Strategic Admissions Leader (AVP) - Enrollment Growth

Emerson College; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 197,000 - 256,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

Dental plans

Time off

403(b) match

Life and disability

Commuter offerings

Job summary

Emerson College in Boston seeks an Associate Vice President of Admissions to provide strategic leadership and oversight of undergraduate and graduate recruitment and admissions operations. The AVP will design a data‑driven, student‑centric strategy to increase net tuition revenue while balancing academic standards with artistic excellence.

You will lead multi‑channel recruitment across traditional, transfer, international and graduate pipelines, collaborate with senior enrollment leaders, and

Qualifications

• Master's degree in higher education administration, enrollment management, communications, fine arts administration, or a related field required.
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in college admissions or enrollment management at the level of director or higher, with a documented track record of meeting enrollment goals in a selective environment required.
• Advanced experience in data analysis and analyzing enrollment funnel data required.
• Demonstrated experience managing, developing, and empowering a diverse professional staff required.
• Experience leading enrollment operations within a specialized arts, design, or communication institution, or a comprehensive university with highly prominent creative colleges preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to the directors of undergraduate, transfer, graduate and international recruitment that result in achieving and exceeding enrollment projections.
• Develop and execute an innovative, multi-channel strategic recruitment plan tailored to distinct student pipelines: traditional first-year, specialized transfers, international, and advanced graduate cohorts for both spring and fall start terms.
• Partner with senior enrollment leadership to establish annual enrollment goals, predictive yield modeling, and net tuition revenue targets.
• Utilize advanced data analytics, CRM platforms, and market research to monitor application funnels, identify emerging demographic shifts, and adjust recruitment strategies in real time.
• Lead a forward-thinking specialized territory management model, utilizing targeted geographic and zip-code level data to maximize yield.
• Significantly expand the number of inquiries and applicants, providing rapid application review and decisions.
• Expand the top of the admissions funnel significantly.
• Collaborate with faculty and academic department chairs to standardize, streamline, and optimize talent-based evaluation rubrics, ensuring a transparent, equitable, and efficient review cycle.
• Maintain a deep understanding of evolving trends in arts, film, digital media, and communication education to effectively position the college’s unique institutional value.
• Cultivate and expand global recruitment networks, ensuring compliance with international credential evaluations, visa processing pipelines, and English language proficiency standards to enrich the campus's international footprint.
• Partner with Financial Aid and Student Accounts to strategically leverage institutional aid, merit scholarships, and talent-based awards to optimize student yield and retention.
• Work alongside University Communications and Marketing and especially Enrollment Management Marketing to co-create compelling, brand-aligned print and digital admissions materials, social media campaigns, and personalized outreach sequences.
• Partner with event management leaders to create and support top-of-class events that increase applications and deposits as well as reduce melt.
• Work in tandem with the Visitor Center as well as other campus stakeholders to present the gold standard in campus visits.
• Align with Student Affairs to ensure a seamless transition from deposited status to orientation and matriculation.

Skills

Leadership

Data analytics

Strategic planning

Public speaking

CRM platforms

Education

Master's degree in higher education administration

Tools

CRM platforms

Data analytics tools

Job description

Emerson College in Boston seeks an Associate Vice President of Admissions to provide strategic leadership and oversight of undergraduate and graduate recruitment and admissions operations. The AVP will design a data‑driven, student‑centric strategy to increase net tuition revenue while balancing academic standards with artistic excellence.

You will lead multi‑channel recruitment across traditional, transfer, international and graduate pipelines, collaborate with senior enrollment leaders, and