Director Of Admissions - Beginning July 2024

Director of Admissions - Beginning July 2024

The Director of Admissions is responsible for ensuring the longevity of the school by enrolling students and families that reflect our school’s mission, vision, and progressive approach to learning. A member of the school’s leadership team, the Director of Admissions helps build and deliver a dynamic admissions experience, working in concert with the Advancement, Program, and Finance departments in achieving strategic plan goals. The Director of Admissions is a member of the Integrated Advancement team; this role reports to the Head of School and works closely with the Director of Integrated Advancement, as well as engaging with the school faculty and Board of Directors. The Director of Admissions understands the long-term impact of a progressive education and uses that knowledge to cultivate strong relationships with prospective and current constituents to support Baker and improve the institution’s success.

Admissions and Enrollment Experience Strategy and Management

• Develop and lead comprehensive admissions and enrollment strategies that are grounded in data-driven decision making and aligned with the school's mission, values, vision, and goals.
• Conduct data-driven analysis of market trends, the competitive landscape, and student demographics to optimize recruitment efforts.
• Identify and attend aligned school fairs, local events, and feeder school opportunities.
• Develop partnerships with aligned schools, businesses, and afterschool programs
• Foster relationships with feeder schools, educational consultants, and other key stakeholders to increase brand awareness, visibility, recruitment channels, and referrals in order to increase lead generation of target audience.
• Attend relevant weekend and evening admissions events at the school, in the community, and across the Chicagoland area.
• In collaboration with the Director of Integrated Advancement, develop and manage a family ambassador network.
• Work in collaboration with the Director of Integrated Advancement to develop, refine, and continuously improve a 1 year, 3 year, and 5 year enrollment, marketing, and communications plan.
• Execute an enrollment and communications plan to attract candidates and enhance the school's online visibility, brand awareness, and reputation.
• Plan, execute, and report on all internal and external admission events; manage and ensure communication of Admissions calendar (internally and externally).
• Ensure an efficient, high-touch, results-driven, and streamlined experience for prospective students and their families, from lead generation and ongoing touch points to driving home unique selling point’s (USPs), to enrollment and retention.
• Lead the Admissions Committee to oversee the evaluation and assessment of applicants and assist with the decision-making process.
• Oversee new student enrollment and re-enrollment strategies and cycle, including but not limited to: contract review, updates, preparation of mailings/communications, and the timely collection of information.
• Manage admissions budget.

Reporting

• Produce longitudinal reports that proactively inform trustees, administrators, and faculty about admission, enrollment, and retention trends, potential risks / opportunities, and outcomes impacting the school’s operations.
• Oversee enrollment records processes to ensure accuracy of database.
• The Director of Admissions reports to the Head of School.

Collaboration Requirements

Financial Aid and Tuition Revenue Management

• Collaborate with the Head of School, Director of Finance, and Director of Integrated Advancement to ensure information is current and up to date, and create projections for financial aid expenditures and net tuition revenue.
• Oversee all aspects of the need-based financial aid application process for new and returning students.
• Make recommendations to the Director of Finance for allocation of tuition assistance funds in accordance with the School’s procedures and values, and ensure that expenditures are in line with budgeted expectations developed by the Head of School, Director of Finance, and Board of Trustees.

Education Program

• Collaborate closely with academic leaders and faculty to understand program offerings, effectively communicate those offerings to prospective students, retain current students, create engaging experiences for prospective students, and identify opportunities to share our stories.

Marketing, Communications, and Development

• Collaborate closely with the Associate Director of Marketing to ensure consistent messaging across internal and external communications, support outreach events and share resources/data with other personnel working on fundraising, grants, and development.
• Attend and support events as needed.

Strategic Advancement

• Collaborate with the Director of Integrated Advancement and Associate Director of Marketing and Events to inform and develop 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year enrollment, communications, and marketing models and strategic plans.

Candidacy Requirements

The Ideal Candidate will demonstrate:

• Personal and professional commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, verbal, and written communication skills.
• An authentic commitment to innovation, collaboration, and diversity.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Ability to develop and articulate a compelling vision for enrollment in alignment with the School’s vision.
• A commitment to innovation and to collaboration.
• Substantive, relevant and successful professional experience.
• Ability to relate to and work closely with diverse school constituencies.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a professional team to advance the mission of the School
• Ability to listen carefully and understand constituents' needs, both internally and externally, and proactively respond to those needs in a consistent and timely manner.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, take initiative, think creatively, problem solve, and react and adapt to changing situations appropriately.

The Ideal Candidate Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree; Education or related field preferred.
• Professional school admissions experience; independent school experience preferred.
• Personal and professional ethics aligned with Baker’s Community Values.
• Experience within the independent and/or parochial school landscape and communities across and within the Chicago area.
• Proficiency with software and hardware–and the ability to learn or implement new systems.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace;
• Experience with and working knowledge of customer relationship management (CRM) software such as HubSpot and Salesforce, FACTS, RenWeb, and/or Raiser’s Edge is a plus.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements.

About Baker:

Founded in 1918, Baker Demonstration School is an independent day school committed to providing an exemplary Preschool, Elementary and Middle School progressive education to our students. Our students come from Chicago, Evanston, Wilmette and other North Shore communities. We believe that children learn best in an inclusive, creative community that encourages individual risk-taking and values learning by doing. Baker’s experiential approach nurtures the development of the whole child enabling each student to be fully prepared for intellectual, artistic, physical and social/emotional challenges well beyond Baker.

At Baker:

• We cultivate our students’ intrinsic motivation to learn and their active participation in the learning process
• We foster excellence through critical thinking and integrated connections across academic and artistic endeavors
• We promote collaboration while developing leadership capacity
• We foster citizenship by encouraging students to develop self-awareness and compassion for others
• We celebrate individual, familial and cultural identities and graduate students with an understanding and respect for diversity, equity and inclusivity

Application Process

Candidates should submit a letter of interest and resume with 3-4 professional references to . Salary is commensurate with experience and education. Candidates must successfully complete a background check.

Compensation Package:

Salary range $70,000-80,000; with Competitive benefits package

Non-Discrimination and Disability Policy

Baker Demonstration School is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions, including those related to recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, and recognition of individuals on the basis of their ability and job-related qualifications and without regard to race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or any other classification protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. We actively seek diversity among faculty and administration as well as among students. The school complies with the law regarding reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application/interview process are requested to contact the School in order to arrange such accommodation.

Job Types: Full-time, Contract

Pay: $70,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Experience:

• Admissions: 3 years (Required)

Work Location: In person