Director of Admissions and Financial Aid - Putney, United States - The Putney School

Description

The Putney School is seeking a Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, a full-time administrative position to begin work on or around June 15, 2024. Reporting to the head of school, this position is responsible for all strategic and operational facets of admission, enrollment, and financial aid, including helping build the school's brand identity, generating positive "buzz" about the school, meeting enrollment and revenue targets, and promoting student retention. This role is an opportunity to shape the future of one of the most relevant and exciting schools in the United States by ensuring a vibrant and sustainable place in a competitive marketplace.

About The Putney School: Putney is a progressive boarding school for 230 hardworking and curious students in Putney, Vermont. Hands-on learning is embedded in the school's culture: a working dairy farm, expansive arts offerings, a robust work program, miles of wooded trails, and large solar arrays serve our curriculum. Employees are also part of an intentional residential experience that values belonging and community. We seek applicants who find joy in their work and help others realize how much fun authentic, student-centered learning can be. The school cultivates and sustains an educational community that values difference. Community members explore how they contribute to building a home at Putney where everyone, especially those from historically marginalized populations, can honor their individual racial, gender, ethnic, and socio-economic identities. Putney recognizes this is difficult, communal work, and the school supports all its employees in developing this critical skill set.

Responsibilities:

• Supervise a professional and high-quality admissions team of four full-time counselors.
• Articulate Putney's brand identity to ensure our communications reinforce the ways in which Putney is distinct, competitive, and relevant.
• Shepherd families from inquiry to the enrollment stages of the application process.
• Ensure robust recruitment outreach via visits to schools, high school fairs, educational consultants, and educational conferences.
• Lead and manage the admission committee to admit mission-appropriate students.
• Secure a balance of full-pay families and aid-receiving families to fund targeted net tuition revenue and appropriate enrollment targets.
• Manage a $4.5 million-dollar financial aid budget by reviewing financial aid applications and allocating awards aligned with student needs and school goals.
• Collaborate with programmatic leadership to ensure clear understanding of program aspirations, strengths, hurdles, obstacles, and potential weaknesses.
• Build applicant pools that reflect a range of racial, socio-economic, geographic, and gender identities. Benefits: Competitive compensation depending on experience; health benefits, paid vacation, and 403(b) retirement plan contributions; on-campus housing; annual professional development opportunities.

  Qualifications: B.A. or higher, with five or more years' experience in admission programs; expertise in communications, marketing, and sales; experience in independent school settings, preferably in progressive and/or residential schools. The ideal candidate will have knowledge of international student recruiting strategies, as well as experience marketing to students from historically resilient identities. He/she/they must communicate energetically and clearly, in large settings and in intimate conversations, and engage positively with parents, educators, consultants, peers, and students.

  How to Apply : Please submit a cover letter and resume by April 15, 2024. We will continue reviewing applications until the position is filled.