This Associate Director serves as a member of the senior staff within the Office of Admission along with one other Associate Director, a Senior Associate Director, the Director of Admissions, and the Vice Provost for Admissions and Financial Aid. Supervises a team of professional staff (currently four members). Specific primary responsibilities of this position, and the team they supervise include: creating, implementing, measuring, refining, and managing a budget for all yield strategies and tactics, with a goal of increasing yield rates, as well as doing the same for strategies and tactics around recruitment of a diverse applicant pool (including diversity of geography, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, citizenship, academic interest, and other metrics). Other responsibilities may include oversight of an alumni interviewing program, staff training and onboarding, and/or serving as a hiring manager for the office, or other duties as needed. All duties will require significant collaboration with stakeholders across campus. The Lehigh community takes seriously our commitment to antiracism and The Principles of our Equitable Community.

1. Serve as a member of the senior leadership team within the Office of Admissions

• Reports to the Director of Admissions and as a member of the office senior staff meets regularly with the Director of Admissions and Vice Provost for Admissions and Financial Aid to set general office strategy and specific tactics to achieve unit and institutional goals
• Serve as a liaison between unit and University leadership and junior staff to provide direction, convey strategies and goals to staff so they can enact initiatives to achieve desired results, while informing leadership of challenges, opportunities, needs, and accomplishments of the unit
• Represent, on occasion and as directed, the Office of Admissions to other offices and entities, internal and external

2. Supervise professional staff members within the Office of Admissions

• Supervise a team of four professional staff members, including establishing job and performance standards, plan, schedule and delegate work, coach personnel to provide guidance and feedback, evaluate performance, identify and address development and performance improvement needs, recommend and/or implement employment decisions affecting pay, position and role

3. Oversee enrollment yield modeling strategy

• Manage a group of professional staff to plan, coordinate and execute a number of annual yield events (on-campus and virtual) designed to improve the enrollment of admitted first-year students
• Provide the senior leadership team with predicted yield within the annual applicant pool
• Collaborate with campus stakeholders regarding the planning and execution of a number of on-campus visitation events throughout April to improve yield in regular decision
• Work closely with the Director of Admissions and Vice Provost for Admissions & Financial Aid to manage a defined budget to support yield events
• In consultation with the Director of Admissions and Vice Provost for Admissions and Financial Aid, manage the first-year waitlist population and anti-melt initiatives
• Project, track and manage budget expenses related to yield activities and events

4. Manage and participate in both on and off campus recruitment activities

• Understand the cultural, regional and Lehigh-specific admissions trends for an assigned travel territory; travel to assigned territories; articulate to high school Guidance Counselors and community-based organizations Lehigh's admission requirements
• Establish and maintain relationships with high school Counselors to foster a better understanding of Lehigh's mission statement and present thoughtful, interesting and informational programs both on campus and at high schools
• Conduct on-campus and off-campus interviews for prospective students and their families; create a 2- to 4-week travel schedule that affords time for unforeseen delays but enough appointments
• Track and account for all related recruitment travel expenses per the University's travel expenses policy
• Develop, modify, and implement recruitment plan for specific assigned areas based on experience, impressions, expectations; participate in or conduct student recruitment programming on campus
• Plan, prepare for and run regional admitted student receptions involving alumni, prospective and current students
• Participate in regional and national professional conferences in order to remain an active member of the Admissions profession

5. Read, review, and assess applications to Lehigh from an assigned region

• Manage an assigned reading region of applicants, monitoring numbers, quality and consistency of decisions
• Understand the changing recruitment landscape as it pertains to the role of recruiting diverse students following the Supreme Court's ruling regarding the use of affirmative action in admissions decisions
• Create, manipulate and read reports to track decision making within the assigned region
• Read, highlight key aspects of and summarize applications
• Present each applicant to a committee of unbiased peers
• Attend to Counselor phone calls and student email requests

Position Number: S89260

Grade: 10-40; $64,330-$78,260

This is an approximate range and is subject to change based on experience, skills and qualifications.

Special Considerations

Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing an accommodation for any part of the interview or hiring process may contact Lehigh's Accommodations Specialist at inada@lehigh.edu

The duties of this position may allow the employee to work partially remote as deemed appropriate by their supervisor

This position works with minors

This position has fiscal or financial responsibilities other than employee expense activity, such as processing or approving transactions; monitoring or preparing budgets; or generating income for University

Ability to work evenings and/or weekends during peak periods

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree or the equivalent combination of education and experience; Master's Degree preferred

Five to eight years of related work experience

Preferred experience in a higher education college admissions office with specific emphasis on working with transfer students

Supervisory experience preferred

Detail-oriented person with excellent grammar and proofreading skills

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills

Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks and manage time effectively

Demonstrated skills and capabilities in analytical and critical thinking, complex problem solving and team leadership

Excellent computer skills with experience using word processing and spreadsheet software

Successful completion of standard background checks including but not limited to: social security verification, education verification, national criminal background checks, motor vehicle checks, PATCH, FBI fingerprinting, Child Abuse Clearance and credit history based upon the requirements of the position

Only complete applications will be considered therefore please complete the application in its entirety. Once the posting is removed from the website applications may no longer be allowed to be completed.

Advertised: September 15, 2023 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: