| Date: |
January, 2014 |
| Reports to (Job Title): |
Director, Marketing & Undergraduate Recruitment |
| Jobs Reporting (Job Titles): |
Manager, International Recruitment & Partnerships
Manager, College & University Partnerships
Manager, Liaison
Co-ordinator, Communications & Liaison
|
| Location: |
Main Campus |
| Grade: |
USG 13
35 hr/wk
|
Primary Purpose
Within the Marketing & Undergraduate Recruitment (M&UR) unit of the Registrar’s Office (RO), fills a key senior management position as an M&UR director accountable for the strategic direction of enrolment management strategies as they relate to domestic and international marketing and recruitment and for the integration of these strategies with other M&UR initiatives, which constitute 80% of uWaterloo marketing; plays a leadership role in leveraging the university’s positioning and visual identity frameworks to safeguard the uWaterloo brand and reputation; monitors and influences university policies that may impact the success of enrolment management strategies; specifically accountable for overseeing the strategic direction and successful operationalization of domestic, international, and transfer student liaison and associated recruitment activities, which have a direct effect on the achievement of university enrolment management and revenue goals.
Key Accountabilities:
1.
Establishes integrated, evidence-based recruitment and liaison strategies
- Accountable for identifying, developing, and recommending the overall strategic direction and most effective methods of implementing evidence-based enrolment management plans in order to achieve the strategic enrolment management goals set by the university, as they relate to domestic and international undergraduate marketing, recruitment, and admissions.
- Provides advanced understanding and expert guidance with respect to the creation of audience-centred strategies, the application of integrated communication strategies, the incorporation of traditional and emerging technologies and tools, and methods of leveraging the university’s positioning and visual identity frameworks into effective strategic initiatives.
- Monitors university-wide policies that impact the success of undergraduate recruitment strategies and provides relevant and specific market expertise to inform the development of institutional goals.
- Accountable for the setting of domestic and international recruitment priorities and for the implementation of tailored, audience-specific liaison strategies targeted at recruiting and admitting high-quality students from strategically segmented markets.
- Ensures the strategic integration of associated on-campus activities, including but not limited to high-profile on-campus visits involving such guests as independent guidance counsellors; government representatives; and personnel from high-quality educational institutions, associations, and agencies.
- Initiates and guides campus collaborations aimed at ensuring the alignment of campus strategies with institutional enrolment management goals to strengthen uWaterloo’s presence and effectiveness domestically and abroad.
- Works closely with government partners such as the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to share uWaterloo priorities and guide the development of their priorities.
- Communicates and interacts effectively with prospective students, applicants, and parents; guidance counsellors, teachers, principals, and school board officials; uWaterloo students, faculty, and alumni; and representatives of universities, businesses, government-related agencies, embassies, recruitment agencies, and the media.
- Ensures that the most appropriate recruitment and liaison personnel attend university-wide committee meetings related to the areas for which s/he is responsible.
- From time to time, represents the Associate Vice-President International at off-campus meetings and delegations, including but not limited to federal and provincial government affairs and international associations.
2. Collaborates, advises, consults, educates, and builds consensus
- Interacts directly with senior university officials and staff in the faculties, departments, professional schools, and university colleges with respect to marketing, positioning, and issues surrounding enrolment management initiatives, including but not limited to recruitment and admissions marketing plans, new admission and experiential learning models and scholarship allocation plans, curriculum/program development, transition initiatives, transfer credits, university exchanges and 2+2 programs, English language program accessibility, leveraging of government and ministry internationalization plans, and the management of agent/agency relationships and university agreements.
- Advises the Registrar; the Director, M&UR; and senior managers within the RO with respect to domestic and international liaison and associated marketing and recruitment strategies and issues.
- Works closely with the Director, M&UR, and the Associate Director, Marketing & Communications to ensure effective integration and consistency across all marketing, recruitment, and communication initiatives.
- Maintains an understanding of the critical importance of and the significant obstacles to building consensus and working collaboratively with on-campus partners, and plays a key role in seeking and developing opportunities to proactively build and foster partnerships and enhance working relationships.
- Provides resource and strategy expertise to campus-wide partners in the development of their strategic marketing plans for domestic and international recruitment and admissions.
- Creates and leads both small and large campus-wide teams of marketing and recruitment professionals, directors, associate deans, and managers for the purpose of achieving specific recruitment, admissions, and positioning goals, including but not limited to the evaluation of research, the examination of funding models, the setting of strategic plans and enrolment management goals, memorandums of understanding (MOUs), agent agreements, government priorities, and communication initiatives.
- Plays a key role as M&UR and RO representative on a number of ongoing and ad hoc committees to ensure that the university’s undergraduate enrolment management priorities are top of mind and are considered in the development of university-wide initiatives.
