ADMISSIONS DIRECTOR

Director of Admissions

Maclay School

Full-Time, 12-Month Position

Reports to: Head of School

Partners closely with: Assistant Head of School for Advancement

Maclay School seeks an entrepreneurial, externally focused Director of Admissions to lead the strategy, systems, and relationships that drive inquiry, enrollment, and retention across the school. The Director of Admissions is a confident relationship-builder with a sales or business-development instinct, energized by setting and pursuing ambitious enrollment goals and building a pipeline of prospective families. The Director of Admissions serves as Maclay's chief ambassador to prospective families and the broader community, translating the school's mission and program into a compelling, market-ready case for enrollment.

The Director of Admissions is a visible, energetic presence both on and off campus, hosting tours and events, meeting prospective families, and representing Maclay at community organizations, feeder schools, and area events. This work regularly extends beyond a standard school day and into evenings and weekends and may require local travel to build and sustain relationships throughout the community. The Director of Admissions must be able to convey the school's mission, values, and standards with clarity and enthusiasm to a wide range of audiences.

The Director of Admissions understands that strong enrollment is a team effort and is skilled at mobilizing others, including faculty, current families, alumni, and staff, as ambassadors for the school. The ability to energize others toward shared outreach and enrollment targets is a vital part of this role.

Maclay is a selective school, and admission is a decision, not a transaction. The Director of Admissions owns both sides of that decision. There is the celebratory work of telling a family they have a place here, and there is the harder work of telling a family they do not. Both deserve the same care. The Director of Admissions must be able to hold a decision without apologizing for it, deliver difficult news with respect and discretion, and leave every family, admitted or not, with a positive impression of the school. The admissions process at Maclay is a thoughtful and informed decision which considers each student and whether their needs and goals can best be served by the experience Maclay offers. Through the thought and care in this admissions process, a community of students and families are selected that can best embrace the support and experiences the school delivers.

Responsibilities

Enrollment Strategy and Business Development

- Develop and execute a comprehensive enrollment strategy that sets ambitious, data-informed targets for inquiries, applications, admits, and enrolled students each year.

- Own the full admissions funnel from first inquiry through enrollment and re-enrollment, applying a sales-minded discipline to lead generation, follow-up cadence, and conversion at every stage.

- Proactively identify, cultivate, and pursue new sources of prospective families rather than waiting for inquiries to arrive, treating outreach as an ongoing, year-round priority.

- Build and manage the admissions budget in partnership with school leadership.

Outreach, Marketing, and Community Relationships

- Serve as Maclay's primary external representative to prospective families and build and steward an active network of feeder schools, early childhood and preschool programs, community organizations, and referral partners who can connect the school with prospective families.

- Partner with the Advancement and Communications offices on admissions materials, marketing, digital campaigns, website content, and social media to build the school's visibility and generate inquiries.

- Represent Maclay at community events, school fairs, open houses, and other outreach opportunities, and plan and host the school's own recruitment events.

- Track outreach activity and community relationships deliberately, ensuring no lead or referral source goes unfollowed.

Family Experience and Enrollment Management

- Serve as the primary point of contact for prospective families, guiding them personally at every stage of the process.

- Design and deliver a warm, high-touch, and responsive family experience, including tours, interviews, shadow days, and information sessions.

- Oversee the application and admission decision process in partnership with division leadership, ensuring timely, thoughtful communication at every step.

- Deliver admission decisions with clarity and care, owning the celebratory work of extending offers and the equally important work of communicating denials, deferrals, and waitlist decisions in a way that protects each family's dignity and the school's relationship with them.

- Steward the composition of each class, weighing mission fit, readiness, and the needs of current students alongside enrollment targets.

- Partner with the Business Office on financial aid strategy and awarding, balancing mission-driven access with enrollment and revenue goals.

- Own yield strategy, the deliberate and personal follow-up that converts admitted families into enrolled students.

- Partner with divisional teams on the handoff and onboarding of newly enrolled families, so the transition from admitted to belonging is intentional and well supported.

- Handle family, student, and financial information with discretion, maintaining strict confidentiality in matters including financial aid, testing and evaluation results, prior school records, and family circumstances.

Leadership and Collaboration

- Lead an Admissions office, a mix of full-time and part-time staff, setting clear goals, developing the team, and holding it accountable to enrollment targets.

- Report enrollment data, trends, and strategy regularly to the Head of School, Business Office and, as needed, the Board of Trustees.

- Maintain a close working partnership with the Assistant Head of School for Advancement and Business Office, keeping admissions, marketing, and development strategy alignment.

- Serve on the school's leadership team and relevant committees, contributing an external, market-facing perspective to institutional planning.

Qualifications

Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in business, hospitality, communications, or marketing preferred.

- A minimum of five years of experience in admissions, enrollment management, business development, sales, or marketing, ideally within an independent school, college, or comparable mission-driven organization.

- A demonstrated track record of setting and meeting ambitious enrollment or sales targets.

- Proficiency with admissions database systems and a desire to use data to track pipeline health, diagnose bottlenecks, forecast enrollment, and drive strategy. Veracross preferably.

- Familiarity with AI tools and a willingness to use them to improve efficiency, personalization, and follow-up.

- Outstanding relationship-building, presentation, and persuasive communication skills, with the confidence to represent the school to a wide range of external audiences.

The Successful Candidate Will Be

- A warm, high-touch presence with families, balancing care with a clear sense of enrollment goals and deadlines.

- Steady enough to deliver a difficult decision, and gracious enough to deliver it well.

- A strong partner across offices, able to keep Admissions and Advancement pulling in the same direction.

- Organized and self-directed, able to manage high volume without losing the personal touch that makes families feel known.

- Someone who believes in Maclay's mission and can speak about it with conviction.

Physical Requirements and ADA Statement

This role requires regular travel throughout the local and regional community, participation in on- and off-campus tours, events, and fairs, and extended periods of standing, walking, and engaging with visitors. The position also requires the ability to sit, stand, walk, communicate clearly, operate standard technology, drive to off-site locations, and occasionally lift up to 20 to 30 pounds of event or display materials. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Non-Discrimination Statement

Maclay School is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.