure consistent, high-quality parent experience across all admissions touch points, from enquiry through enrolment.
• Maintain accurate and timely applicant records, ensuring complete data capture and follow-up through the admissions CRM.
• Analyze admissions data, conversion trends, lead sources, competitor activity, and campus performance to identify opportunities and recommend corrective actions.
• Work closely with Academic, Finance, Operations, Transport, IT, Marketing, and other teams to ensure a seamless admissions and enrolment process.
• Conduct competitor and market analysis to identify emerging trends, parent expectations, positioning opportunities, and potential sources of enrollment.
• Participate in the development and implementation of admissions policies, SOPs, processes, and service standards.
• Proactively address parent concerns, objections, and escalations, ensuring timely resolution and a positive admissions experience.
• Represent the school professionally at external events, parent forums, education fairs, community engagements, and other outreach opportunities.

Requirements

• Proven experience in admissions, enrolment, counselling, sales, business development, or a related customer-facing function, preferably within a school or education environment.
• Prior experience in an IB or Cambridge school is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in leading teams and achieving enrolment/admissions targets.
• Strong understanding of the complete school admissions funnel, from lead generation and enquiry management to application, offer, conversion, and enrolment.
• Strong people-management, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret admissions data and translate insights into actionable strategies.
• High attention to detail and strong process orientation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a customer-centric approach.
• Ability to build trust and long-term relationships with parents, students, consultants, and internal stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to work independently, take ownership, and operate effectively in a fast-paced, target-driven environment.
• Proficiency in CRM/admissions management systems, Microsoft Office/Google Workspace, and reporting dashboards.
• Adaptable, resilient, and comfortable working in a dynamic school environment with changing priorities.
• Strong commitment to confidentiality, professionalism, service excellence, and the schools values.
• Familiarity with admissions software and data management tools is a plus.
• Willingness to travel for recruitment events and work occasional evenings and weekends.