- Provides expert advice to faculties and departments with respect to their strategic enrolment management plans.
- Contributes management expertise as a member of M&UR and RO hiring teams as well as those in other departments and the faculties.
- Supports and consults with the Director, M&UR, with respect to organizational structure and change management.
- Proactively shares knowledge so that all M&UR team members can incorporate new information and techniques into their initiatives.
3. Directs the acquisition of research results and institutional knowledge that inform and support recruitment strategies
- Keeps well versed in and provides direction with respect to all aspects of domestic and international undergraduate recruitment and admissions, including generational characteristics, demographics, Canadian and international education systems, transition issues, academic programs, transfer credits, co-op, financing, residence, campus life, student success, and success after graduation.
- With recognition of the role of research as the foundation of all M&UR and RO work and its crucial application in informing decision making, strategy development, messaging, and budget allocation, maintains a deep understanding and awareness of the significant factors that affect marketing as well as uWaterloo’s image and reputation.
- Advises the Research Manager in the development of an annual research plan that will accomplish M&UR and RO strategic goals, and ensures the exploration, development, collection, and interpretation of appropriate research for understanding uWaterloo’s markets and recruitment goals.
- Ensures the collection and real-time analysis of historical and current admissions metrics to provide an understanding of present conditions and to guide future strategies.
- Ensures that managers under his/her direction maintain a thorough understanding of key surveys and other required data that inform recruitment marketing strategies and that appropriate research principles are incorporated into the development and evaluation of all initiatives.
- Supports and consults with the Director, M&UR, with respect to organizational structure and change management.
4. Provides project management and budgeting expertise
- Ensures the effective project management of initiatives for which s/he is accountable, including personnel, resources, time, and budget, with proper control of expenditures.
- Develops and manages project methodology that ensures successful project integration across all domestic and international marketing and undergraduate recruitment and admission strategies.
- Ensures that managers and staff under his/her direction develop and write Marketing Action Plans (MAPs) that accurately document all components of the particular strategies for which they are responsible and that they contribute appropriate updates to the overall M&UR tactics document.
5. Directs, motivates, and mentors staff
- In the absence of the Director, acts on his/her behalf to oversee and run the M&UR team, and to provide direction with respect to project and team member responsibilities.
- Hires M&UR managers under his/her direction, including directing interview committees, negotiating salaries, and when necessary, handling disciplinary action.
- For all staff who report to him/her, leads collaborative projects, sets clear and reasonable expectations, provides ongoing feedback, ensures the delivery of results, and establishes a strong foundation for performance through a comprehensive training program.
- Accountable for creating and maintaining a work environment that fosters, recognizes, and rewards supportive mentorship, professional quality, respectful communication, creativity, positive energy, and synergy.
5. Accountable for successful recruitment-related uWaterloo travel in Canada and overseas
- Accountable for the successful completion of all undergraduate recruitment-related travel within and outside of Canada. If required, personally undertakes travel assignments, which can involve absences of up to several weeks, in order to attend globalization conferences and to act as uWaterloo’s face-to-face spokesperson with key audiences in strategically selected domestic and international markets, including prospective students and influencers; Canadian embassy staff; domestic and international counsellors; Canadian colleagues responsible for domestic and international recruitment; and representatives of private and corporate agencies, governments, and businesses.
- Accountable for ensuring that all staff who represent uWaterloo off campus exhibit a consistently high level of maturity, professionalism, and credibility as the “voice” of uWaterloo for all audiences.
- Ensures the careful co-ordination of the logistics of any domestic or international travel, including the organization of well-developed budgets and plans and the creative solution of any problems that may arise.
- Responsible for maintaining and ensuring awareness of and sensitivity to cultural, language, religious, political, and social-economic factors in uWaterloo’s domestic and international recruitment markets, including travel advisories in targeted international markets, and for ensuring the appropriate adjustment of behaviours, appearance, clothing, and outward expressions of personal beliefs so that international recruitment staff can assimilate and present uWaterloo in a professional manner (e.g., no outward signs of Christianity; for females, covering the head in the Middle East, etc.).
6. Other
- Participates in M&UR recruitment events and the administration of specific RO department-wide responsibilities, including convocation and such general and specific duties as may from time to time be determined.
Position Requirements
Education:
Bachelor’s degree
Experience:
- 10 years of experience in post-secondary marketing and communications or a related field.
- Essential: proven proficiency as a strategic thinker, with demonstrated success in developing and evaluating evidence-based strategic plans.
- Evidence of highly developed budget, project, and human resources management abilities, including hiring, directing, evaluating, and developing employees.
