Assistant Director of Admissions

Utica University; City of Utica (NY); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Utica University is seeking an Assistant Director of Admission to lead undergraduate recruitment in a defined territory. The role focuses on relationship-building with high schools, community partners, and counselors, guiding applicants from inquiry to matriculation while using data to optimize outreach.

The position requires a Bachelor's degree (Master's preferred), strong interpersonal skills, and willingness to travel extensively within the NY Downstate/Metro region and neighboring states.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; admissions or student services experience preferred.
• Master's degree preferred for advanced responsibilities and leadership.
• Must have strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Valid driver's license and willingness to travel within assigned territory and beyond as needed.

Responsibilities

• Develops and manages an assigned recruitment territory with responsibility for outreach, applications, deposits, and enrollment outcomes.
• Establishes relationships with high schools, community colleges, counselors, and partners to support recruitment goals.
• Uses enrollment data and dashboards to evaluate territory performance and prioritize activity.
• Develops territory recruitment plans informed by enrollment targets and market potential.
• Conducts recruitment travel to high schools, colleges, and events; extended travel and evening/weekend work required.
• Interviews and informs prospective students about admission, financial aid, and campus life; guides through the enrollment process.
• Maintains timely contact with prospective and admitted students via calls, email, text, and virtual outreach.
• Coordinates referrals to Financial Aid and other offices to resolve barriers to enrollment.
• Participates in shared application review and admission decisions within institutional criteria.
• Maintains recruitment records in Slate, Banner, and other systems; monitors funnel performance and adjusts outreach.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Discretion/Confidentiality

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's Degree in related field

Master's degree preferred

Job description

About Utica University:

Located in the heart of Central New York, Utica University is a comprehensive, independent, private institution founded in 1946 as Utica College. We offer many of the advantages of a large university, such as undergraduate and graduate degree options, excellent academic programs, and outstanding faculty, but with an intimacy and a high degree of personal attention more closely associated with smaller private institutions.

We empower learners to achieve their career and life goals through personally enriching experiences and outstanding educational pathways.

At Utica University, we are committed to creating a working and learning environment where all people feel supported.

Following our institutional values, we work to support diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences in an equitable, respectful, and inclusive environment, while promoting freedom of expression and encouraging civil discourse.

Job Description:

Position Summary:

The Assistant Director of Admission is responsible for developing and executing undergraduate recruitment and enrollment strategies within an assigned geographic territory or market portfolio.Through a territory-management approach, the Assistant Director builds and maintains productive relationships with prospective students and families, high schools, community colleges, school counseling professionals, community-based organizations, and other recruitment partners.The Assistant Director manages prospective students through the enrollment funnel from initial engagement through application, admission, deposit, and matriculation. The position uses enrollment, yield, market, and travel-performance data to prioritize outreach and recommend recruitment activity. Territory ownership establishes primary responsibility for relationship and market development but does not limit shared application review, travel, event coverage, or other team assignments based on institutional priorities.The Assistant Director may be assigned responsibility for priority markets, student populations, community partnerships, or academic programs consistent with institutional enrollment goals and nondiscrimination requirements. The position supports the University's undergraduate enrollment goals through timely, accurate, student-centered, and ethical recruitment and admission practices.

This position has an assigned territory that includes the NY Downstate and Metro region including New York City, Bronx, Long Island, Staten Island, Connecticut and New Jersey. Preference is for a qualified candidate who is based in Utica with recruitment travel to the NY Downstate and Metro region, however, a highly qualified candidate located within the assigned territory would be considered and offered a remote work opportunity.

