00001552 - Assistant Director of Adult Recruitment

The Assistant Director of Adult Recruitment and Community Outreach is directly responsible for increasing adult recruitment and fostering new and continuing relationships with businesses and non-profit community organizations in Kent and Ottawa counties and immediate surrounding areas. This position will lead the development, implementation, documentation, and assessment of adult student outreach and recruitment strategies. This work is a critical component of the college’s short- and long-term enrollment strategy.

The Assistant Director is the primary point person for all admissions and enrollment aspects of the Futures for Front liners and Reconnect programs, including direct coordination with the State of Michigan and West Michigan Works. Serving on a special multi-office customer care team, the Assistant Director will closely collaborate with the Admissions, New Student Orientation, Academic Advising, Financial Aid, and Student Financial Services offices and assist Futures for Front liners- and Reconnect-eligible students with all aspects of the admissions and enrollment processes. This includes troubleshooting and resolving financial aid award and payment concerns. The position will also collaborate with cross-campus departments to promote academic programs to prospective adult students and proactively connect with students who have recently completed job training and workforce development certificates to share personalized next steps toward associate degree completion and to encourage continued enrollment.

Active participation in enrollment goal setting, tracking, and metric analysis is a critical function, as this position will be directly accountable for the development and implementation of leading-edge activities designed to meet these goals. Key responsibilities also include providing formal on- and off-campus presentations to prospective adult students, as well as to business and community leaders; collaborating with the Communications Office to create customized, innovative print and digital recruitment and outreach materials, social media, and webpages; and working with the New Student Orientation Office to design personalized orientation and college readiness sessions customized to the needs of specific cohorts of adult learners and designed to help increase their college success.

Requisition ID:
Position Number: 00001552
Employee Group:  Professional, Management and Administration
Schedule: 40 hours/52 weeks
Compensation:
Benefits: Full-time Part-time Limited Benefits
Reports to:
Posting Opens:
Posting Closes: 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Develop new, inventive adult recruitment strategies in coordination with the Director of Admissions and Enrollment Center and the Associate Dean of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid. Implement, document, and assess these strategies to gauge effectiveness

• Serve as the primary point of contact and develop annual recruitment plans for adult learners and specific cohorts of students. These include, but are not limited to, Futures for Frontliners- and Reconnect-eligible students

• Proactively lead collaborative efforts and form partnerships with other campus departments and local businesses and community organizations in Kent and Ottawa counties and surrounding regions to promote academic programs to prospective adult students

• Work collaboratively with the Dean of Workforce Development, Executive Director of Workforce Training, Dean of the Lakeshore Campus, and others to identify potential business and agency partners

• Design, schedule, plan, and implement prospective and new adult student initiatives, presentations, campus tours, and group visits

• Provide outreach and assistance to prospective students interested in pursuing specific GRCC/employer academic program partnerships (ex: Retail Management certificate and Criminal Justice programs)

• Proactively engage with students who have recently completed job training and workforce development certificates to encourage continued enrollment and associate degree completion

• Plan, coordinate, and maintain a master schedule of all business and community organization visits, in-person and virtual college events, and other recruitment-related functions; track participation; and evaluate outcome metrics. Use resulting data to inform planning for future events

• Identify emerging adult recruitment trends, opportunities, and necessary adjustments to strategies and apprise the Director of Admissions and Enrollment Center and the Associate Dean of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid

• Collect and assess the success of adult recruitment strategies and initiatives, as well as applicant, matriculant, and enrollment conversion data on a weekly basis. Proactively use this data to guide strategic initiative planning and implementation and process improvements. Run PeopleSoft queries and other reports as needed to ensure accuracy of data and other relevant information

• Prepare weekly reports. Provide information and recommendations to the Director of Admissions and Enrollment Center and the Associate Dean of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid

• Provide information and confidential admissions advising to prospective adult students through both in-person and virtual admissions specialist appointments and campus recruitment events. Receive referrals from staff and respond to telephone and in-person student requests for further information about GRCC

• Manage Futures for Frontliners and Reconnect phone lines, as well as email and text accounts

• Recommend ideas and collaborate with Communications in the development of new multilingual digital and print adult recruitment materials, programs, social media, and webpages

• Work with the New Student Orientation Office to develop personalized orientation and college readiness sessions customized to the needs of specific adult learner cohorts and designed to help increase their college success

• Administratively lead the use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Acuity, Mongoose, Navigate, and other recruitment and scheduling software systems to support and meet enrollment goals

• Identify and address enrollment barriers and inequities with proactive collaborations with cross campus departments. Recommend solutions for systemic improvements

• Provide exceptional customer service. Take the lead on resolving issues and complaints. Develop and implement innovative processes that help adult students smoothly transition from admissions through the enrollment funnel 

• Support general Admissions and Enrollment Center functions, specifically during peak times

• Support and administer offsite academic placement testing sessions for adult learners, as needed

• Attend professional development conferences, seminars, workshops and webinars to stay abreast of current trends and best practices in admissions and enrollment management

• Actively participate in college committees representing the Admissions and Enrollment Management team

• Regular attendance during normal scheduled hours is required. Being present is essential for serving customers and performing the essential functions of this position

• Performs other related duties as assigned

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Educational Credentials

• Bachelor’s degree required

• Master’s degree in higher education preferred

• Fluency in Spanish and/or other languages preferred

Work Experience

• Minimum of five years of higher education admissions/enrollment management experience required

• Minimum of three years of prior experience and demonstrated success in working with business and community organization partners required

• Minimum of three years of prior experience working with adult learners in a higher education setting required

Skills

• Demonstrated knowledge and extensive software application experience, specifically Microsoft Office Suite, G Suite, Blackboard, student information systems (preferably PeopleSoft Campus Wide Information System), CRMs, Navigate, and texting platforms

• Must possess excellent customer service skills and knowledge of admissions/enrollment management best practices

• The ability to exercise good judgment in handling sensitive information, maintain confidentiality, and fully understand and comply with FERPA laws and requirements

• Strong organizational, problem solving, and follow up skills

Physical Demands

• Must be able to lift and move 30 pounds

• Must have reliable transportation and drive to various locations in the West Michigan region

Mental Demands

• Demonstrated ability to maintain positive interpersonal relationships and motivate others

• Ability to plan and work both independently and as a team member

• Ability to analyze complex sets of data and develop new processes and initiatives to increase student contact and enrollment yield rates

• Focus on continuous process improvement

• Knowledge of national, state, and regional higher education enrollment trends

• Excellent customer service and communication skills (oral and written) are required to be successful in this position

• Demonstrated ability to make formal presentations to large groups (50 people or more)

• Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse student, staff, faculty and business partner population. Additionally, must be able to share complex, and sometimes difficult, information with students in a compassionate, respectful manner

Working Conditions

• GRCC will comply with any mandated health and safety requirements. Compliance information is available on our policies website

• Mostly office environments or participation in events at local businesses and community organizations. Some activities may be held outdoors or in manufacturing settings. Some travel required

• Must be punctual with a good attendance record and have the ability to accommodate a flexible work schedule, including evenings and weekends as needed