- Demonstrated leadership and change management experience, coupled with proven ability to engage internal and external stakeholders and to work collaboratively to build consensus in a complex environment characterized by competing priorities.
- Experience in and/or understanding of not-for-profit marketing, preferably at a university, or enrolment management principles as defined by industry enrolment management experts such as Noel Levitz.
- Demonstrated level of maturity, competence, and professionalism appropriate for interacting with the highest internal administrative echelon and for representing the university vis-à-vis government, corporate, and not-for-profit organizations.
- Proficient in understanding research, key audiences, geographic markets, cultures, governments, and the direction of strategic investments.
- Comprehensive understanding of integrated marketing strategies, the leveraging of institutional positioning and visual identity frameworks into effective strategic initiatives, and the incorporation of traditional and emerging technologies and tools into those initiatives.
- Extensive experience in and knowledge of international affairs and integrated strategies; domestic and international undergraduate recruitment and admissions; national and international education systems; and issues related to the transition to university, especially for international students.
- Proficient in creating and providing advice about audience-centred strategies that incorporate knowledge of generational theory and the role of major influencers in the decisions of prospective students.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, including proficiency in public/promotional speaking and the ability to write effectively, authentically, and in a manner consistent with the quality and standard expected of university-level communications.
- Strong organizational and problem-solving skills coupled with the ability to handle multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and excel in a fast-paced environment characterized by changing priorities.
- Demonstrated ability to create and maintain a positive, integrated, and collaborative team environment.
- Essential: flexibility, diplomacy, sound judgment, and relations-management skills coupled with the ability to influence and motivate others and to manage crisis situations effectively.
Technical:
| MS Word |
Excel |
PowerPoint |
Other |
| Intermediate |
Intermediate |
Presentation software, e.g., PowerPoint
Advanced
|
Other: Database Management tools, such as Cognos cubes and IAP planning tools
Intermediate
|
Nature and Scope
Interpersonal Skills:
Internally, interacts with colleagues across the university and at all levels to deal with, influence, motivate, and gain buy-in in order to develop, direct, and ensure the implementation of undergraduate marketing and recruitment enrolment management strategies; externally, conducts critical communication and negotiations with a wide variety of organizations and high-level governmental and private stakeholders to deal with, influence, and motivate others; exercises diplomacy and demonstrates superior interpersonal skills in welcoming visiting dignitaries.
Level of Responsibility:
As senior domestic and international recruitment strategist, accountable for the development and success of the overall RO liaison and associated marketing and recruitment strategies and priorities as well as for informing the direction of university-wide policies that impact enrolment management; expected to provide collaborative leadership and expertise with respect to recruitment, marketing, and enrolment management strategies across campus and to exhibit a vitally important high degree of mature and credible professionalism as the representative of the university both internationally and in Canada.
Decision-Making Authority:
Makes decisions that have a significant impact on and consequences for the reputation and revenue of the university and the success of enrolment management efforts; when travelling, makes such decisions independently, under pressure, and in situations where no support is available.
Physical and Sensory Demands:
While on campus: minimal demands typical of a position operating within an office environment; while travelling: extreme demands because of unavoidable exposure to dangerous or unpleasant environments and disruptions in lifestyle coupled with unusual hours/schedules; occasional lengthy worldwide travelling involving international travel, overnight stays in hotels, and visits to a wide variety of educational institutions; requirement to remain physically and mentally alert, enthusiastic, and cheerful under pressure and in unfamiliar environments; heavy lifting of recruitment materials; constant alertness required during travel, driving, and presentations.
Mental Stress:
While travelling: significant mental stress due to the possibility of exposure to political unrest and increased potential for unstable social conditions; difficulties associated with travelling and communicating where English is not the first language; additional hours of work and prolonged absences from office and home; multiple and/or tight deadlines related to the expectation that correspondence and responses to accumulated email inquiries be dealt with even during absences from the office; increased stress during travel caused by tight scheduling that maximizes effectiveness in a market and consequent pressure resulting from unplanned events such as traffic delays and inclement weather.
Working Environment:
While on campus: minimal exposure to disagreeable conditions typical of a position exposed to stress and pressure associated with senior-management-level responsibilities; intermittent work outside the normal operating hours of the institution; while travelling: extreme exposure to disagreeable conditions during the travel season: 8- to 24-hour plane rides in economy class, with little opportunity to stretch and move about; extensive driving; standing for periods ranging from 8 to 12 hours; extreme temperatures and weather conditions; substantially elevated levels of smog and pollution; exposure to numerous diseases and unsanitary conditions; exposure to wild animals, reptiles, and insects; living in hotels and spending time away from the office and home; necessity of putting personal/social activities on hold.
