Director, Graduate Recruitment & Admissions

Webster University•Webster Groves, MO

About The Position

The Director, Graduate Enrollment provides operational leadership for graduate recruitment, admissions decision-making, and enrollment across Webster University's St. Louis campus, San Antonio campus, and U.S. domestic online programs. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management/SIO, the Director is responsible for executing enrollment strategies that achieve institutional enrollment and revenue goals while ensuring timely, consistent, and student-centered admissions decisions. This is a highly tactical, performance-oriented leadership position. The Director leads graduate admissions counselors, oversees admissions file review and decision processes, partners with the admissions processing team, manages enrollment performance in real time, and implements data-driven and AI-enabled solutions to improve engagement and conversion throughout the enrollment funnel.

Requirements

Five or more years of enrollment management or admissions leadership experience.
Bachelor’s Degree required.
Demonstrated success leading graduate recruitment and admissions teams.
Experience reviewing graduate application files and making or overseeing admissions decisions.
Ability to exercise professional judgment in complex, exception, and non-routine admissions cases.
Strong leadership, analytical, communication, organizational, and time-management skills.
Experience with CRM and enrollment technologies.
Ability to evaluate and implement AI, automation, and digital engagement solutions in an enrollment environment.
Ability to use data and technology to improve operational efficiency, student engagement, and enrollment outcomes.

Nice To Haves

Graduate Enrollment/Recruitment/Admissions
Slate experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Execute graduate enrollment strategies aligned with institutional goals and revenue targets.
Develop annual, term, and weekly recruitment plans and lead forecasting and enrollment planning.
Monitor performance and implement corrective strategies to achieve enrollment goals.
Direct graduate recruitment activities for St. Louis, San Antonio, and online domestic programs.
Set recruitment priorities, counselor assignments, event strategy, and outreach expectations.
Oversee graduate recruitment events, virtual sessions, campus visits, and appropriate travel.
Serve as a senior admissions decision-maker, reviewing completed graduate application files and rendering admissions decisions in accordance with University policy.
Review complex, borderline, and exception cases; exercise professional judgment and ensure consistency in admissions decisions.
Partner with the admissions processing team to establish file-review priorities, resolve documentation issues, and improve application-to-decision turnaround times.
Own performance across the graduate enrollment funnel and analyze conversion trends, stalled populations, and operational barriers.
Identify, implement, and manage relevant AI-enabled recruitment and engagement solutions to support lead prioritization, personalized outreach, application completion, yield, and anti-melt efforts.
Evaluate AI and automation effectiveness and integrate solutions appropriately with CRM workflows and counselor engagement strategies.
Supervise, coach, and develop graduate admissions counselors and establish clear performance expectations and accountability.
Conduct regular pipeline, productivity, and admissions quality reviews and intervene when performance falls below expectations.
Utilize CRM, enrollment technologies, dashboards, and forecasts to guide decisions and monitor counselor productivity and data quality.
Partner with Enrollment Technology, academic leadership, marketing, financial aid, admissions processing, operations, and student success.
Support new program launches, market expansion, and continuous improvement of graduate enrollment processes.