Director of Student Recruitment, Access and Admissions

Job Description

Robert Gordon University is an innovative, inclusive and professionally focused university that has been widely recognized for its teaching excellence, student-centered approach and as one of the UK’s top universities for graduate employability. The University has an impressive array of awards that includes a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework and being ranked by the Guardian University Guide 2022 as the top university in Scotland for graduate prospects. The University celebrates a very high-quality student experience with the influential Times and National Student Survey (NSS) placing RGU in the top three universities in Scotland for its student experience. Situated in a purpose built and modern parkland campus near to Aberdeen city centre, the University can also boast first-rate facilities for its community of 16,000 students and 1500 staff and is extremely well-placed to build on its recent successes to achieve its corporate ambitions for growth and diversification nationally and internationally.

The Director of Recruitment, Access and Admissions is a new role created to develop a holistic and strategic approach to recruiting students at all levels and will be a critical appointment for the future success of the University in a highly competitive national and international market for higher education. Working closely with the senior management and all of the University’s key stakeholders you will be responsible for developing and delivering data informed and target-driven student recruitment and admissions activities that significantly improves fee-paying student numbers and optimizes recruitment against Scottish Funding Council targets. Already a highly successful international institution, the new Director will also be responsible for increasing and diversifying international student recruitment and for working closely with the University’s embedded pathway college. Leading teams of professional and specialist staff across a wide range of functions you will also be charged with delivering highly efficient and effective systems and processes that maximizes the University’s recruitment potential in a competitive and fast-paced environment.

You will be an experienced strategic student recruitment manager in higher education with a proven track-record of delivering improved student recruitment results from both national and international markets. With exceptional marketing abilities you will also be a target driven and sales focused individual with a deep empathy and understanding of modern and progressive university environments. Alongside your technical expertise you will also be an inspirational leader with excellent interpersonal skills and adept at influencing at a strategic level with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.

 

We have appointed search consultants, Dixon Walter to recruit for this post. For further information and to apply visit: https://www.dixonwalter.co.uk/opportunities/director-student-recruitment-rgu

For a confidential discussion about the post, contact: 

alan@dixonwalter.co.uk  or  simon@dixonwalter.co.uk

Closing date for applications is Sunday 19^thMarch. Preliminary interviews will be held with Dixon Walter from the 20^thMarch with final interviews on Wednesday 19^thApril.

 

Requirements

RESPONSIBLE TO: Director of Planning and Policy

RESPONSIBLE FOR: Student Recruitment and Admissions

PURPOSE OF POST:
The postholder is the University’s principal lead in respect of student recruitment and admissions and is responsible for the delivery of the
University’s student number and revenue targets in the short and long-term.
Maintain and keep under review and deliver the University's student strategy ensuring that RGU meets its International, RUK, EU and Home, undergraduate and postgraduate student recruitment targets - on campus and distance learning.
Drive and manage student recruitment activity, sales and conversion activity to increase student recruitment revenues to deliver the RGU business plan targets.
Provide a strategic sales focus and strong leadership to all colleagues engaged in student recruitment activity to ensure a coordinated approach across the University.
Ensure that the necessary admissions systems, procedures and monitoring are in place in order to comply with UKVI and other relevant statutory requirements.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES:
Responsible for developing, coordinating and executing a university-wide strategy, policies and procedures and programme of activities to achieve student recruitment targets, developing existing and future international, RUK, EU and home target markets, and ensuring a smooth and effective integration with the university’s admissions process.
Lead a transformational university-wide change process to embed a student/market and sales approach to recruitment including development and implementation of appropriate strategies, policies, procedures and activities.
Ensure delivery of student recruitment targets required by the university business plan.
Work with the University’s Executive, Senior Management Group and Heads of School and support services to develop our recruitment strategy and translate this into integrated deliverable operational plans. Monitor and evaluate performance against agreed targets and ensure the timely reporting of progress and outcomes for International, RUK, EU and Home, undergraduate and postgraduate student recruitment.
Work in close strategic and operational alignment with our embedded pathway provided by the International College at RGU (ICRGU) Create and lead recruitment activity to identify new recruitment markets and channels; ensuring continual development of new business and sustainability of existing channels.
Identify emerging risks to the university’s recruitment targets and formulate plans to mitigate risks by managing across the breadth of the University’s recruitment activity.
Recruit, co-ordinate and monitor a network of agents appointed by the university to support international recruitment activity; ensuring these are successful, cost-effective and aligned with sector best practice.
Develop and manage the university’s various partnerships including agents/outsourced partners, academic, commercial and research partnerships in support of student recruitment.
Co-ordinate recruitment activities, including attendance at fairs, events and international visits, through the development and execution of an integrated plan with associated targets and KPIs.
Critically assess and evaluate recruitment activity in respect of its value for money and investment returns in relation to targets, making changes and improvements as necessary.
Ensure that the university provides the optimum experience to prospective students, maximising eventual enrolment from the enquirer/applicant data base.
Develop and implement the University's conversion activity to maximise the enquires/applicants to enrolment ratio.

Continue in attached PDF

Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications and Professional Memberships
• Educated to degree level, with a relevant postgraduate and/or professional
qualification or equivalent experience.

Knowledge and Experience
• In-depth knowledge of admissions and student recruitment (both domestic and international) in UK higher education.
• A thorough knowledge of all recruitment channels and mechanisms.
• A good working knowledge the of the Scottish higher education policy
context of student recruitment.
• Knowledge of higher education trends and their impact on current and
future market demand and customer choice.
• A sound understanding of the legal and compliance aspects of student recruitment and admissions, particularly around admissions processes and UKVI regulations.
• A thorough understanding of general management techniques in a large and complex organisation.
• Significant experience and a proven track record in the successful management and delivery of student recruitment through partnerships and agent networks.
• Significant experience of managing conversion activity through the whole recruitment cycle.
• Experience of managing a significant budget and in managing remote
offices and agents.
• Experience of strategy and policy formulation and the implementation of
complex change projects.
• Experience of achieving significant results by working effectively with others, internally and externally.

SKILLS
• Ability to communicate vision, plans, proposals and business propositions to varied audiences inside and outside the university.
• Communicates a clear and consistent vision and is able to translate it into plans and actions that engage people.
• High level analytical and thinking skills and the ability to take a strategic view, able to contribute to the organisations strategic thinking and corporate planning.
• The ability to understand and respond appropriately to applicant demands and expectations.
• Excellent financial and resource management skills.
• Ability to lead, work with, motivate and command the respect of academic communities including academic managers and staff, students, and professional support staff.
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiating, influencing and communication skills including experience of representing an organisation externally in diverse situations at senior levels.
• Openly encourages and recognises the contribution of others.
• Demonstrates integrity and high ethical standards, and is prepared to address challenging people issues when necessary.

The Individual

STRATEGIC AWARENESS
Develops strategy, communicates strategy and aligns people and resources to strategy
LEADING CHANGE
Embraces, champions and implements changes
SELF MANAGEMENT
Emotionally intelligent, continually develops and is resilient
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
Develops relationships, effectively communicates and is inclusive
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Sets standards, builds capability and manages performance
DELIVERING RESULTS
Drives for excellence, identifies outcomes and targets, manages resources to deliver