Director of Admission - Washington, United States - Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School

Description

Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation's Capital, Washington DC's only Jewish Day School, is an independent, community school offering a dual curriculum of General and Judaic studies for students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. For families and staff alike, we are a warm, loving environment that supports and challenges each person to strive for growth in a collaborative and communal setting. The school is distinguished by its extraordinary faculty, commitment to academic excellence, and learning that is joyful, engaging, experiential, and enduring. MILTON is a vibrant, pluralistic Jewish day school where students, families, and faculty mirror the diversity of Jewish practice in the community. The school serves 475 students on two campuses - the beautiful South Campus for Early Elementary students in Grades PK-1, and the cutting-edge North Campus for Elementary and Middle School students in Grades 2-8.

Reporting directly to the Head of School as a member of the school's senior administrative team, the individual in this role is responsible for the identification, recruitment, admission, enrollment, re-enrollment of students as well as the placement of graduates. In alignment with the school's mission and values, the Director of Admission collaborates with the admission team, school leadership, and parent ambassadors to implement admission and financial aid strategies, develop marketing and outreach initiatives, and work towards achieving overall enrollment goals.

As a pilot for a major grant initiative focused on admissions beginning in 2024, MILTON will be working closely with internal and external partners to take our Admission program to its next level. It is ingrained in our culture to grow and evolve to meet the needs of our families and the greater DC Jewish community. After 20 years our long-time Director is stepping down and we are excited to meet our next Director of Admission who will be a core part of MILTON's strategy, culture, and dynamism. This is a wonderful opportunity for an experienced leader with a passion for Jewish education who is driven by relationships, collaboration, professionalism, and finding joy in their work.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Supervise the Admission team with a focus on their professional growth
• Provide strategic leadership for the entire admission, enrollment, and financial aid program and achieve progress toward MILTON's Strategic Plan objectives
• Collaborate with our Advancement colleagues and other members of the Senior Leadership Team to develop and implement a comprehensive marketing plan that increases inquiries and applications, and matriculations from qualified applicants
• Meet with potential families (incl. on school tours) to articulate the school's mission, culture, programs, and value-added proposition, and apprise their willingness and commitment to partner effectively with the school
• Oversee all aspects of the admission process, including marketing, communications, visits, tours, screening, and admission committees
• Develop and manage mission-appropriate financial aid
• Oversee the development and preparation of all print and online admission materials in concert with the Director of Advancement to convey relevant, accurate, and targeted messaging to intended audiences
• Maintain statistical reports on all aspects of enrollment trends, market demand, and demographic analysis, and report on such matters to school constituencies as appropriate
• Report to Board of Trustees quarterly on enrollment progress and projections
• Oversee all aspects of retention
• Oversee special events related to recruitment and retention
• Manage all parent and student admission volunteer support
• Evaluate continually and redesign where appropriate all aspects of the admission and financial aid programs with the goal of maintaining capacity enrollment of qualified students
• Develop and manage the admission budget
• Stay current on trends in independent school admission, financial aid, and retention, including economic and demographic shifts that could impact admission and enrollment
• Take an active role in professional activities, and attend relevant professional meetings and conferences
• Fulfill other responsibilities as determined by the Head of School

• Bachelor's degree required. Master's degree preferred
• 8-10 years of experience with effective admission and recruitment models in a school environment
• Extensive experience supervising a team and managing expansive projects with precision
• Ability and eagerness to represent the school in the larger community in a compelling and charismatic manner that reflects the values, culture, and excellence of the school
• Love and appreciation for children; amazement of their capabilities, competence, and curiosity
• Astute emotional understanding of the needs of parents, teachers, and students
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain effective, professional relationships with students, faculty, administrators, prospective parents, current parents, alumni, feeder schools directors, and school visitors
• High degree of cultural competency and knowledge of the diversity of the Jewish community and greater DC; demonstrated success in working with individuals from diverse backgrounds
• Knowledge of Jewish and independent school landscape in DC and beyond
• Exemplary organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to launch, prioritize, and manage multiple priorities and creatively problem-solve while empowering and entrusting colleagues as partners in the school's growth
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Flexibility for weekend and evening work that is inherent in the Admission cycle; Ability to be hands-on with event management, set-up, etc.
• Proficiency in Google Suite required; Experience with relational database expected (Blackbaud, Ravenna or comparable)