Senior Director of Graduate Enrollment Management - Gies College of Business

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Urbana, IL

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director of Graduate Enrollment Management serves as a senior executive for Gies Graduate Programs. This leader partners closely with the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs to translate strategic vision into measurable enrollment outcomes across residential and online graduate portfolios. This role also works closely with Gies Marketing & Communications (MarCom) and serves as the lead recruitment contact for top-of-funnel partners and degree program hosts such as Coursera. The Senior Director is accountable for enterprise-level recruitment, admissions, and enrollment strategy, enrollment target ownership, and resource alignment in support of institutional revenue goals and academic priorities. This role shapes the long-term enrollment architecture of the college, positions Gies Graduate Programs competitively in national and global markets, and ensures operational excellence through high-performing recruitment and admissions teams. Serving as a senior advisor to the Associate Dean, the Senior Director provides strategic analysis, forecasting, and market intelligence to inform portfolio growth, risk mitigation, and innovation in recruitment, admissions, and enrollment pathways.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required
7+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience in graduate enrollment management, recruitment strategy, learner lifecycle management, or a related field
Demonstrated success contributing to enrollment growth initiatives and advancing strategic recruitment outcomes
Experience leading and developing high-performing professional teams

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree
Experience in both residential and online graduate education environments
Experience with engaging domestic and international learners and markets
Experience in a complex research university setting

Responsibilities

Accountable for performance outcomes across residential and online recruitment and admissions teams
Provide executive leadership and strategic direction to two high-performing recruitment and admission teams spanning residential and online programs
Ensure operational excellence in admissions review, scholarship administration, onboarding, and yield management
Develop, manage, and allocate recruitment and admissions budget resources aligned with strategic priorities
Work closely with the Graduate Programs leadership to create and maintain a functional recruitment and marketing budget for Gies Graduate Programs. Monitor budget allocations and expenditures to ensure unit priorities are supported effectively.
Establish performance metrics, dashboards, and accountability frameworks
Ensure compliance with Graduate College and university policies
Accountable for developing, executing, and sustaining a comprehensive graduate recruitment, admissions, and enrollment strategy aligned with institutional priorities
Own and monitor annual enrollment and tuition revenue targets in collaboration with academic and budget leadership
Lead enrollment and tuition revenue forecasting, scenario modeling, and funnel performance analysis
Conduct market intelligence and competitive analysis to inform program positioning, pricing considerations, and portfolio evolution
Position Gies Graduate Programs competitively within national and global graduate education markets
Lead change management initiatives to evolve recruitment models in response to market, regulatory, and technological shifts
Responsible for designing and implementing proactive recruitment strategies that expand domestic and international pipelines beyond passive inquiry channels
Cultivate strategic partnerships, corporate relationships, and emerging market opportunities
Align scholarship strategy and financial incentives with enrollment objectives
Monitor yield risk and intervene strategically to protect target outcomes
Represent Gies Graduate Programs in high-level external recruitment engagements and partnership initiatives
Serve as a senior advisor to the Associate Dean on enrollment forecasting, portfolio growth strategy, and institutional enrollment risk mitigation
Support student services leadership to create and implement learner retention strategies
Collaborate with and support other sub-units within graduate programs, aligning with and advancing unit vision and priorities
Collaborate with MarCom, Business Development, International Programs, academic departments, and central leadership to ensure strategic alignment
Support the launch of new academic programs across both modalities through integrated enrollment planning
Contribute strategic enrollment data to accreditation and reporting initiatives
Represent Gies Graduate Programs in engagements with a variety of constituents, with the ability to help shape commitments, resolve issues, and contribute to agreements in atypical circumstances.