Key Responsibilities
Below are the major duties and responsibilities expected of the Admission Manager:
1. Strategic Planning & Enrollment Management
- Develop an annual admissions plan aligned with the University's strategic goals, academic programme growth and demographic targets.
- Set admission targets (undergraduate, postgraduate, international, domestic, reserved categories) and monitor progress.
- Forecast demand, analyze market and demographic trends to anticipate changes (e.g. competition, regulatory, student preferences).
2. Admissions Operations & Process Management
- Oversee the full admissions cycle: from enquiry, application, document verification, eligibility assessment, admission offer, to enrollment.
- Ensure the admissions process is efficient, userfriendly, transparent, and with high service quality (communications, turnaround times).
- Manage the selection criteria for different programs (merit, entrance tests, interviews where relevant).
- Ensure proper record keeping, data integrity, and use of systems (admission portal / CRM / ERP).
3. Outreach, Marketing & Student Recruitment
- Lead student recruitment efforts: school visits, open houses, webinars, educational fairs, online/offline counselling.
- Collaborate with marketing/communications to develop campaigns (digital, print, social media) to promote programmes.
- Build relationships with feeder schools, coaching institutes, educational agents, alumni, community organizations.
- Coordinate international recruitment (if applicable): agents, foreign school partnerships, virtual fairs, visaprocess guidance.
4. Stakeholder Management & External Relations
- Liaise with internal stakeholders: academic departments, finance, registrar, scholarships office, student affairs, etc.
- Handle interactions with parents, prospective students, school counsellors.
- Maintain external relationships: education boards, government/regulatory bodies, accrediting agencies.
5. Team Leadership & Staff Development
- Lead, supervise, motivate, and manage the admissions team (counsellors, officers, administrative staff).
- Assign roles & responsibilities; track performance, provide feedback; identify training and development needs.
- Promote a culture of customerservice, continuous improvement, and accountability.
6. Data & Analytics / Reporting
- Implement and maintain systems (CRM or admission management software) to track applicant pipelines, conversion rates, dropouts, and admission funnel metrics.
- Analyse data and metrics to identify bottlenecks, areas for improvement, successes, and ROI of recruitment efforts.
- Prepare regular reports/dashboards for senior management (on application numbers, yield, diversity, financials, etc.).
7. Policy, Compliance & Quality Assurance
- Ensure admissions policies comply with University regulations, national regulatory bodies, reservation / affirmative action norms, accreditation requirements.
- Maintain integrity, fairness and confidentiality in all admission decisions and handling of applicant data.
- Review and update admissions policy as required.
8. Customer Experience & Student Support
- Ensure prospective students and parents have a positive experience: clear communication, timely responses, transparency.
- Manage grievance/complaint systems for admissionrelated issues.
- Ensure guidance on scholarships, fee structure, financial aid, visa/immigration (if relevant).
9. Budgeting & Resources Management
- Prepare and manage budgets for admissions & recruitment activities.
- Optimize resource utilisation: staff, marketing spend, outreach travel, promotional materials.
Qualifications & Experience
Here are the typical qualifications and experience desirable:
- Master's degree in Education, Business Administration, Marketing, Management, or related field. (Additional qualifications/certifications relevant to higher education administration are a plus.)
- Significant experience in admissions / enrollment management in higher education (ideally 715 years, with at least some in a leadership role).
- Experience with international admissions or recruiting students from diverse backgrounds is advantageous (if the role includes that).
- Demonstrated experience with CRM / admissions management systems, data analytics / reporting.
- Strong understanding of the Indian higher education regulatory environment, reservation policies, accreditation, and possibly international education systems.
Skills & Competencies
Desired skills include:
- Excellent strategic planning, organizational and project management abilities.
- Strong leadership, ability to motivate teams.
- Excellent communication skills: verbal, written, presentation; comfortable interacting with diverse stakeholders (students, parents, school counsellors, academic staff).
- Customercentric mindset; service orientation.
- Analytical, datadriven, ability to interpret metrics and take action.
- Marketing mindset: comfortable with digital marketing, branding, outreach campaigns.
- Ability to multitask, manage timelines and deadlines, work under pressure.
- Integrity, fairness, professionalism.
Working Conditions
- Officebased role with standard working hours; but may involve travel (for school visits, fairs, outreach) and some evening/weekend work (events, webinars).
- Fastpaced environment, often with peak periods (application deadlines, entrance exams etc.).
