Director of Admissions

Southeastern College; Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Southeastern College seeks a Director of Admissions to oversee the engagement and onboarding of new students on campus. This role leads the admissions team, manages inquiries, and drives enrollment targets to support campus programs.

The position emphasizes candidate prospecting, pipeline maintenance, and coordination with academic and financial aid offices to ensure a smooth start for new students.

Qualifications

• Experience leading an admissions team and coordinating campus enrollment activities.
• Ability to manage prospect pipelines and admissions inquiries.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Attract, engage, and vet prospective students; ensure fair distribution to coordinators.
• Monitor daily activity reports and enrollment progress across programs.
• Lead, coach, and schedule admissions staff; conduct weekly meetings.
• Coordinate with Financial Aid, Bursar, and Academics for smooth transitions.
• Oversee orientation and onboarding for each class start.

Skills

Prospect engagement

Team leadership

Admissions process

Data tracking

Job description

OVERVIEW:

The key role of The Director of Admissions is to oversee the engagement and on-boarding of new students. The Admissions Department is typically the first contact a prospective student has with southeastern College. The nature of the rapport that is built with the student is often the deciding factor in the student's decision to attend a southeastern college program. As the student's first contact, The Admissions Department plays a critical role in ensuring the new student's successful transition and integration into their respective programs.

BUSINESS CONTRIBUTION:

The Director of Admissions is responsible for acquiring and enrolling qualified candidates for their campus. This is accomplished through managing the admissions process and directing the admissions team in:

• Attracting, engaging, and vetting prospective students
• Maintaining a pipeline of candidates
• Enrolling and starting qualified students
• Meeting monthly enrollment and start objectives

Direct Reports (positions varies depending upon campus)

• Associate Director of Admissions
• Admissions Coordinators
  • Adult
  • High School
  • Re-entry
• Community Outreach
• Community Relations
• Receptionists

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

Candidate Prospecting and Managing Inquiries:

The Director of Admissions is responsible for the bringing-in a steady stream of candidate (student prospect) inquiries and distributing them to the Admissions Coordinators. To accomplish this, the Director of Admissions must:

• Manage the flow and distribution of inquiries (web search providers...)
• Ensure fair distribution of inquiries to Admissions Coordinators
• Manage community outreach programs and high school presentations
• Track advertising and inquiry sources to determine effectiveness
• Provide feedback to Office of The Executive Director (OOED) on advertising and marketing initiatives

Monitoring and Review:

The Director of Admissions is responsible for overseeing the admissions process and ensuring that a steady flow of new students are enrolled and starting. To accomplish this, the Director of Admissions must:

• Review daily activity reports (daily flash) - number of inquiries, outbound calls, calls answered, appointments scheduled, interviews conducted, and enrollments
• Track enrollment board (candidate status in process) and enrollment log book
• Review student files before sending the file to the Registrar
• Direct candidate focus of inquiry follow-up/candidate targeting - assess which programs Admissions Coordinators need to focus efforts on

Managing Team Performance:

The Director of Admissions is responsible for managing the performance of Admissions Coordinators. To accomplish this, the Director of Admissions must:

• Motivate staff and reinforce positive accomplishments
• Schedule hours for admissions staff
• Monitor staff activities (phone calls, appointments, candidate interviews...)
• Set and monitor monthly student start objectives
• Monitor calls and interviews and provide constructive feedback
• Monitor effective use of C2K Campus View system
• Ensure Admissions Coordinators are up-to-date on program offerings
• Informally touch base with each Admissions Coordinators on a daily basis
• Monitor weekly business plans for Admissions Coordinators
• Provide coaching and training programs for staff development
• Conduct weekly staff meetings

Managing and Coordinating the Admissions Process:

The Director of Admissions is responsible for ensuring the smooth transition of new students into the school. To accomplish this, the Director of Admissions must:

• Forecast student numbers and potential gaps for each start date
• Approve recommendations for student acceptance into programs
• Ensure smooth transitions of students to Financial Aid, Bursar, and Academics
• Oversee orientation (along with the Director of Student Services) for each class start
• Ensure student readiness for start
• Keep Campus President abreast of any issues or concerns

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands are those required in a professional office setting: sitting, working on a computer, using a telephone, communicating with coworkers and getting to and from appropriate campuses.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Professional office setting: moderate noise levels and controlled indoor climate.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

LOCATION:

This position is an onsite position located at your campus unless otherwise determined by the Chancellor and/or designee. Any changes must be reviewed by the Campus President/Vice President and all final approvals must come from the Chancellor and/or designee.