Director of Catholic Community Engagement

Saint Leo University Brasil•San Jose, CA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Saint Leo University seeks an experienced, mission-driven professional to serve as Director of Catholic Community Engagement — a newly created role designed to build Saint Leo's presence, relationships, and enrollment pipeline within Catholic secondary education communities across the United States, with a primary focus on the Midwest and Northeast and continued development in Florida and the Southeast. This is a senior relationship-building and enrollment development role that combines strategic outreach to Catholic high schools, development of institutional partnership agreements, and support for Advancement's Catholic relations work across Florida, the Southeast, and growing into the Midwest and Northeast. The Director will be the face of Saint Leo in Catholic educational communities — attending conferences, visiting campuses, meeting with principals and heads of school, linking the high school counselor and Saint Leo admissions counselor into a professional relationship, and building the kind of sustained, trust-based relationships that generate enrollment referrals, institutional partnerships, and philanthropic affinity for years to come. This role is suited to a mature, experienced professional with deep personal Catholic faith, fluency in Catholic educational culture, and a proven track record in relationship-based recruitment or development work. Knowledge of athletic recruiting is a distinct advantage given the significant overlap between the Catholic high school student population and competitive student-athletes.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree required — in education, higher education administration, theology, communications, or a related field.
Minimum 8–10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in Catholic education, higher education enrollment, institutional advancement, or a directly related field.
Active, practicing Catholic with authentic, lived familiarity with Catholic educational culture, values, and institutional community.
Demonstrated experience in relationship-based professional work — enrollment, development, institutional partnerships, or community engagement — with a track record of building durable, trust-based relationships over time.
Knowledge of Florida higher education and the Florida Catholic school landscape.
Willingness and ability to travel 40–60% of the time, including extended travel periods during fall and spring recruitment seasons.
Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and presentation skills — comfortable and effective with principals, superintendents, bishops, donors, coaches, counselors, and students.
Proficiency with CRM tools (HubSpot or similar) and standard remote communication technologies.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience in Catholic secondary education as a teacher, administrator, or close institutional partner — firsthand knowledge of how Catholic high schools operate and make decisions.
Experience in collegiate or high school athletic recruiting — understanding of the student-athlete pipeline and relationships with high school coaches is a meaningful differentiator.
Established networks within Catholic high school communities in the Midwest and/or Northeast that can be activated immediately upon hire.
Experience developing and managing institutional MOUs, articulation agreements, or partnership frameworks.
Familiarity with Catholic philanthropic institutions, diocesan foundations, and Catholic grant-making organizations.
Established relationships with diocesan leadership in Florida or other target regions.

Responsibilities

Build and manage a territory-based outreach program targeting Catholic high schools in the Midwest, Northeast, Florida, and Southeast — with a Year 1 enrollment target of 50 incremental students from the Catholic secondary school pipeline.
Develop and maintain direct relationships with principals, presidents, heads of school, guidance counselors, and college advisors at target Catholic high schools — visiting campuses in person regularly and sustaining relationships year-round via phone, Zoom, and email.
Represent Saint Leo at Catholic high school college fairs, diocesan events, NCEA gatherings, and regional Catholic education conferences.
Coordinate with the Enrollment Management team on lead generation, application follow-up, and yield conversion strategies specific to the Catholic high school pipeline.
Apply knowledge of athletic recruiting where applicable — understanding the student-athlete pipeline and building relationships with high school coaches and athletic directors at target institutions.
Develop and execute Memoranda of Understanding with Catholic high schools and dioceses establishing formal partnership relationships with Saint Leo — including preferred admission pathways, scholarship commitments, dual enrollment opportunities, faculty/staff graduate education benefits, and ongoing collaboration.
Work with the Provost's office and Enrollment Management to structure agreements that are academically sound, financially sustainable, and meaningfully attractive to partner institutions.
Build a portfolio of active MOU partner schools — targeting 50 signed MOUs in Year 1 and growing to 200+ over three years.
Manage ongoing MOU relationships through annual reviews and continuous partnership deepening.
Develop and actively market graduate education programs designed for Catholic high school teachers and administrators — including online graduate degrees, professional development coursework, and certificate programs — in coordination with Academic Affairs and Lionova.
Organize and host annual campus visit programs for Catholic high school counselors and principals — designing experiences that authentically showcase Saint Leo's Benedictine community, Catholic identity, and academic programs.
Coordinate conferences and convenings that bring Catholic secondary education leaders together around shared professional and mission topics, positioning Saint Leo as a convening institution in this space.
Identify and develop additional affinity programming — speaker series, faith formation events, Catholic educator networks — that sustain institutional relationships between in-person visits.
Support the Vice President for University Advancement in building relationships with dioceses across Florida, the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast — identifying major gift prospects, planned giving opportunities, and institutional donors within the Catholic community.
Represent Saint Leo at diocesan events, Catholic Charities gatherings, and institutional Catholic settings where Advancement presence is appropriate.
Develop and maintain a comprehensive contact database covering Catholic schools, parishes, dioceses, Catholic foundations, and religious communities — supporting both enrollment and philanthropic outreach.
Collaborate with Advancement on donor cultivation strategies for alumni, educators, and community members with connections to the Catholic secondary education world.
Travel extensively — 40–60% of time — to Catholic high school campuses, diocesan offices, conferences, and partner institution meetings across the Midwest, Northeast, Florida, and Southeast.
Maintain active presence in Catholic education professional networks including the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), and relevant regional associations.
Represent Saint Leo with authenticity, warmth, and professionalism in every setting — embodying the Benedictine values of radical hospitality, community, and genuine personal engagement.

Benefits

FREE Tuition - Employee, Spouse, and Dependents
Tuition Exchange Opportunity - Dependent of Employees
Generous Paid Leave - Sick, Vacation, and Holidays
Comprehensive Group Health Plan (Medical, Dental, and Vision)
Group Medical Plan includes Teledoc, Surgery Plus, Wellness Incentive Program and more!
100% Employer-Funded Health Reimbursement Account
100% Employer-Paid Short Term Disability Insurance
100% Employer-Funded Employee Assistance Program (healthcare and dependent options)
Employer-provided life insurance
Discounted On-Campus Dining Meal Plans
Nationwide Pet Insurance
Flexible Spending Accounts
403b Retirement Plan
Wellness Center Eligibility based on meeting required service period