Senior Admission Counsellor

SPJIMR SP Jain Institute of Management & Research; Mumbai; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

SPJIMR SP Jain Institute of Management & Research in Mumbai seeks an experienced Admissions professional to build and nurture the candidate funnel across outbound calls, events and digital outreach. You will counsel applicants, explain programme options and manage their journey from enquiry to round 1 interview readiness.

The role requires a graduate degree with preference for MBA/Marketing, and 5+ years in admissions, student counselling or related business development.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree required; MBA/Marketing preferred as extra qualification.
• Experience in admissions, student counselling or business development is essential.
• Higher education experience is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Drive a strong candidate pipeline through outbound calling, campaigns, referrals and outreach events.
• Counsel and convert enquiries to applications with structured follow-ups.
• Own the conversion journey from lead to admission, ensuring timely follow-ups.

Skills

Communication

Counselling

CRM & lead mgmt

WhatsApp & lead-tracking

Digital outreach

MS Excel / Sheets

Lead tracking & funnel

Market research

Prospect understanding

Relationship management

Target achievement

Education

MBA/Marketing preferred

Graduate degree required

Tools

CRM software

Job description

• Drive a strong pipeline of prospective candidates through outbound calling, campaign follow-ups, referrals, digital/social outreach and targeted prospecting.
• Build and nurture relationships with schools, colleges, education consultants, channel partners and relevant student communities to expand the admissions funnel.
• Generate enquiries and walk-ins and represent GMP at education fairs, webinars, information sessions and outreach events.
• Proactively identify high-potential prospects and convert enquiries into qualified leads and applications.
• Maintain a robust, accurate and regularly updated CRM pipeline, ensuring timely tracking and follow-up at every stage.

B. Counselling & Application Conversion

• Provide one-on-one counselling through calls, video consultations and walk-ins, understanding candidates’ academic backgrounds, career aspirations, interests and international study goals.
• Clearly communicate GMP’s programme structure, eligibility, fees, credit recognition, international pathways and partner-university options, recommending the most relevant pathway for each candidate.
• Own the conversion journey from qualified lead to application, using structured follow-ups, need-based counselling and effective objection handling.
• Drive candidates towards application completion and Round 1 interview readiness, ensuring minimal drop-offs across the funnel.
• Pre-qualify candidates based on academic profile, work experience, English proficiency and entrance-test scores (GMAT/GRE/CAT/NMAT/XAT).
• Coordinate interview scheduling and ensure a seamless handover of qualified candidates to the next stage of the admissions process.
• Maintain consistent, accurate and compelling communication across all candidate touchpoints, delivering a premium SPJIMR candidate experience.

C. Performance & Admissions Ownership

• Achieve defined lead, paid application and conversion targets for GMP.
• Monitor funnel performance, identify drop-offs and proactively implement corrective actions to improve conversion.
• Analyse counselling and conversion data to identify candidate trends, objections and opportunities for improving the admissions journey.
• Work closely with Marketing and Admissions teams to align lead quality, campaign messaging and conversion strategies.
• Maintain high standards of candidate engagement, responsiveness, follow-up discipline and data accuracy.

Education & Qualifications

• Graduate degree in any discipline is required; MBA (Marketing) or relevant postgraduate qualification is preferred.

Previous Experience

• 5+ years of relevant experience in admissions, student counselling, business development or a closely related role, with a proven track record of driving application/enrolment conversions.
• Prior experience in a higher education institution, B-school, university or education ecosystem is essential.
• Demonstrated ability to manage the admissions funnel end-to-end, from lead qualification and counselling to application and enrolment.
• Strong experience in structured counselling, objection handling, follow-up and candidate engagement.
• Familiarity with the GRE/GMAT ecosystem is an added advantage.
• Experience counselling candidates for international postgraduate, MS/MBA or study-abroad programmes is preferred.
• Ability to work with targets, CRM dashboards and conversion metrics, with a strong focus on achieving admissions outcomes.

Key Skills

• Excellent communication skills in English, Hindi and regional languages
• Counselling and consultative selling
• Understanding prospect needs and guiding them towards the right decision
• CRM and lead management
• WhatsApp, broadcast and lead-tracking tools
• Digital, social media and messaging outreach
• MS Excel and Google Sheets for reporting and data analysis
• Lead tracking, funnel analysis and conversion monitoring
• Market research and competitor awareness
• Understanding prospect behaviour and customer needs
• Relationship management with prospects, parents, students and partners
• Achieving lead, application and enrolment targets