Associate Dean of Enrollment Management

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $230,000-$250,000

Position Summary:

Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs seeks a strategic, data-driven, and collaborative Associate Dean of Enrollment Management to lead the School’s integrated enrollment strategy across admissions, financial aid, recruitment, marketing, analytics and student outcomes. Reporting to the Vice Dean and Chief Officer of Administration, the Associate Dean will oversee enrollment and recruitment for SIPA’s existing degree programs, executive programs, and executive education offerings, while also leading enrollment planning for new academic programs and initiatives.

The Associate Dean will lead the development and management of sophisticated enrollment models and predictive analyses, align financial aid strategy with enrollment goals, and ensure that SIPA’s enrollment marketing and recruitment efforts are compelling, coordinated, and measurable. This role requires exceptional quantitative skills, excellent judgment, deep knowledge of graduate and professional education markets, and the ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable strategy.

Responsibilities:

Enrollment Strategy and Planning:

• Develop and lead an integrated enrollment management strategy for SIPA’s degree, executive, and executive education programs.
• Lead enrollment planning for new programs, including market and demand analysis, audience identification, pricing, financial aid strategy, and enrollment and revenue projections.
• Build and maintain enrollment models to support short- and long-term forecasting, revenue and capacity planning, and program sustainability.
• Apply data, predictive analytics, and market intelligence to inform recruitment strategy, establish admissions and enrollment targets, manage yield, and guide financial aid allocation.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen coordination across enrollment functions, clarify roles and responsibilities, and support a more integrated and data-informed operation.
• Advise senior leadership on enrollment trends, risks, opportunities, and strategic decisions affecting SIPA’s academic and financial priorities.

Admissions, Financial Aid, and Recruitment:

• Direct admissions and financial aid operations across SIPA’s existing programs, ensuring high-quality service, operational efficiency and effectiveness, regulatory compliance, and alignment with School goals.
• Develop and execute  comprehensive recruitment strategies to attract highly qualified, diverse, and mission-aligned applicants from domestic and international markets.
• Establish and maintain admissions policies, applicant evaluation processes, yield strategies, and scholarship practices to support SIPA’s academic priorities and enrollment goals.
• Lead net tuition revenue and financial aid leveraging strategy, managing the discount rate to balance access, class composition, and the School’s revenue objectives.
• Oversee strategies and processes supporting admitted student engagement, enrollment conversion, melt prevention, onboarding, and transition from applicant to enrolled student.
• Partner with program directors, faculty, and administrative leaders to align recruitment and admissions strategies with program-specific goals and market conditions.
• Oversee enrollment and recruitment for SIPA executive programs and executive education, including open-enrollment, custom, and professional learning offerings.

Marketing and Communications:

• Lead enrollment marketing across SIPA’s programs, from strategy and creative development through execution, ensuring that campaigns are audience-specific, brand-aligned, and tied to measurable goals.
• Partner with communications, external relations, program leadership, and external vendors to develop integrated, multichannel marketing campaigns across digital, print, events, email, social media, and other channels.
• Analyze campaign and funnel performance to assess effectiveness, refine messaging, optimize resource allocation, and improve conversion at each stage of the enrollment funnel.
• Ensure the consistency, quality, and accuracy of enrollment marketing materials, admissions communications, recruitment collateral, and public-facing program information.

Student Enrollment and Data Management:

• Oversee the collection, analysis, and reporting of student and graduate outcomes, including academic progress, retention, completion, career placement and other measures of student success.
• Partner with student affairs, academic affairs, career services, institutional research, and program offices to ensure that reported outcome data are accurate, timely, consistent and actionable.
• Develop dashboards, reports, and analyses that enable SIPA leadership to assess program performance, student outcomes, recruitment effectiveness, and efficiency of resource allocation.
• Establish and maintain standards for data integrity, governance, access and reporting in accordance with University policies and any applicable laws, regulations or requirements.

Leadership, Operations, and Budget Management:

• Provide strategic leadership and supervision for teams responsible for admissions, financial aid, recruitment, enrollment marketing, and related operations.
• Oversee staffing, office operations, workflows, systems, policies, and service standards to ensure an effective, responsive and student-centered operation.
• Manage operating budgets for enrollment-related offices and initiatives, ensuring responsible stewardship of resources and alignment with School priorities.
• Assess and improve the systems, technologies and workflows supporting admissions, financial aid, recruitment, enrollment marketing, analytics, and student data management.
• Represent SIPA on University committees and working groups and in external professional networks related to admissions, financial aid, enrollment management, graduate education, and executive education.
• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree strongly preferred.
• Minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in enrollment management, admissions, financial aid, recruitment, marketing, student success, institutional research, or a related area in higher education.
• Demonstrated experience developing enrollment strategies, building enrollment models, using predictive analytics, and translating quantitative analysis into strategic decisions.
• Strong understanding of graduate and professional education markets, including domestic and international recruitment, financial aid strategy, yield management, and student decision-making.
• Experience leading teams, managing budgets, improving operations, and working across complex organizations.
• Excellent analytical, communication, writing, presentation, interpersonal, and project management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with faculty, senior administrators, staff, students, alumni, and external partners.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and student-centered service.
• Knowledge of student data privacy, confidentiality, and compliance requirements, including FERPA.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in higher education administration, public administration, business, analytics, marketing, or a related field.
• Experience in a highly selective graduate or professional school environment, particularly in public policy, international affairs, public administration, or a related field.
• Advanced working knowledge with Slate or comparable admissions CRM platforms, student information systems, business intelligence tools, and digital marketing analytics.
• Demonstrated ability to assess market demand and support the launch of new academic programs. 

Core Competencies:

• Strategic and analytical thinking
• Enrollment modeling and forecasting
• Data-informed decision-making
• Marketing strategy and campaign evaluation
• Operational leadership and process improvement
• Financial stewardship and budget management
• Collaboration and relationship building
• Clear written and verbal communication
• Commitment to inclusive excellence and student success

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.