Director of Admissions and Communications

We are looking to appoint a Director of Admissions and Communications whose  remit  will  span both strategic and operational activities with the purpose of further developing and implementing the School’s  growth strategy to ensure attraction, recruitment and retention of pupils across the School. 

The Director of Admissions and Communications is responsible for pupil admissions into the School, throughout all aspects of the process from first contact, through visits, examinations and assessments, to their first day at school. 

The Director of Admissions and Communications is accountable to the Head.

The post-holder will work closely with the Registrar and the Marketing Coordinator and will line manage both posts.

Duties and Responsibilities   

• Provide an approachable and welcoming response service to enquiries concerning pupil admissions.  
• Oversee the strategic development and execution of Rye’s admissions process: enquiries, sending prospectuses, arranging visits/interviews, assessments, offers and enrolment including all general questions, administration and school communications: building up a good relationship with families.   
• Be proactive in ensuring retention at key transfer points.   
• Undertake analysis of entrance assessments/test results and feed results into the strategic development of the Admissions Process.   
• Develop the School’s Bursary and Scholarship programmes to live out the mission of the School.   
• Deliver the School’s strategy for day and boarding admissions and collaborate with  appropriate stakeholders on strategic planning around enrolment trends and goals, with a particular emphasis on Boarding.   
• Work on marketing messages, materials, and representation of the School in the local, regional, and international arenas.   
• Work closely with other School leaders, led by the Head, to implement the overall School initiatives, manage the budget, and develop the School’s policies and calendar.   
• Coordinate all enrolment activities including but not limited to special events (Open Days, informational coffees, taster events) involving prospective families and pupils.  
• Work with educational agents, attending and participating at local and international school shows.  
• Work with other members of the School’s leadership teams to organize specific retention efforts at key grade levels and meet or exceed enrolment goals for all target recruitment areas. 

Administration   

• Prepare and maintain the Admissions Register and produce statistics and interpret these statistics when  appropriate for the Head and Board of Governors.   
• Liaise with the Registrar and Compliance Officer to maintain the Admissions Register in line with current legislation and to prepare for school inspections.   
• Support families with the application process and where necessary visa applications.   
• Use the Management Information System pupil database for organisational and strategic purposes. (iSAMS).   
• Maintain archive records for admissions and arrange for old records to be destroyed as necessary and in line with GDPR regulations and the school document retention policy. 

Relationship Building   

• Build warm relationships with schools in the community, to ensure a positive impression of the school is consistently delivered.   
• Provide positive advice and support to parents and families on admissions, scholarship and bursary processes.   
• Ensure that a school-wide commitment to the School’s brand and identity is shared amongst all staff.   
• Develop positive relationships with alumnae and former staff, local businesses, key figures in the local and wider community, local and national media and relevant interest groups.  
• Promote good relationships with outside institutions with the aim of attracting mission appropriate pupils and families.   
• Liaise with, and visit, feeder primary and prep schools to build up a relationship and request information on applicants where needed. 

Admissions Planning & Reporting   

• Deliver an efficient and effective admissions and selection process through the team, ensuring that regulatory requirements are always met.   
• Monitor and predict pupil numbers for planning purposes and keeping the SLT updated on changes.   
• Ensure data is gathered, reviewed and updated appropriately for all prospective pupils, and monitoring the quality of such data.   
• Present admissions and promotions information to the Head and Bursar on a regular basis.   
• Report to the Marketing and Development Governors’ Committee on a termly basis. 

Enrolment Management   

• Cultivate and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with the Admissions/Deputy Heads/Heads at feeder schools, with the aim of increasing name recognition as well as the number/quality of the School’s applicant pool.   
• Develop initiatives to maintain and further expand the School’s relationships with Educational Agents/Consultants with the goal of increasing name recognition as well as day and boarding recruitment.   
• Develop and execute a personalised, high quality follow-up system to steward prospective families through the application and enrolment process.   
• Work with the Registrar to provide prospective families with tours of the school.   
• Oversee the management of entrance assessments throughout the year. 

Marketing & Communications   

• Lead the Marketing Coordinator in developing and implementing the School’s marketing strategy.  
• Evaluate, design and develop all recruitment and target marketing materials.   
• Play an integral part in the marketing of the School, including oversight of key marketing  material, both print and social media.  
• Develop strong relationships with key school influencers such as Good School Guide, Independent Schools’ Magazine and other relevant influencers.   
• Have a current awareness of key admissions and retention marketing strategies for independent schools.

Salary and benefits

An attractive salary is available for this senior post, dependent on qualifications and experience.

Please see the job description for further details of the benefits provided and the person specification.

Safeguarding

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.  All applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening including a check with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.