Admissions Counselor - Temporary 1 Year Position

WWU College of Business & Economics; Bellingham (WA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

Western Washington University seeks an Admissions Counselor at the Bellingham campus to lead outreach and recruitment for a defined territory, contributing to a data-driven undergraduate plan. You will engage with students, families, and counselors, and participate in program planning, scholarship decisions and follow-up.

This project-employment role requires extensive travel (14–16 weeks/year), strong presentation skills, and collaboration with the Recruitment and Outreach team to identify and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree by start date.
• Excellent interpersonal and professional communication.
• Strong written and verbal communication, including presentations.
• Commitment to accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Strong planning, organizing skills, attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Communicate the values and benefits of higher education to a wide and diverse audience.
• Extensive public speaking engagements at recruitment events and on campus programs.
• Analyze application and enrollment trends and develop recruitment strategies with the Recruitment and Outreach team.
• Evaluate qualifications of prospective students for admissions decisions.
• Travel by car, plane, and ferry for extended periods; irregular hours 14–16 weeks per year.
• Support multicultural outreach and transfer student recruitment.
• Collaborate with the Recruitment and Outreach team to achieve goals.
• Maintain a positive attitude to foster an inclusive Admissions culture.
• Work with deadlines and manage multiple priorities as part of a team.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Presentation abilities

Diversity inclusion

Time management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Position Title: Admissions Counselor - Temporary 1 Year Position

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

About the Department

The Department of Admissions supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

About the Position

Admissions Counselors manage outreach and recruitment efforts for a specified geographic territory while contributing to the development and implementation of a comprehensive and data-driven undergraduate recruitment plan. Counselors participate in all aspects of outreach and recruitment, in a fast-paced work environment. This includes applying a proactive and detailed approach to learning about Western, building relationships with students, families and counselors, and engaging in relevant follow‑up, program planning, application and scholarship decision‑making and related duties as assigned to identify, attract, and enroll future Western students. This position is stationed at the Bellingham campus.

Position Responsibilities

• Communicating the values of Western Washington University and the benefits of higher education to a wide and diverse range of prospective students, parents, high school counselors, and community groups with tact, diplomacy, and discretion
• Extensive public speaking engagements at recruitment events such as high school and community college visits, college fairs, and on campus programs
• Analyzing application and enrollment trends and developing appropriate territory recruitment strategies; assessing effectiveness and adjusting strategies as necessary in collaboration with the Recruitment and Outreach team
• Evaluating the qualifications of prospective students making admissions decisions which are in the best interest of the student and the University
• Maintaining a positive attitude that will promote a healthy and respectful culture as a member of the Admissions team
• Traveling by car, plane, and ferry for extended periods and working during irregular hours extensively, including late nights, early mornings, evenings and weekends for fourteen to sixteen (14-16) weeks per year on a continuous and ongoing basis
• Providing support for talented, nonresident, and transfer student recruitment; multicultural outreach; early outreach; and/or selected recruitment by academic interest
• This position requires routinely lifting 50 pounds

This is a project-employment position ending no later than August 2027 (1 year position).

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (earned by position’s start date)
• Excellent interpersonal skills that include professional communication, relationship building, and the ability to clearly and concisely present information
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including excellent presentation abilities
• Demonstrated record of or commitment to supporting an organizational culture that emphasizes accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion
• Display strong planning and organizing skills, attention to detail, and ability to produce desired results independently
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities as part of a team

Preferred Qualifications

• Bilingual ability (e.g. Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, etc.)
• Experience navigating available resources or participating activities related to higher education and/or the prospective undergraduate student market
• Experience as a student leader, Student Admission Representative, Tour Guide, Resident Advisor, Peer Advisor, Orientation Leader, or similar student service roles.

Conditions of Employment

All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to [e-mail] if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations. Salary Hiring range is $49,523 - $56,951/year depending on qualifications and experience. Through longevity position tops out at $64,380/year.

Benefits Information

Benefits Overview For Administrative Professional Position.

Closing Date Notes

Application review begins July 14, 2026; position is open until filled.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); [e-mail].

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

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