Senior Manager- Admissions and Student Recruitment
American University of Ras Al Khaimah
The Senior Manager, Student Recruitment and Admissions leads the university's endtoend enrollment strategy, ensuring the attraction, engagement, and conversion of highquality applicants across undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The role oversees both domestic and international recruitment pipelines, supervises admissions operations, and ensures a seamless, datadriven admissions funnel from inquiry to enrollment. This position also builds and maintains strategic partnerships with schools, agents, government entities, and other external stakeholders to strengthen the university's market presence and achieve enrollment target
Key Responsibilities
Student Recruitment Strategy & Market Development
- Develop and implement annual student recruitment plans aligned with institutional enrollment targets.
- Identify and expand high-yield recruitment markets locally and internationally.
- Build strong relationships with high schools, counselors, education agents, and institutional partners.
- Represent the university at education fairs, recruitment events, school visits, and international exhibitions.
- Develop targeted recruitment strategies for undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
Pipeline Development and Conversion
- Manage the student recruitment funnel from inquiry to enrollment
- Monitor lead generation, application numbers, conversion rates, and enrollment trends.
- Implement conversion strategies such as applicant engagement campaigns, counseling sessions, and recruitment events.
- Support the development of scholarship and financial incentive frameworks to improve yield.
Admissions Management
- Oversee the end-to-end admissions process, ensuring efficiency, accuracy, and compliance with university policies.
- Ensure admissions policies and procedures comply with institutional and regulatory requirements.
- Monitor application trends and conversion rates to optimize admissions processes.
- Develop initiatives to improve application-to-enrollment conversion rates.
- Collaborate with marketing and communications teams to develop targeted conversion campaigns.
CRM and Data Management
- Manage the CRM and admissions systems to ensure accurate data, reporting, and workflow automation.
- Monitor KPIs including inquiries, applications, admissions, and enrollments.
- Use data insights to optimize recruitment campaigns and admissions workflows.
- Develop dashboards and reports for senior leadership to track recruitment performance.
Team Leadership and Coordination
- Lead and manage the Student Recruitment and Admissions team.
- Provide mentoring, training, and performance management to ensure high team productivity.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and service excellence.
- Work closely with academic departments, marketing teams, student services, ATC Center, and the registrar to ensure a coordinated enrollment approach.
Qualifications & Work Experience
- Master's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field.
- 10 - 12 years of experience with higher education institutions, in student recruitment, admissions, and education marketing, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
- Demonstrated success in achieving enrollment targets and managing recruitment strategies.
- Strong understanding of regional and international education landscapes, particularly within the MENA and South Asia regions.
- Proficiency in CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and analytics tools.
Skills And Knowledge
- Student Lifecycle Awareness
- Strategic planning and execution
- Supervising and managing people
- Excellent communication and leadership skills
- Familiarity with accreditation standards
- Willingness to travel as needed to represent AURAK at recruitment events
Language Proficiency Required
- Language proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing English.
- Proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing Arabic is an asset.
