Director, Admissions Communications

Position Summary:

The Director of Admissions Communications in the Division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success (SEMSS) develops and leads comprehensive, persuasive, consistent and targeted communications and marketing initiatives that will support the university's enrollment goals for new, undergraduate students.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Leads a team of staff to plan, manage, and deliver marketing and communications initiatives to meet the university's enrollment goals related to recruitment of new undergraduate students.

• In close partnership with the admissions leadership and SEMSS colleagues, develops and executes communications and marketing plans to ensure consistent, thoughtful, persuasive and accurate messages for all steps in the admissions funnel leading up to enrollment. This includes, but is not limited to, identifying the best and most effective strategy and medium for communication, leveraging best practice approaches with current higher education trends, and determining specific deliverables and/or timetables.

• Oversees print, web, email, text, social media, digital marketing campaigns and other forms of communications for prospective and admitted students, parents, counselors and other Admissions stakeholders.

• Oversees the execution of written communications to prospective and admitted undergraduate students in Slate CRM platform.

• Serves as the primary Admissions communications liaison for campus constituents to coordinate undergraduate recruitment and yield communications strategies, including coordinating and approving messaging for campus partners in Slate.

• Serves as communication strategist for recruitment of new undergraduate students.

• Creates, organizes and schedules a regular communication plan and calendar for prospective students throughout the admissions funnel leading up to enrollment for all communication mediums. Target audiences include freshmen, transfers, adult/non-traditional students, out-of-state students and international students.

• Collaborates with Student Financial Services to ensure that topics related to billing, financial aid and financial literacy are shared thoughtfully and consistently with prospective and admitted students.

• Partners with the Orientation and Transition Programs to ensure that communications to admitted students about orientation are strategic, timely, persuasive and consistent with other yield communications.

• Under the guidance of the Director of Undergraduate Admissions, works with third-party vendors to ensure that messaging to prospective and admitted students is consistent, thoughtful, persuasive and accurate.

• Supports the Director of Undergraduate Admissions to establish campus-wide recruitment and yield communication strategies in order to achieve the university's enrollment goals for freshmen and transfers.

• Implements and coordinates the Admissions website strategy including ensuring that the website is reviewed regularly for accuracy, overseeing the necessary changes and updates, and improving the ease of locating information.

• Collaborates with the Director of Admissions Operations to review and offer guidance on operational communications related to non-degree, international and graduate admissions processes.

• Determines metrics of success for recruitment communications. Reviews the effectiveness of communication plans on a regular basis to identify needed changes and areas of opportunity.

Minimum Hiring Standards:

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, English or related field.

• Five years of experience in communications or a similar field, preferably in a higher education environment.

• Demonstrated success developing and implementing large-scale, complex strategic communications plans utilizing a CRM tool.

• Excellent oral and written communications skills.

• Experience managing a team of diverse staff, preferably in admissions communications, to achieve enrollment goals.

• Experience developing communications that influence behavior.

• Experience utilizing innovative and engaging approaches to convey and present complex information.

• Experience collecting and analyzing metrics to determine the efficacy of communications and campaigns.

• Experience leveraging web and social media to recruit new students.

• Ability to respond to deadlines and pressures of deadlines and challenging situations.

• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with a strong attention to detail.

• Ability to take initiative when working independently and work effectively in a team environment.

• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Communications or related field.

• Experience in admissions communications, enrollment management, or similar field within a higher education environment.

• Experience overseeing communications within Slate CRM.

Other Position Details: This position is eligible for a hybrid remote work arrangement.

Position Number: FA6730

Position Title: Director, Admissions Communications

Department: 1446 Undergraduate Admissions

Role Code: 13911 Administrator CM 1

Position Type: Exempt Salary: up to $95,000

ORP Eligible?: Yes

Open Date: 05/24/2024

Close Date: 7/15/24 at 7PM