Career Center

Orchard House Middle School

 Director of Enrollment Management

Revised 10-19-2023

General Information:

• a 12-month, full-time, salaried employee with all applicable benefits
• other duties determined by the Head of School as needed
• potential duties include managing a new summer program and coordinating

          alumnae-related efforts

Mission and Values:

Orchard House Middle School educates and inspires middle school girls in a responsive, academically engaging community that fosters each girl’s intellectual curiosity, social responsibility, emotional integrity, and physical well-being.

Diversity, equity, social justice, and inclusion are central to Orchard House’s mission. As part of our broader effort to ensure that our hiring process and our community reflect that mission, we are actively seeking candidates to help us build a team with diverse backgrounds. All applicants should be enthusiastic about these principles and eager to carry them forward in their curricular and relational work.

Reports to:  Head of School

FLSA Status:  Exempt

Job Description and Responsibilities:

The Director of Enrollment Management is responsible for leading the way, ensuring mission alignment, and managing the entire admissions process from the point of inquiry, recruitment effort, selection process, enrollment of mission appropriate applicants, maintenance of the wait pool, and re-enrollment of current students, including administering tuition assistance; for developing the school’s strategic admissions policies and implementing them fairly and systematically, ensuring the creation of a welcoming doorway to Orchard House Middle School (OHMS);  for developing and implementing comprehensive, action-oriented enrollment strategies and tactics that will position OHMS as the all-girls, middle school of choice. The Director of Enrollment Management is a member of the Senior Administrative Team and works collaboratively with senior leadership, the Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff.

The Director of Enrollment Management is responsible for the following essential duties:

Recruitment and Re-enrollment

• Oversees the recruitment and re-enrollment process that inspires families to join our community by being transparent and responsive and by educating them on the benefits of an Orchard House Middle School education to ensure OHMS meets its annual enrollment and diversity goals
• Develops long-term enrollment and retention strategies and implements them to ensure each class is filled with and retains qualified students
• Identifies emerging and new markets for prospective recruiting and changing trends in student recruitment
• Utilizes predictive analytics to provide enrollment forecasting and enrollment management planning. Provides market insight to drive strategic decisions and monitors local, state-wide, national, and international enrollment trends
• Actively seeks, and stays apprised of, relevant admissions information, organizations, methods and trends in admissions
• Works closely with Finance Manager and Assistant Head of School to ensure timely and accurate collection of data related to student retention, including attrition analysis
• Maintains and utilizes FACTS database to nurture and manage relations with prospective families
• Conceptualizes and implements innovative, creative strategies and tactics that drive market awareness and demand for the school’s programs and offerings, attracting a diverse class of high-quality applicants to OHMS
• Partners with the Head of School to establish admissions standards, admissions policies, and process for evaluating and making final admit/wait pool decisions for all applicants. Ensures systematic, efficient, and confidential handling of applications and related student information
• Provides monthly enrollment reports to the Head of School, Finance Manager, and Board of Trustees
• Provides ROI analysis for enrollment efforts and associated marketing initiatives
• Collaborates with the Finance Manager to implement tuition assistance and determine award distribution
• Partners with the Head of School and Finance Manager to develop tuition and tuition assistance policies designed to maximize new student enrollment and current student retention; monitors trends and provides reporting on demographics of incoming student population
• Manages multiple events including Open House, Information Sessions/guest visits, Accepted Family Welcome/Orientation, and assists with new student gatherings
• Leads by example, expressing warmth and hospitality and ensuring the mission of OHMS is visible in the enrollment process to prospective families, students, faculty, staff, and school leadership

Admissions

• Develop a strategic recruitment and re-enrollment calendar
• Respond to inquiries via e-mail or phone in a timely fashion
• Oversee the processing of inquiries, applications and admission materials into the admission database
• Lead the Gryphon Guide program and recruit additional parent volunteers
• Lead tours or coordinate tours
• Schedule student visits and communicate those visits with the appropriate teacher
• Conduct interviews with prospective parents and students
• Steward prospective families through the admission and tuition assistance process
• Review completed admission files, including school academic records, teacher recommendations and admission testing results with the Admission Committee
• Communicate admission decisions in a caring and compassionate way
• Assist the Finance Manager with managing the enrollment contracts received and enrollment grid
• Produce enrollment statistics and reports with the assistance of the Finance Manager
• Ensure new families are well prepared for their transition in the fall of each new school year, including the collection of all necessary paperwork for enrollment
• Partner with colleagues to develop brand-centric communications, including, website, magazine, photography, social media, and admission publications, that tell the OHMS story in an innovative and compelling way
• Strategize with the Head of School and colleagues to explore creative ways to increase OHMS’s visibility in the market and our ability to yield mission-appropriate students
• Collaborate with the faculty to promote the value and outcomes of an OHMS education
• Partner with the Finance Manager to determine the appropriate admission budget to maximize the effectiveness of all admission efforts
• Conduct demographic and market research, as needed
• Participate actively in the school community through attendance at school events

Essential Skills:

• Commitment to the OHMS mission and to enrolling diverse and mission-appropriate students
• Ability to work collaboratively with co-workers and other school community members
• Keen analytical skills with statistics and budgets and a detail-oriented work style
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to balance multiple demands in ways that are well organized
• Ability to demonstrate genuine appreciation and respect for all school community members
• Ability to manage difficult decisions with confidentiality and sensitivity
• Strong technology skills and strong working knowledge of an Admissions, SIS (Student Information System), or a Tuition Assistance database

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum of five years of experience in strategic admissions in the private/independent school or college educational settings
• Proven leadership success including the ability to motivate and lead positively through change, collaborate with others to reach common goals
• Demonstration of a positive track record with admissions, recruiting, conversion and retention
• Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university (preferred)
• Working knowledge or experience with Greater Richmond area communities and schools (preferred)

Work Environment:

• Office, in person
• Potential offsite meeting or professional development

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum of five years of experience in strategic admissions in the private/independent school or college educational settings
• Proven leadership success including the ability to motivate and lead positively through change, collaborate with others to reach common goals
• Demonstration of a positive track record with admissions, recruiting, conversion and retention
• Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university (preferred)
• Working knowledge or experience with Greater Richmond area communities and schools (preferred)