Graduate Admissions - Senior Director of Graduate Admissions & Recruitment

Sacred Heart University•Fairfield, CT

About The Position

Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century, offering over 100 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. It is one of the nation's largest Catholic universities and among the fastest-growing private doctoral institutions in the U.S. The University has a campus in Fairfield, Conn., and Dingle, Ireland, and also offers online programs. Nearly 10,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools. Sacred Heart, a Laudato Si’ campus, was established to be led by the laity and is rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, cultivating forward-thinking students. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition and Best Business Schools: 2025 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to WSHU Public Radio, a Division I athletics program, and an impressive performing arts program.

Requirements

Master’s degree required.
Minimum of eight years of successful admissions and recruitment experience.
Experience managing employees.
Experience using an admissions CRM.
Strong customer service orientation and excellent relationship-building skills.
Desire to work flexible hours at times to be responsive to adult students and working professionals.
Applicants must be lawfully authorized to work for any employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa for this position.

Nice To Haves

Experience with graduate student populations preferred.
Slate experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Execute the recruitment of a specific portfolio of graduate programs, manage one or more graduate recruitment staff members, and provide leadership within the Office of Graduate Admissions, with a particular focus on managing recruitment tactics, funnel management, and counselor activity to support enrollment.
Meet or exceed targets for new student enrollment in each assigned graduate program.
Develop processes, tactics, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure the recruitment team delivers an excellent customer service experience for all prospective students; Manage strategies for coordinated, proactive follow up with each candidate throughout the funnel to cultivate relationships with each candidate and address their unique graduate enrollment process.
Achieve benchmarks for conversion rates throughout the recruitment funnel and work to continually improve conversation at all stages: inquiry, applicant, deposit, enrolled.
Collaborate with Executive Director on the development and continued enhancement of the overall strategic recruitment plan.
Maintain a high level of expertise in Slate functionality and utilize Slate to inform the development of recruitment tactics, assess effectiveness of recruitment tactics, and track recruitment activities of the staff.
On an ongoing basis, identify sources for prospective students via pipelines such as external organizations (professional groups, corporations and non-profits), colleges and universities, industry publications, online platforms and others. Develop relationships to support ongoing enrollment benefits.
Develop and maintain productive relationships with deans and graduate program directors to understand and address unique needs. Work closely with program directors to ensure faculty are effectively involved in the recruitment process.
Represent the University and individual graduate programs at off campus recruitment events, community events, conferences, college fairs and other programs to increase program visibility and generate inquiries. Plan and present at on-campus and virtual recruitment programs and events.
Develop and utilize deep knowledge of all assigned graduate programs to effectively communicate program distinctions and experiences to candidates. Develop deep knowledge of all aspects of the University, including student support services, to assist in effective recruitment.
Develop and maintain current knowledge of competitors for each assigned program and utilize knowledge to inform recruitment initiatives and enrollment communications. Maintain current knowledge of external factors impacting enrollment trends for each graduate program.
Contribute to the development of marketing and communications plans through collaborative engagement with the Enrollment Communications and Marketing teams.
Contribute to a positive, collaborative, results-focused culture and environment as part of the Graduate Admissions team.
Develop and engage with professional networks online (e.g. LinkedIn) to support the achievement of enrollment goals.
Attend divisional and university meetings and gatherings; Participate and be visible in the University community, in particular attending programs within the colleges relating to assigned graduate programs and supporting the activities and achievements of graduate students.
Perform other duties as assigned.