Strategic Planning Consultant - Higher Education

AlphaX; Oregon; Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

AlphaGov is seeking a Higher Education Strategic Planning & Enrollment Strategy Consultant to lead institution-wide or system-wide strategic plans for public universities and state agencies. The role focuses on governance, enrollment management, and performance frameworks, with engagement across presidents, boards, and faculty senates.

The engagement is project-based and remote, contingent on award and staffing approval.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in higher education strategy or enrollment management at leadership/consulting level.
• Hands-on enrollment management experience (admissions, recruitment, retention, financial aid analytics).
• Strong facilitation with boards and senior leadership; clear written deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise or system strategic planning for universities and colleges: environmental scan, stakeholder engagement, goals, KPIs and implementation roadmap.
• Support state higher-education plans: governance assessment, policy-lever analysis and performance-management frameworks.
• Run enrollment strategy discovery: funnel and yield analysis, recruitment and retention operations, CRM review.

Skills

Higher education strategy

Enrollment management

Facilitation

Proposal writing

Tools

Slate CRM

Job description

About the role

AlphaGov is looking for a Higher Education Strategic Planning & Enrollment Strategy Consultant, a college or university strategy expert who has led institution-wide or system-wide strategic plans, state higher-education plans, and enrollment management strategy. This independent consultant role supports public university systems, state higher-education agencies, and colleges.

What you'll do

• Lead enterprise or system strategic planning for universities and colleges: environmental scan, stakeholder engagement, goals, KPIs and implementation roadmap
• Support state higher-education plans: governance assessment, policy-lever analysis and performance-management frameworks
• Run enrollment strategy discovery: funnel and yield analysis, recruitment and retention operations, CRM (e.g., Slate) and process review
• Facilitate sessions with presidents, cabinets, boards of trustees/regents, faculty senates and students
• Write the plan and implementation scorecard, and present to governing boards
• Contribute approach and past-performance narrative to proposals when naming is authorized

Engagement

This is a project-based, remote engagement. It is contingent on contract award and final staffing approval, and no assignment is guaranteed. We will ask your permission before including your name or résumé in any proposal.

Requirements

• 8+ years in higher education strategy, institutional planning/effectiveness, or enrollment management, at a leadership or consulting level
• Led or co-led at least one institution- or system-wide strategic plan through adoption (name the institution, year and your role)
• Hands‑on enrollment management experience (admissions, recruitment, retention, financial aid strategy or enrollment analytics)
• Strong facilitation with boards and senior leadership; clear written deliverables
• Comfortable as an independent consultant on a project basis

Nice to have

• State higher-education commission or system office experience
• Public university system governance
• Accreditation or institutional effectiveness experience
• Healthcare / academic medical center planning