Associate Director of Admissions

NU USA Northeastern University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 68,000 - 96,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Dental

Paid time off

Tuition assistance

Wellness & life

Retirement

Commuting & transportation

Job summary

Northeastern University in Boston is seeking an Associate Director of Admissions to lead evaluation and enrollment operations. This role supervises 75–100 seasonal readers, coordinates transfer review processes, and partners with campus offices to support first-year and transfer enrollment decisions.

The position requires 4–6 years in admissions, strong leadership and communication skills, and a focus on process improvements and customer service. Travel and cross-campus coordination are expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 4-6 years of progressively responsible experience in college admissions, higher education, or a related field.
• Strong supervisory, interpersonal, and leadership skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to staff development and process improvement.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage 75-100 seasonal application evaluators, including recruiting, onboarding, training, and ongoing supervision.
• Oversee transfer application review operations, including criteria development, staff training, quality control, and productivity reporting.
• Coordinate recruitment travel, territory management, and prospective student counseling activities.
• Serve on the Admissions leadership team and implement office policies and procedures.
• Hire, mentor, and develop direct reports; ensure policy compliance and exceptional customer service.

Skills

Supervisory leadership

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Communication skills

Creative thinking

Problem solving

Customer service

Relationship management

Attention to detail

Knowledge of higher education issues

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

About the Opportunity

Job Summary Under the direct supervision of the Director of Admissions Enrollment Strategies, the Associate Director of Admissions collaborates with admissions leadership to manage critical components of the first-year evaluation and transfer enrollment processes. The Associate Director is responsible for identifying efficiencies and process improvements through strong project management, process design, and operational leadership. As part of the application evaluation process, the Associate Director manages 75-100 part-time seasonal application evaluators, including recruiting and hiring seasonal staff, overseeing training, coordinating daily assignments, and administering evaluator feedback processes. The Associate Director oversees transfer application review operations, including coordinating revisions to the application evaluation manual, training staff in transfer file review and customer service, monitoring reading queues, making daily assignment decisions, supervising the review of special applicant populations, conducting quality control reviews prior to decision release, running daily productivity reports, and participating in applicant selection processes. The Associate Director also oversees seasonal reading staff during the application review cycle as needed and supervises 1-4 Assistant Directors based on unit needs. This position works closely with university offices, programs, and relevant external organizations to support prospective students throughout the enrollment process. The Associate Director serves as a liaison with campus partners to provide key information that supports student enrollment decisions. As a member of the admissions leadership team, the Associate Director manages a recruitment territory, representing the University through recruitment travel, applicant evaluation, student and family counseling, presentations, interviews, and relationship management with guidance counselors and transfer advisors.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

Temporary Application Evaluation Management

• Serve as a senior member of the application evaluation team
• Coordinate application review efforts and determine seasonal staffing needs to meet evaluation goals and timelines for increasing first-year and transfer applicant pools
• Maintain and advertise job descriptions and compensation rates for seasonal readers
• Screen and identify candidates to support the seasonal reading plan
• Manage the hiring process for seasonal application evaluators
• Conduct onboarding for 75-100 seasonal staff members annually
• Facilitate regular check-ins with seasonal staff and maintain a visible management presence to address questions and concerns
• Manage and document the temporary application evaluator feedback process

Traditional Transfer and Contract Enrollment

• Serve as the primary point of contact for college partners and campus stakeholders regarding transfer processes, transfer initiatives, and prerequisite course requirements for transfer applicants and contract completers
• Lead transfer customer service operations, including monitoring the [e-mail] inbox, transfer communication channels, and applicant phone inquiries
• Ensure transfer applicant inquiries receive timely responses
• Develop, maintain, and train staff on transfer review criteria
• Execute transfer application reading plans
• Serve as the primary point of contact for students offered and completing a contract for future enrollment
• Conduct transfer and contract support, evaluation, and selection activities
• Maintain awareness of population and college enrollment targets throughout the evaluation and selection process

Territory Management – Recruitment Travel, Customer Service, and Application Evaluation

• Plan, design, and implement recruitment strategies for assigned geographic territories serving first-year and transfer students
• Manage recruitment travel in a cost-effective and efficient manner while meeting office and university priorities
• Meet with, counsel, and provide information to prospective students, families, and guidance counselors
• Conduct follow-up activities and evaluations after recruitment travel
• Read and evaluate applications from assigned recruitment territories
• Communicate with secondary school counselors regarding admission decisions when appropriate
• Counsel applicants, families, and counselors throughout the application evaluation process
• Develop and implement targeted recruitment programming and enrollment activities
• Manage assigned territories throughout the admission cycle
• Conduct interviews and presentations
• Establish, develop, and maintain relationships with guidance counselors and transfer advisors while effectively representing the University

Management of Direct Reports

• Hire, supervise, train, and evaluate direct reports involved in recruitment and application evaluation activities
• Mentor staff to support successful completion of job responsibilities
• Provide direction, guidance, and daily operational support to direct reports
• Ensure compliance with university policies and procedures

Admissions Leadership Team Participation and Unit Support

• Serve as a member of the Admissions management team
• Develop, communicate, and implement office policies and procedures
• Collaborate with management colleagues to support the achievement of institutional enrollment goals
• Support a positive and professional work environment
• Demonstrate professionalism and support institutional, divisional, and office policies and procedures
• Adhere to management expectations and provide high levels of customer service to students, colleagues, and internal and external stakeholders

Minimum Qualifications Required

• Bachelor's degree
• 4-6 years of progressively responsible experience in college admissions, higher education, or a related field
• Strong supervisory, interpersonal, and leadership skills
• Demonstrated commitment to staff development
• Demonstrated skill in creative thinking and problem solving
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and communication skills
• Emotional intelligence and professional maturity
• Experience developing efficient and effective policies and systems that manage high-volume operations while maintaining process quality and outcomes
• Ability to interpret enrollment research and apply findings to strategic planning
• Experience working with diverse populations
• Proven understanding of technical systems
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Strong customer service orientation
• Ability to manage relationships diplomatically with stakeholders and partners
• Knowledge of higher education issues related to student recruitment, admission, and enrollment

Required Documents

• Resume

Position Type

Enrollment

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer. Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.

• medical
• vision
• dental
• paid time off
• tuition assistance
• wellness & life
• retirement- as well as commuting & transportation

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation Grade/Pay Type: 109S Expected Hiring Range: $67,855.00 - $95,845.00 With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experiential lifelong learning. Our approach of integrating real-world experience with education, research, and innovation empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create worldwide impact. Our global university system provides our community and academic, government, and industry partners with unique opportunities to think locally and act globally. The system—which includes 14 campuses across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, 300,000-plus alumni, and 3,000 partners worldwide—serves as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions. The university’s residential campuses for undergraduate and graduate degrees are located in Boston, London, and Oakland, California. Our research and graduate campuses are in the Massachusetts communities of Burlington and Nahant; Arlington, Virginia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Miami; Portland, Maine; Seattle; Silicon Valley, California; Toronto; and Vancouver. Northeastern’s personalized, experiential undergraduate and graduate programs lead to degrees through the doctorate in 10 colleges and schools across our campuses. Learning emphasizes the intersection of data, technology, and human literacies, uniquely preparing graduates for careers of the future and lives of fulfillment and accomplishment. Our research enterprise, with an R1 Carnegie classification, is solutions oriented and spans the world. Our faculty scholars and students work in teams that cross not just disciplines, but also sectors—aligned around solving today’s highly interconnected global challenges and focused on transformative impact for humankind.