Assistant Director, Graduate Admissions

University of St Thomas; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 66,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of St. Thomas invites qualified candidates to apply for the Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions position within Enrollment Services.

This role leads a portfolio of graduate programs, supervises recruitment staff, and translates institutional enrollment strategy into effective recruitment execution. The Assistant Director personally manages an assigned recruitment funnel, partners with Marketing, OISS, athletics, and academic leaders to align programs with enrollment

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• At least five years of experience in recruiting, admissions, or sales.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for recruitment strategy, funnel performance, and enrollment outcomes.
• Personally manage an assigned recruitment funnel with engagement, conversion, and enrollment responsibilities.
• Partner with Marketing to develop campaigns, events, and materials supporting enrollment goals.
• Identify new channels, events, and outreach strategies aligned with industry trends.
• Represent St. Thomas at recruitment events, fairs, and strategic outreach opportunities.
• Collaborate with partners to integrate corporate enrollment opportunities and support pipelines.

Skills

Recruitment leadership

Stakeholder collaboration

Data-driven decision making

People management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

OVERVIEW

The University of St. Thomas invites qualified candidates to apply for an Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions position within Enrollment Services.

The University of St. Thomas embraces belonging and equal opportunity for all. Our convictions of dignity, diversity and personal attention call us to embody and champion an inclusive environment. The University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (EEO). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, or other protected characteristic. This commitment to inclusion and equal opportunity is consistent with our mission: Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good. A successful candidate will possess a commitment to the ideals of this mission.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

The University of St. Thomas offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• Tuition Remission for employees, spouses, and dependents
• Generous Retirement Contributions to support your future
• Comprehensive Health Coverage including medical, dental, and vision
• Fully Paid Insurance: disability, life, and AD&D
• Paid Parental Leave to support growing families

Salary Range: $66,000 to $78,000

The University of St. Thomas has provided a salary range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The specific salary offered will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information.

JOB SUMMARY

The Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions serves as a key leader within the University’s centralized graduate enrollment operation and partners closely with the Director of Graduate Admissions to translate institutional enrollment strategy into effective recruitment execution. The Assistant Director provides leadership for an assigned portfolio of colleges and graduate programs, including supervision and development of recruitment staff, recruitment planning, funnel management, and achievement of enrollment goals.

In addition to these leadership responsibilities, the Assistant Director personally manages an assigned recruitment funnel and maintains responsibility for prospective student recruitment and enrollment outcomes. The position uses enrollment data and market insights to identify opportunities and emerging risks and collaborates closely with academic leaders, Marketing, Strategic Partnerships, OISS, and other University partners to support sustainable graduate enrollment growth.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Recruitment Strategy & Execution

• Provide leadership and accountability for recruitment strategy, funnel performance, and enrollment outcomes across an assigned portfolio of graduate programs.
• Personally manage an assigned recruitment funnel, maintaining direct responsibility for prospective student engagement, recruitment activity, conversion, and enrollment outcomes from inquiry through enrollment.
• Partner with Marketing to develop campaigns, communications, events, and recruitment materials that support enrollment goals.
• Identify and test new recruitment channels, events, and outreach strategies while also keeping up to date on industry trends and competitor knowledge.
• Represent St. Thomas at recruitment events, fairs, presentations, and other strategic outreach opportunities as appropriate.
• Collaborate with the Assistant Director of Strategic Partnerships to integrate corporate and employer-based enrollment opportunities into portfolio recruitment strategies and ensure appropriate recruitment team support for partnership-generated pipelines.

Graduate Admissions Strategy & Operations:

• Partner with the Director of Graduate Admissions to translate institutional graduate enrollment strategy into recruitment plans, priorities, and execution across an assigned portfolio of colleges and programs.
• Lead the day-to-day work and performance of the Graduate Admissions staff assigned to their portfolio, ensuring consistent execution of recruitment strategies and progress toward individual, portfolio, and institutional enrollment goals.
• Partner with academic leaders, faculty, marketing, OISS, athletics, and other University stakeholders to align recruitment efforts with program needs and institutional enrollment priorities.
• Build strong partnerships with college and program student support teams to coordinate yield strategies, clarify ownership across the prospective-to-enrolled student journey, and ensure effective handoffs from Graduate Admissions to the enrolled student experience.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and decision-maker within Graduate Admissions, exercising independent judgment, managing escalated student and recruitment situations, and leading special projects that advance University enrollment priorities.
• Lead the implementation of new recruitment processes, technologies, policies, program launches, and organizational changes within their assigned portfolio, ensuring consistent communication, adoption, and execution.

Team Leadership & Performance

• Directly supervise, coach, develop, and evaluate Graduate Admissions direct reports.
• Establish and monitor individual recruitment goals and performance expectations aligned with portfolio and institutional enrollment targets.
• Monitor staff recruitment portfolios, pipelines, activity, conversion, and outcomes; provide coaching and intervention where needed.
• Manage staff portfolios, workloads, and recruitment priorities to align team capacity with enrollment needs and opportunities
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, service-oriented team culture and support professional development.

Funnel Management, CRM & Data

• Monitor graduate enrollment funnels across assigned programs and colleges, as well as relevant populations and entry terms, to identify emerging risks and opportunities.
• Establish and monitor recruitment benchmarks, conversion rates, activity measures, and enrollment progress against goals.
• Use Salesforce and other enrollment systems to analyze student behavior, recruiter performance, and pipeline health.
• Lead tactical interventions when programs or populations are underperforming.
• Provide regular enrollment analysis and recommendations to the Director and other University leaders.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• At least five years of experience in recruiting, admissions, or sales

Preferred Qualifications

• A master’s degree
• Prior supervisory exprience
• Experience in a graduate admissions environment