Responsibilities:

• Develops and manages an assigned recruitment territory or market portfolio, with responsibility for relationship development, prospective-student engagement, application activity, admitted-student conversion, deposit yield, and enrolled-student outcomes.
• Establishes and maintains relationships with high schools, community colleges, school counseling professionals, community-based organizations, alumni, and other partners that support the University's recruitment goals.
• Uses enrollment data and established dashboards to evaluate territory performance, identify opportunities, prioritize schools and markets, and recommend travel and outreach activity.
• Develops a territory recruitment plan informed by enrolled-student production, yield, market potential, student interest, relationship-building opportunities, and anticipated return on travel.
• Conducts recruitment travel, including high school and community college visits, college fairs, regional and national recruitment programs, counselor programs, and other approved activities. Extended fall and spring travel, evening work, and weekend responsibilities are required.
• Conducts individual and group meetings with prospective students and families on and off campus and provides accurate information regarding admission, academic programs, financial aid, campus life, and the enrollment process.
• Maintains timely and purposeful contact with prospective and admitted students through telephone, email, text messaging, virtual engagement, appointments, events, and other approved communication channels.
• Guides prospective students and families through the enrollment process, identifies barriers or unresolved concerns, and coordinates appropriate referrals and warm handoffs to Financial Aid and other University offices.
• Reviews undergraduate applications as part of the University's shared application-review process and renders admission decisions within established institutional criteria, procedures, and delegated authority.
• Maintains timely, accurate, and complete prospective-studentand recruitment records in Slate, Banner, and other approved institutional systems.
• Evaluates admitted students for merit scholarship eligibility in accordance with the University's approved scholarship criteria and awarding methodology.
• Monitors assigned funnel performance, including inquiries, applications, admits, deposits, yield, melt, and enrolled students, and adjusts individual outreach in consultation with admission leadership.
• Reviews the effectiveness of travel, school visits, fairs, and other recruitment activities and uses results to recommend continuation, modification, or discontinuation of activities.
• Participates in shared application review, recruitment travel, event coverage, and other enrollment activities outside the assigned territory when institutional priorities or workload require team deployment.
• Participates in open houses, accepted-student programs, daily visits, Saturday information sessions, counselor programs, and other on- and off-campus recruitment events.
• Collaborates with Enrollment Communications and Enrollment Technology to support coordinated, appropriately segmented, and timely outreach. Provides frontline observations and market information without independently developing or altering institutional communication plans or system processes.
• Collaborates with academic departments and other campus partners to provide prospective students with accurate program information and facilitate appropriate faculty engagement in recruitment.
• May serve as the admissions liaison for assigned academic programs, markets, community partnerships, or institutionally identified recruitment initiatives.
• Conducts all recruitment and admission activities in an ethical, equitable, respectful, and nondiscriminatory manner and provides consistent access to information and opportunities for prospective students.
• Contributes to the development and implementation of departmental strategic and operational plans.
• Works with the supervisor and other team members to achieve established individual, territory, and departmental goals and key performance indicators.
• Assists with daily office operations and performs other duties consistent with the scope and level of the position.

Requirements:

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree in related field is required. Minimum one-year experience in admissions or services preferred along with a Master's degree.

Skills/Abilities:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Requires organizational skills and good judgment.
• Ability to be confidential.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends as well travel out of town when necessary.
• Valid driver's license required at time of employment.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• May supervise work-study students, interns and student ambassadors.

Driving Responsibility:

• This position requires travel. Must possess a valid driver's license and clean driving record (as defined by University insurance carrier guidelines)

Travel:

• This position requires extensive travel throughout the year. Travel may need to occur during inclement weather.

Additional Information:

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position

EEO Statement

Utica University is committed to equal opportunity and creating a welcoming work environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to veteran status, disability, citizenship status, domestic violence victim status, or protected status under applicable local, state, or federal law.

Commitment to Supporting and Hiring Veterans

Utica University is a comprehensive, independent, private institution founded in 1946 to offer options for higher education study to veterans returning from the Second World War. More than seventy years since veterans returned from WWII, this tradition of serving veterans is still held in high regard here at Utica University, and we are proud to welcome veterans as students and as valued members of our faculty and professional staff.