Director of Student Recruitment

University of Colorado•Denver, CO

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Recruitment develops and executes recruiting strategies to increase enrollment and enhance the reputation of Business School programs. This position has primary responsibility for graduate recruitment strategy, execution, and enrollment outcomes, while partnering with university enrollment teams to support undergraduate recruitment efforts. The Director oversees recruitment strategy and operations using enrollment data, dashboards, ROI analysis, and market trends to drive decision-making and improve recruitment effectiveness. This role leads recruitment event strategy, enrollment funnel management, and process improvement initiatives to support enrollment goals. The Director supervises the recruiting team, providing leadership, coaching, and professional development while fostering a collaborative, student-centered culture. The position also builds and maintains strong relationships with academic programs, campus partners, alumni, industry leaders, and community organizations to strengthen re

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, marketing, public relations, social sciences, liberal arts or other related field
Six (6) years of diverse and progressively responsible experience in student recruitment, admissions, and/or enrollment management
Experience supervising/managing professional staff and team members

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in business, higher education, communications, marketing, public relations, social sciences, liberal arts or other related field
Seven (7) years of professional experience in student recruitment, admissions and/or enrollment management
Experience in graduate student recruitment
Experience with technology: Salesforce, Slate, and A
Experience with data analysis in student enrollment yield and outcomes
Experience building and maintaining relationships with external organizations, industry partners, and community stakeholders

Responsibilities

Partner with the Assistant Dean of Enrollment and Scholarships, Business School leadership, and discipline/program directors to establish annual enrollment goals, align recruitment strategies with the Business School’s strategic plan, and ensure achievement of enrollment objectives across all programs.
Develop and execute recruitment and enrollment strategies with Assistant Dean of Enrollment and Scholarships for undergraduate and graduate programs, recognizing the unique needs, decision-making processes, and enrollment funnels of each student segment, to achieve enrollment goals, and advance the Business School’s strategic priorities.
Facilitate annual strategic planning and collaboration with discipline/program directors to identify program-specific recruitment opportunities, enhance market positioning, and engage diverse target student populations.
Conduct market research and annual competitive analyses, evaluate enrollment and recruitment data, and present findings and recommendations to leadership to support program improvements/adjustments.
Collaborate with D2 (self-funded programs) recruitment staff and other campus partners to align recruitment efforts, share best practices, and coordinate targeted outreach, recruitment initiatives, and enrollment events.
Cultivate creative ideas for new recruiting opportunities and gaps.
Lead, manage and coach recruiting team through goal setting, professional development, and regular feedback to ensure high levels of performance, engagement, and service.
Foster a strong team culture within the recruiting team and broader student success teams in the Business School.
Utilize Slate, Salesforce, AI tools, and enrollment analytics to establish recruitment goals, optimize enrollment funnel performance, automate processes, improve prospect engagement, and measure recruitment ROI.
Collaborate with the marketing team regularly for the alignment of digital enrollment strategies, recruitment materials and collateral and website content for all programs.
Develop and maintain CRM dashboards to evaluate recruitment effectiveness, conversion rates, and yield performance, supporting data-informed strategies that improve enrollment outcomes.
Plan, execute, and continuously optimize recruitment events and outreach initiatives by leveraging CRM data, enrollment funnel metrics, and ROI analysis to maximize lead generation, conversion, and enrollment outcomes.
Create and manage a departmental budget and track expenditures and allocations related to travel, events, and recruitment expenses.
Lead the planning and execution of graduate and undergraduate recruitment events, including open houses, admitted student programs, outreach events, and campus visit experiences to increase awareness, engagement, and enrollment.
Communicates with prospective students via call campaigns and emails regarding program(s) of interest; responds to RFI’s; builds and maintains an active pipeline of leads.
Actively participates in meetings with key stakeholders, being prepared to discuss performance data, prospective applicant concerns, and creative solutions to increase enrollment numbers.
Seek out, develop and manage strategic partnerships with existing external organizations/industry partners to develop new recruitment opportunities, broaden prospective student pipelines, and support enrollment goals in collaboration with Business School leadership.
Engage with Business School’s advising teams, campus college and university admissions, recruiting, advising and student affairs offices/organizations and the Office of International Admissions to build awareness of Business programs at CU Denver and within the CU System based upon strategic plan and feeds into enrollment numbers.
Represent the Business School locally, nationally at recruiting fairs and other events that will allow maximum exposure to prospective students.
Develop relationships with current students and alumni to help with recruitment activities for the Business School.
Lead targeted on-campus outreach and recruitment efforts through partnerships with veteran services, student organizations/affinity groups, and other campus stakeholders from various schools and colleges to build a strong and diverse pipeline of prospective students.
Actively participate in the CU Denver Recruitment and Outreach Network Committee and Graduate Student Recruitment Committee to share best practices, support university-wide enrollment initiatives, and strengthen recruitment strategies.
Assist with yearly events as needed (e.g. Orientation, Graduation, etc).
Participate in other program activities and initiatives as requested.
Other duties as assigned.